Toots and the Maytals 54 – 56

Toots and the Maytals, originally called The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. Front man Toots Hibbert’s soulful vocal style has been compared to Otis Redding, and led him to be named one of the 100 Greatest Singers by Rolling Stone. Their 1968 single “Do the Reggay”, was the first song to first use the word “reggae”, naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience.

As Island Records founder Chris Blackwell says, “The Maytals were unlike anything else…sensational, raw and dynamic.”

The Maytals first had chart success recording for producer Clement “Coxsone” Dodd at Studio One.