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 Man
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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've seen no sign of you, I only heard of you
Huggin' up the big monkey man
I've seen no sign of you, I only heard of you
Huggin' up the big monkey man
It's not lie, it's not lie
Them a tell me, you huggin' up the big monkey man
It's not lie, it's not 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've seen no sign of you, I only heard of you
Huggin' up the big monkey man
I've seen no sign of you, I only heard of you
Huggin' up the big monkey man
It's not lie, it's not lie
Them a tell me, you huggin' up the big monkey man
It's not lie, it's not 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
See 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've seen no sign of you, I only heard of you
Huggin' up the big monkey man
I've seen no sign of you, I only heard of you
Huggin' up the big monkey man
It's not lie, it's not lie
Tell you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man
Toots and The Maytals's song "Monkey Man" is a song about a woman who is cheating on him with a man known as the "big monkey man." The song is written in a call and response style, with Toots singing the main lyrics of the song and the backup singers answering with "Aye aye aye." The song begins with Toots telling the woman that she's cheating on him with the big monkey man, and he has heard about it from others but hasn't seen any evidence of it. He then repeats the chorus several times, emphasizing that she's hugging up the big monkey man.
The next verse of the song, Toots sings that he now understands what's going on, and she's turning a monkey on him. He's seen no sign of her with the big monkey man, except for what he's been told, and he emphasizes that he's not lying about what's going on. The song concludes with the chorus again, where he repeats that she's hugging up the big monkey man.
Overall, the song is a lighthearted take on infidelity, showing that Toots is more amused than angry at the situation. The use of the monkey as a metaphor for the other man is also interesting, as it adds a playful element to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Aye aye aye, aye aye aye
Expressing surprise or disbelief
Tell you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man
Accusing someone of cheating on the singer
I've seen no sign of you, I only heard of you
Having no direct evidence of the cheating
Huggin' up the big monkey man
Engaging in a relationship with a man like a monkey
It's not lie, it's not lie
Emphasizing the truth of the accusation
Them a tell me, you huggin' up the big monkey man
Hearing from others about the cheating
Now I know that, now I understand
Realizing the truth about the situation
You're turning a monkey on me
Making the artist feel foolish or humiliated
See you baby, you huggin' up the big monkey man
Repeating the accusation towards the end
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frederick Hibbert
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lduranceau8046
I first heard this song in 1970, at a Jamaican party. I sent away to Jamaica for the album, which was not available in my area at the time. I treasured this record for many years. One of my all-time favorites. RIP Toots Hibbert, we'll always love you.
@dianal235
This cut is on a CD I bought at the airport as I was heading off to India to see Sri Karunamayi Divine Mother, and one of the first of such purchases I made after a lot of personal crises had been taken on by Her giving me the freedom to make my own choices, Jai Karunamayi! The album is WONDERFUL WORLD BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE 🙏🌏🌎🌍❤🕉️☮️🙏
BEAUTIFUL
@NYVoice
See ya Toots. Your musical footprint is firmly planted in history.
@90sbaby1
...its been a month??? God 😢
@elizabetheden2088
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@cristinarossi7367
Word!!!
@jackduncan4228
Toots was a genius. He wrote some of reggaes greatest songs.
@thomasbest8599
Pressure gonna drop on you
@mrcodhead67
Ah, man.
Bad news, today.
RIP Toots Hibbert and massive thanks for your music.
@elizabetheden2088
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