The Maytals

The Maytals stand as Jamaica's premier vocal ensemble, their extensive recording history placing them at the center of nearly every stylistic evolution on the island right up to the ragga period. So profound was their impact at home and internationally, and so vast their body of work, that few acts capture the nation's sonic identity more completely. The group came together in 1962 when Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, Nathaniel McCarthy (also known as Jerry Matthias), and Henry "Raleigh" Gordon combined their voices. At that time Matthias alone possessed any prior recognition; born in Portland, Jamaica, in 1939, he had relocated to Kingston and cut a single for Duke Reid in 1958 while still a teenager, though the release failed to prompt further sessions with the producer. Hibbert, born in May Pen, Clarendon, in 1945, had honed his craft in a local church choir before arriving in Kingston at age 15, where he sang for patrons at the barber shop that employed him. His talent drew immediate local admiration, yet it failed to impress Derrick Morgan or producer Leslie Kong when the teenager auditioned for them in 1961. Gordon, the oldest of the three, born in St. Andrew in 1937, had not yet tested the studio waters at all. Individually they had achieved little, yet their union would reach global audiences. After forming and adopting the name suggested by Gordon, the Maytals began visiting studios and found producers suddenly eager to work with them; ultimately they selected Coxsone Dodd. Their first single, "Hallelujah," proved groundbreaking. Still in ska's infancy, the track's buoyant rhythm—part boogie and part an emerging sound without a clear label—combined with the group's fervent delivery to create something startlingly fresh that quickly drew Jamaica's attention. A key element of their appeal lay in expressing profound religious convictions; faith holds central importance in Jamaican life, and the trio's spirited performances conveyed authentic devotion, channeling revival-meeting energy onto vinyl. While many gospel acts shared this fervor, the Maytals distinguished themselves through exceptional ska backings.

By late 1963 the trio had produced numerous standout recordings for Dodd. Several carried religious themes—"Marching On," "Shining Light," "I'll Never Grow Old," "Study War No More," "Matthew Mark," and the hit "Six and Seven Books of Moses" (supervised by Lee Perry)—yet others addressed earthly matters: "Sweet Sweet Jenny," "Just Got to Be," and the superb doo-wop track "Are You Mine." Despite the string of successes, the group saw minimal financial return, compounded when Dodd licensed their singles to the U.K.'s Island label under pseudonyms such as the Flames and the Vikings. Refusing to rectify the arrangement, Dodd prompted the Maytals' departure at the end of 1963. He retained control of their earlier material and issued Presenting the Maytals in the new year, a remarkable collection of many Dodd-era hits. Its popularity led to a 1986 reissue titled Never Grow Old—Presenting the Maytals. Heartbeat later made the album available to American listeners with added archival tracks. A second compilation, Life Could Be a Dream, followed in 1992; together the two sets gather most of the singles recorded for Dodd. The Maytals then worked with multiple producers, delivering strong singles across various labels: Sonia Pottinger handled "Joy and Jean" and "Let's Jump," Deanne Daley cut "Come Into My Parlour" and "I Am in Love," Vincent Chin recorded "Someone Going to Bawl" and "He's the Greatest," and Leslie Kong—who had reconsidered his earlier stance—produced three tracks including "John James" and "Neither Silver or Gold."

During this phase the Maytals also backed Desmond Dekker on several early singles, notably the landmark "King of Ska," appearing under the name the Cherry Pies. Prince Buster oversaw some of their strongest releases from the period, among them "Domino," "You Got Me Spinning," "Bet You Lied," and the exuberant "Broadway Jungle" (also called "Dog War"). While these lively ska numbers remain most recalled, the group also cut religious material for Buster such as "Judgement Day" and "Light of the World." Prince Buster Record Shack Presents the Original Golden Oldies, Vol. 3 collected a dozen of those singles. Hits continued steadily through the mid-1960s with titles like "So Mad in Love," "My Darling," and "Never You Change." In 1965 the trio entered the studio with Byron Lee to record The Sensational Maytals, an album that lived up to its name and yielded further successes in the driving "It's You" and the moving ballad "Daddy," showcasing the Maytals at their most soulful. Jamaican Gold later reissued the set as Sensational Ska Explosion with eight alternate takes added. The following year the group won the first Festival Song Competition with the rudeboy anthem "Bam Bam," again under Lee's supervision. Just as they were transitioning into rocksteady, the trio withdrew from activity for nearly the entire era after Hibbert received an 18-month sentence for marijuana possession. Matthias and Gordon declined to proceed without him, though Matthias did release a few singles with Ewam McDermott as Ewam & Jerry. The Maytals resumed only upon Hibbert's release. They promptly recorded the triumphant "54-46 Was My Number" (Hibbert's actual prison number) with Leslie Kong; the single became a major success, as did its follow-up, the relaxed "Do the Reggay," which gave the emerging dance and style their names. Joined by the Dynamics, the Maytals compensated with an outpouring of singles and hits including the suggestive "One Eyed Enos," the forceful "We Shall Overcome," the Rastafarian "Sun Moon and Star," and the sequel to "Dog War," titled "Schooldays." Additional standouts from the period were the enduring "Pressure Drop" (later covered effectively by the Clash), the popular "Peeping Tom," and the harmonically rich "Sweet & Dandy," which secured the 1969 Festival Song Competition.

In 1970 the Maytals issued their third album overall, From the Roots, followed a year later by Monkey Man, both produced by Kong and packed with familiar hits that later compilations frequently draw upon. The title track of the second album scored another large hit and reached just inside Britain's Top 50 in 1970. The Specials would later revive "Monkey Man," though the original, less frantic version served as a lighthearted nod to producer Kong. Two collections focus on this era: Do the Reggae: 1966-1970 on the U.K. Attack label, drawing heavily from the Kong sessions, and Bla Bla Bla on the French Esoldun imprint. Kong died suddenly in 1971, but prior to his passing he had supervised the soundtrack for The Harder They Come, featuring another of his artists, Jimmy Cliff. The Maytals' appearance on that soundtrack expanded their international profile, yet like many of Kong's acts they faced uncertainty after his death. In 1972 the trio returned as Toots & the Maytals and began work on a new album at Byron Lee's Dynamic Sounds Studio under Warwick Lyn, Kong's former assistant. The resulting Slatyam Stoot included the new Festival Song Competition winner "Pomps and Pride." The next year's Funky Kingston, produced by Island's Chris Blackwell together with Lyn and Dave Bloxham, proved more soul-oriented than its title suggested and stands as the group's most stylistically bold album. 1974's In the Dark matched that eclecticism with funkier elements and covers ranging from John Denver to Michael Jackson. Island drew from both albums for a 1975 release also titled Funky Kingston, distinct from the original. Two years later Reggae Got Soul appeared as the trio's first album on Island's Mango subsidiary and registered strongly in Britain as well as Jamaica. Hibbert increasingly focused on establishing his own Righteous label, though the group continued issuing spiritual material aimed at local listeners that remains largely unfamiliar outside Jamaica. In 1979 they returned to the studio for a follow-up to Soul, the jazz-inflected Pass the Pipe.

That summer the Maytals delivered an energetic performance at Reggae Sunsplash. Two albums arrived in 1980: the studio set Just Like That and the live recording Toots Live, captured at London's Hammersmith Palais and notable both for its record release speed—available within 24 hours of the show—and for preserving the intensity of their stage delivery. Knockout followed in 1981 as the original lineup's final album. The Maytals disbanded shortly afterward, concluding with dignity by contributing a new version of "Bam Bam" to the Countryman soundtrack and appearing once more at Reggae Sunsplash in 1982; that performance was issued as a live album the next year. Hibbert pursued solo work through the 1980s, often exploring other genres. With the arrival of a new decade he reformed the Maytals with fresh members and resumed touring. The updated trio performed at Reggae Sunsplash in 1993 and 1994, maintaining an active schedule domestically and overseas. Hibbert also started the Alla Son label, which released the Maytals' 1997 album Recoup and its 1998 successor Ska Father; both contained fresh versions of earlier material alongside new songs. Given the depth of their catalog, a definitive Maytals anthology would demand a multi-disc box set. While none has yet materialized, several single- and double-disc options exist. Polygram's 2000 Very Best Of selects many highlights on one disc. The two-disc Time Tough: The Anthology from Mango spans the original group's career, though weighted toward the 1970s and including only nine tracks from prior decades; the choices are thoughtful and several rarities appear. Music Club's The Very Best of Toots & the Maytals focuses on the same span as the first disc of Anthology and arguably presents it more effectively.