Toots and The Maytals are from Kingston, Jamaica. It was the producer Byron Lee who 1971 renamed them Toots & the Maytals. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the leader of the group and the lead singer, was born in May Pen in the Parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. He was the youngest of seven children. He grew up singing gospel music in a church choir, but moved to Kingston in 1961 at the age of sixteen.
In Kingston, he met Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" McCarthy, forming a group whose early recordings were attributed to "The Flames" and, possibly, "The Vikings". Having renamed the group the Maytals, the vocal trio recorded their first album, "Never Grow Old - presenting the Maytals", for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd at Studio One in 1962-63. With musical backing from Dodd's house band, the legendary Skatalites, the Maytals' close-harmony gospel singing ensured instant success for the 1964 release, overshadowing Dodd's other up-and-coming gospel trio, The Wailers. The original album augmented by studio out-takes from the Studio One sessions was re-released by Heartbeat/Rounder Records in 1997, and is essential listening for Maytals and Skatalites fans.
After staying at Studio One for about two years, the group moved on to do sessions for Prince Buster (released in 1974) before recording their second album produced by Byron Lee in 1965. However, the band's musical career was rudely interrupted in late 1966 when Hibbert was arrested and imprisoned on drug possession charges.
Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the band began working with Chinese-Jamaican producer Leslie Kong, a collaboration which produced three classic albums and a string of hits throughout the late sixties and early seventies -- "Do the Reggay", a 1968 single widely credited with coining the word "reggae", "Pressure Drop", "54-46" and "Monkey Man", the group's first international hit in 1970. The group was featured in one of reggae's greatest breakthrough events -- The Harder They Come, the 1972 film and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff.
Following Kong's death in 1971, the group continued to record with Kong's former sound engineer, Warwick Lyn; produced by Lyn and Chris Blackwell of Island Records, the group released three best-selling albums, and enjoyed international hits with Funky Kingston in 1973 and Reggae Got Soul in 1976.
Toots and the Maytals' compositions would be given a second airing in 1978-80 during the reggae-punk and ska revival period in the UK, when the Specials included "Monkey Man" on their 1979 debut album and the Clash produced their version of "Pressure Drop", with other Maytals' covers being recorded by Sublime. Having toured throughout the world for many years, Toots and the Maytals disbanded in the early 1980s, but reformed in the early 90s to continue touring and recording successfully.
In 2005, the band won a Grammy award for best reggae album for True Love, consisting of re-recorded versions of their classics alongside legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, as well as popular artists such as No Doubt, Ben Harper, The Roots, and Shaggy.
They also contributed to the Easy Star All-Stars album 'Radiodread' (a dub tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer).
In 2016 Toots and the Maytals announced a return to the stage with their first tour in 3 years,[35] and on June 15 at The Observatory North Park in San Diego the group returned to the stage for the first time since 2013.
In 2017 Toots and the Maytals played Coachella Fest April 16 and 23 at 4:20 pm. They became the second reggae-based group to perform at the Coachella festival, after Chronixx in 2016.
In 2018, Toots and the Maytals launched a 50th anniversary tour with concert appearances in North America from April to August, moving to dates in the UK starting in October.
On July 25, 2018 Toots and the Maytals debuted an original song entitled "Marley" live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and also played the classic "Funky Kingston".
On August 24, 2018 Toots and the Maytals performed at Lockn’ Festival in Arrington, Virginia, where guest Taj Mahal accompanied them on the song “Monkey Man”.
Frontman "Toots" Hibbert died on 12 September 2020.
Johnny Coolman
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
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They call me Johnny Cool Man
I wake up soon and I feel so good
And home just don't bother me
They call me Johnny Cool, Cool, Cool. Cool Man
They call me Johnny Cool Man
But sticks and stones may break my bones
And words just don't bother me
They take me for the other man
But sticks and stones can break my bones
And words just don't bother, bother me
They call me Johnny Cool Man
They call me Johnny Cool Man
But sticks and stones may break my bones
And words just don't bother me
They said some things to make me change
They said some things to make me feel bad
But sticks and stones can break my bones
And words just don't bother me
The song "Johnny Coolman" by Toots and The Maytals is all about a confident and unbothered individual who is known as Johnny Coolman. The lyrics suggest that whatever is said or done to him, he is able to brush it off easily and remain unscathed. He wakes up feeling good, and no matter what goes on at home, it does not affect him. The repetition of the phrase "They call me Johnny Cool Man" suggests that this nickname is well known amongst those who know him.
The lyrics also suggest that people mistake Johnny Coolman for someone else or take him for granted, but he doesn't let it bother him. The metaphor "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words just don't bother me" reinforces the idea that he is mentally strong and able to withstand any verbal attacks. It is interesting to note that the lyrics suggest that Johnny Coolman is not invincible, as the phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones" appears multiple times, adding a layer of vulnerability to the character.
Overall, the song "Johnny Coolman" celebrates the power of confidence and self-assuredness in the face of adversity. It suggests that no matter what anyone throws at you, it is possible to remain unbothered and come out on top.
Line by Line Meaning
They call me Johnny Cool Man
People refer to me as Johnny Cool Man
They call me Johnny Cool Man
People refer to me as Johnny Cool Man (repeated)
I wake up soon and I feel so good
I wake up early and feel great
And home just don't bother me
Being at home doesn't stress me out
They call me Johnny Cool, Cool, Cool. Cool Man
People call me Johnny Cool Man (with emphasis)
They call me Johnny Cool Man
People refer to me as Johnny Cool Man
But sticks and stones may break my bones
Physical harm can hurt me
And words just don't bother me
Verbal attacks don't affect me
I was on the other hand
On the contrary,
They take me for the other man
They mistake me for someone else
But sticks and stones can break my bones
Physical harm can hurt me
And words just don't bother, bother me
Verbal attacks don't affect me (repeated)
They call me Johnny Cool Man
People refer to me as Johnny Cool Man
They call me Johnny Cool Man
People refer to me as Johnny Cool Man
But sticks and stones may break my bones
Physical harm can hurt me
And words just don't bother me
Verbal attacks don't affect me
They said some things to make me change
They said things in an attempt to change me
They said some things to make me feel bad
They said things to make me feel upset
But sticks and stones can break my bones
Physical harm can hurt me
And words just don't bother me
Verbal attacks don't affect me
Contributed by Bentley V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.