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.
Reggae Got Soul
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got so much soul
Listen to the beat
Move your dancing feet
Rock your bodyline
Move in time
You don't have to salute
While I'm passing through
Listen to the beat
Move your dancing feet
Rock your bodyline
Right in time
This reggae got soul
Got so much soul
Grandmother can do it
Grandfather can do it
Do it and feel alright
This reggae got soul
Got so much soul
Reggae got soul
For the young and old
Makes me want to sing and dance and do all kinds of crazy things
When I listen to the music makes me want to shout Oh Glory Hallelujah
Makes me feel alright in the day or in the night
Ooh reggae got soul, reggae, reggae
Rock it to my bones, move me around
Reggae got soul, got so much soul
Al my life I feel so good
Come on baby, come have a dance with me
Reggae, reggae, reggae got soul
The lyrics to "Reggae Got Soul" by Toots and The Maytals are all about the power of reggae music to move and inspire people. The song celebrates the soulful quality of reggae and its ability to make people dance and feel good. The first verse encourages listeners to let loose and move their bodies to the beat of the reggae music, while the second verse asserts that anyone and everyone is capable of enjoying reggae, regardless of age or social standing. The chorus repeatedly declares that reggae has soul and plenty of it - enough to make you want to sing and dance and feel all kinds of crazy things.
The third verse of the song describes the spiritual and uplifting properties of reggae music. It compares the feeling of listening to reggae to the sense of exaltation one might experience in a religious context, with the lines "When I listen to the music makes me want to shout Oh Glory Hallelujah / Makes me feel alright in the day or in the night". The song ends with an invitation for listeners to come dance and feel the power of reggae for themselves.
Overall, "Reggae Got Soul" is a joyful celebration of the music genre and its ability to connect people and inspire them to dance, sing, and feel good.
Line by Line Meaning
Reggae got soul
Reggae music has a strong soulful quality
Got so much soul
The soulfulness of reggae music is immense
Listen to the beat
Pay attention to the rhythm of the music
Move your dancing feet
Start dancing to the music
Rock your bodyline
Move your body in a rhythmic manner
Move in time
Dance in sync with the beat
You don't have to salute
No need to show any formal respect
While I'm passing through
While the song is playing
Right in time
In perfect sync with the rhythm
Grandmother can do it
Even elderly people can dance to reggae music
Grandfather can do it
Even elderly people can dance to reggae music
Do it and feel alright
Dancing to reggae music can make you feel good
Reggae got soul
Reggae music has a strong soulful quality
For the young and old
People of all ages can enjoy reggae music
Makes me want to sing and dance and do all kinds of crazy things
The energy of reggae music inspires me to express myself in different ways
When I listen to the music makes me want to shout Oh Glory Hallelujah
The joyful and spiritual elements of reggae music invoke a celebratory response in me
Makes me feel alright in the day or in the night
The positive vibes of reggae music can uplift my mood at any time
Ooh reggae got soul, reggae, reggae
The soulful quality of reggae music is emphasized
Rock it to my bones, move me around
The rhythm of reggae music has a physical effect on the body
Al my life I feel so good
Reggae music has been a positive influence throughout my life
Come on baby, come have a dance with me
Invitation to share the joy of dancing to reggae music
Reggae, reggae, reggae got soul
Reinforcing the idea that reggae music has a strong soulful quality
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT, WARRICK LYN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rahat sharma
Reggae got soul
Got so much soul
Reggae got soul
Got so much soul
Listen to the beat
Move your dancing feet
Rock your body line
Move in time
You don't have to salute
While I'm passing through
Listen to the beat
Move your dancing feet
Rock your body line
Right in time
This reggae got soul
Got so much soul
Grandmother, can do it?
Grandfather, can do it?
Do it and feel alright
This reggae got soul
Got so much soul
Reggae got soul
For the young and old
Reggae got soul
Got so much soul
Reggae got soul
For the young and old
Reggae got soul
Got so much soul
Reggae got soul
For the young and old
Reggae got soul
Got so much soul
Reggae got soul
For the young and old
Collin Higgs
When that bass line hits in at the start and that wonderful voice rolls over it, it's glorious.
Mashudu Gumula
Glorious indeed 👌👌👌👌
Peter Vasquez
Toots!!!😕👈
zacharia mukwevho
all instrument you can feel in and out
Jeff K
This might be my favorite reggae song. As much as I love Bob Marley, this song just does it for me. This is one of those songs I can play on repeat over and over again.
David Birks
That's just how I feel.
Toots grabbed me right off the bat in 1976.
I got to do a show with him in 1990. It was a thrill!
Yvonne Wheeler
Ditto repeat repeat repeat.
Jabari Jaxton
instaBlaster.
Hoto TeWhitu
Definitely! Gets the body moving this waiata!
“You don’t hafe salute, when I passing thru. Listen to the beat, move your dancing feet 🦶 “
Oswald Gilharry
Bob is great and we'll known, but he's not the best reggae artist there's in Jamaica, before him and after him!