Toots & The Maytals: Toots Hibbert (vocals); Hux Brown, Carl Harvey (guitar); Harold Butler, Winston Wright (keyboards); Jackie Jackson (bass guitar); Paul Douglas (drums); Raleigh Gordon, Jerry Mathias (background vocals).
Liner Note Author: David Katz.
Recording information: Hammersmith Palais, London, England (09/1980).
Heavily influenced by such American soul and R&B singers as Otis Redding and Clyde McPhatter, Frederick "Toots" Hibbert has one of the all-time great voices in reggae. With his backing vocalists the Maytals--Nathaniel "Jerry" Matthias and Ralphus "Raleigh" Gordon--Toots has remained an original and distinctive voice in Jamaican music since the ska era, when the single "54-46 (Was My Number)" was an influential hit. In fact, Toots & the Maytals are so important to reggae that their 1968 single "Do The Reggay" is the first recorded use of the term.
This excellent 1980 live album captures Toots & the Maytals at the peak of their talents. LIVE features tracks from various eras of the group's long career, including a killer version of "54-46" as well as the classic "Pressure Drop," "Funky Kingston," and "Monkey Man." Toots & the Maytals also provide a stirring, respectful cover of Bob Marley's "Get Up Stand Up."
