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.
Pomps And Pride
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cryin out (cry out)
Calm down (calm down)
Have your pomps and pride
Calm down (calm down)
Calm down (calm down)
Have your pomps and pride
Everybody just
Calm down (calm down)
Have your pomps and pride
Is it an opulin, Iceland, calm down
Have your pomps and pride
For today, today, today is a happy day
For tonight tonight, can be another night
Do re mi fah so la te do
Everybody's just crying crying
Sighing sighing
Dying to see the light
And when they see it, they see it's not bright
Can this be right?
Everybody just
Calm down (calm down)
Calm down (calm down)
Have your pomps and pride
Is it an opulin, Iceland, calm down (have no idea what he says here)??
Calm down
Have your pomps and pride
The song "Pomps and Pride" by Toots and The Maytals sends a message of calmness and composure amidst the chaos and sadness of the world. The opening line of the song "Everybody just cryin out, calm down, have your pomps and pride" has a two-fold meaning. Firstly, it can be interpreted as a command for everyone to relax and not be too emotional or overwhelmed. Secondly, it suggests that people should hold on to their ideals and values, represented by the phrase "pomps and pride" despite difficult situations. The song further talks about how people are crying out and are dying to see the light, but when they finally see it, it's not as bright as they thought. This could be a reference to how people's expectations often lead to disappointment when things do not turn out as expected.
Toots and The Maytals then lead into a call for people to "calm down" and "have their pomps and pride." The phrase "pomp and pride" here can be interpreted as referring to one's sense of self-worth and self-esteem, urging listeners not to give up who they are or what they believe in, no matter how hard it may be. The song then ends on a positive note, saying that today is a happy day and tomorrow could be just as good.
Overall, "Pomps and Pride" is a song of encouragement to stay true to oneself and remain composed, even in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody just Cryin out (cry out) Calm down (calm down) Have your pomps and pride
Everyone is crying out and distressed, take a moment to calm down and hold on to your sense of self-worth and pride.
Calm down (calm down) Have your pomps and pride Calm down (calm down) Have your pomps and pride
Reiterating the importance of staying calm and having pride in oneself despite the chaos and uncertainty around.
Is it an opulin, Iceland, calm down Have your pomps and pride
Unclear what this line means, as it might be a made-up phrase or reference. However, the message seems to be to calm down and maintain one's pride regardless of how extravagant or over-the-top something might seem.
For today, today, today is a happy day For tonight tonight, can be another night
Today is a happy day, so enjoy it while it lasts. Remember that tomorrow can be a new night with new opportunities and challenges.
Do re mi fah so la te do Everybody's just crying crying Sighing sighing Dying to see the light
Using a musical reference to illustrate the pain and sadness people are feeling, desperately looking for hope and light.
And when they see it, they see it's not bright Can this be right?
When people finally find hope or a glimpse of light, they see that it's not as bright as they wanted or expected it to be, and question why.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BROADWAY MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RJ-og3cu
I did not grow up on this music, I found it on my own, I could not be happier, yet also sad I did not find it sooner.
@donnamaria4882
Better late than never, right...reggae forever :-)
@tanguyfabeck8128
Rest easy Toots, thanks for what you have brought to the music world 🙏💖
@Gretsch52
RIP Toots Hibbert. A great loss indeed.
@tmooxo7957
This song never fails to sort my head out. Rest in rhythm king x
@whut-da
Concur. It's the greatest feel-good song ever written.
@shelonibryan2097
Who else listening this music in 2020...☝️
@clarabellmurray9577
Me
@jojimaya3516
Me bro , Me ✌️👍
@bojonerewel
me from indonesia ✌🏻