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.
Monkey Girl
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
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Aye aye aye, aye aye aye
Tell you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man
Aye aye aye, aye aye aye
Tell you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man
I never saw you, I only heard of you
I never saw you, I only heard of you
Huggin' up the big monkey man
It's no lie, it's no lie
Them a tell me, you huggin' up the big monkey man
It's no lie, it's no lie
Them a tell me, you huggin' up the big monkey man
Now I know that, now I understand
You're turning a monkey on me
Now I know that, now I understand
You're turning a monkey on me
Aye aye aye, aye aye aye
Tell you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man
Aye aye aye, aye aye aye
Tell you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man
I was on my way to banbury cross,
Then I see a monkey upon a white horse
With rings on he fingers, bells on him toes
Sing a little song, wherever he be
'cause he's a monkey, 'cause he's a monkey
'cause he's a weedy little monkey man
Aye aye aye, aye aye aye
Tell you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man
Aye aye aye, aye aye aye
Tell you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man
Toots and The Maytals's song "Monkey Man" seems to be about a woman who is interested in someone else - someone who is referred to as the "big monkey man." The singer has heard rumors that this woman is "huggin' up" this other man, and is now realizing that the woman is "turning a monkey" on him. The metaphor of the monkey in this context is interesting, as it could refer to a number of things - perhaps the other man is physically large, or wild and unpredictable like a monkey. Or, it could be used to suggest that this other man is more primitive or animalistic, and therefore more attractive to the woman.
The repeated refrain of "Aye aye aye, aye aye aye / Tell you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man" is catchy and almost playful, contrasting with the darker themes of jealousy and suspicion that underlie the lyrics. The final verse is a bit of a departure from the rest of the song, with the singer describing a monkey he sees riding a horse and singing a little song. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the woman being easily swayed and attracted to things that are unusual or exotic.
Overall, "Monkey Man" is a song with a lot of ambiguity and room for interpretation. It paints a picture of jealousy and suspicion, but also of a woman who is drawn to something that is unorthodox and perhaps even dangerous.
Line by Line Meaning
This one's for the bouncers. big, big monkey man
The song is dedicated to the bouncers who have to deal with a big, intimidating man.
Aye aye aye, aye aye aye
Tell you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man
The singer warns a woman that she's getting too close to the big monkey-like man.
I never saw you, I only heard of you
Huggin' up the big monkey man
The singer has only heard rumors of the woman and the big monkey man being close.
It's no lie, it's no lie
Them a tell me, you huggin' up the big monkey man
The singer believes the rumors about the woman being close to the big monkey man are true.
Now I know that, now I understand
You're turning a monkey on me
The singer realizes that the woman is using the big monkey man to make him jealous or upset.
I was on my way to banbury cross,
Then I see a monkey upon a white horse
With rings on he fingers, bells on him toes
Sing a little song, wherever he be
'cause he's a monkey, 'cause he's a monkey
'cause he's a weedy little monkey man
The singer tells a story of seeing a monkey riding a white horse and singing a little song. He compares the woman's relationship with the big monkey man to this strange scenario.
Aye aye aye, aye aye aye
Tell you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man
The singer repeats his warning to the woman about her relationship with the big monkey man.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind