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.
What's on your Mind
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
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In fields of dawn and forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and South and East and West of your life
I have only one request of your life
All the seasons and the times of your days
All the nickels and the dimes of your days
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
All begin and end with me
I want to see your face in every kind of light
In the fields of dawn and the forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love that you keep in your eyes
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
It may take a kiss or two
Through all of my life
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall of my life
All I ever will recall of my life
Is all of my life with you
The lyrics of Toots and The Maytals's song "What's on your Mind" express a deep desire to be with the person he is singing to. He wants to see her in every kind of light, in the fields of dawn and forests of the night. He wants to be there for her silent wishes and for all the seasons and times of her days. He pleads with her to spend all of her life with him, to be the beginning and end of all the reasons and rhymes of her days. He longs to awaken what is asleep in her eyes, even if it takes a kiss or two. Most importantly, he declares that all he will ever recall of his life is all of his life with her.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to see your face in every kind of light
I long to be with you and see you in all circumstances, in all moods, and in all places
In fields of dawn and forests of the night
I crave to be with you even during the early morning when the sun is rising and at night amidst the trees
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
I wish to be there for all your special moments, even when you blow the candles on your birthday cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
I want to be the person you confide in, and for you to whisper your deepest desires to me
What are you doing the rest of your life?
I want to know if you plan to spend your life with me or not
North and South and East and West of your life
In all directions of your life, at all times and in all places, I want to be with you
I have only one request of your life
I only have one wish, and that is for you to spend your entire life with me
That you spend it all with me
I hope that you choose to share every moment of your life with me
All the seasons and the times of your days
I desire to be with you in every season and as each day passes
All the nickels and the dimes of your days
In every small moment and decision that you make, I want to be by your side
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
Every decision and action you take, and every part of your day, should be centered around me
All begin and end with me
I want to be the center of your universe, and for every day to start and end with me
Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
I see the future in your eyes, and I want to be a part of it
In the world of love that you keep in your eyes
The love I see in your eyes is so powerful and alluring; I want to be enveloped in it forever
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
I'll unlock the passion, joy, and excitement that lies dormant in your eyes
It may take a kiss or two
It may take some tender moments and affectionate kisses to ignite the fire in your eyes
Through all of my life
For my entire existence, I will love you
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall of my life
In every season, every change, and every moment of my life, my love for you will endure
All I ever will recall of my life
When I look back on my life, I will only remember the moments shared with you
Is all of my life with you
Everything I have and everything I am is only complete when I am with you
Lyrics © ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP
Written by: ALAN BERGMAN, MARILYN BERGMAN, MICHEL LEGRAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind