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.
Never Grow Old
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Interesting Facts ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I will never grow old
I'll never grow old
'Cause I walk and I walk
And I talk and I talk
I search until I found a way
I will never grow old
I'll never grow old
The lyrics to Toots and The Maytals' song Never Grow Old express a hopeful message about maintaining youth and vitality through perseverance and a sense of purpose. The song suggests that by staying active and focused on one's goals, a person can avoid the pitfalls of aging and continue to enjoy life to the fullest. The inclusion of notable figures from the ska and reggae music scenes in the opening line, "With Terry Hall, you-Roy and the Skatalites," underscores the importance of community and collaboration in pursuing one's dreams.
The repeated chorus of "I'll never grow old" reinforces the idea that maintaining a youthful spirit is a matter of conviction and determination. The lines " 'Cause I walk and I walk / And I talk and I talk / I search until I found a way" suggest that staying active and persistent in pursuit of one's goals is key to achieving one's dreams and maintaining a sense of purpose. The repetition of the word "never" in the final line, "I'll never never never never never," reinforces the hopeful message that one need not succumb to the effects of aging if one remains committed to personal growth and pursuit of one's passions.
Facts about Toots and The Maytals' song Never Grow Old:
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
With Terry Hall, you-Roy and the Skatalites
With the help of Terry Hall, You-Roy, and the Skatalites, I will never grow old
I will never grow old
I refuse to age and will maintain my youthful spirit forever
I'll never grow old
No matter what happens, I will remain young at heart
'Cause I walk and I walk
My constant movement and adventurous nature keeps me feeling youthful
And I talk and I talk
My lively conversations with others also contribute to my youthful energy
I search until I found a way
I am on a mission to find ways to stay young and vibrant
I'll never never never never never
There is absolutely no way that I will ever allow myself to grow old and lose my zest for life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ARETHA FRANKLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bryan Beardsley
Woke up to the news of Mr. Hibbert passing. This was the first album that came to mind. Respect 🙏
Serena Atkins
🔥🔥🔥 These guys sang their hearts out!
Reeva Cameron
Another great icon has transitioned... Rest in peace Mr Hibbert (Toots).
Eugene
Wow, I enjoy Reggae but never heard of Toots, this is their first album. RIH Toots and I will listen to this album in tribute.
willie luncheonette
@kate the bionic uterus Toots never recorded any rock steady. The Maytals did cut a few songs in that style.
Bison Billy
@kate the bionic uterus well said
northern lights
@kate the bionic uterus WOW look at you! You saved me a google search
kate the bionic uterus
toots helped create reggae and actually named the music with his hit 1968 song “Do the Reggay” and the rest is history, ska, rocksteady, reggae is all toots, he had the first international reggae hit... Toots is more important to reggae music than bob marley & the wailers
C Cribbs
I am overjoyed this was recovered from whatever hiding place it had found itself in. Thank you
C Cribbs
Listening to this album on x 0.75 speed is recommended