A fantastic vocalist, it has always shocked me how few people were exposed to this great artist and seminal band. Toots and the Maytals saw the Jamaican music style of Ska through its transition to Rock Steady and Reggae, and were known especially for their vocal harmonies.
He toured a lot so hopefully some of you were lucky enough to see him live, cause let me tell you it was a great show. New album is soon to be released.
Oh man, sad news indeed, he was a real musical pioneer. “Funky Kingston” is one of the greatest reggae albums of all time. I always especially liked their cover versions. The Maytal’s version of “Louie Louie” is one of the best ever, maybe even better than Motörhead’s. And they could even transform a country-folk-pop song into great reggae.
I’ve loved his music since I heard it on the The Harder They Come soundtrack.
Sadly, I never saw him in concert, but I did see him in person once. Funny story. I was living in New Zealand about 1982 when he came for a concert tour. Reggae (and Toots) were very popular especially among the Maori and Pacific Islanders in New Zealand. (In fact, I have a couple of albums by a Maori reggae group called Herbs)
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go to a concert because my mother and my aunt came to visit me at the same time. In fact, they were on the same flight. I went to the airport to pick them up to find the concourse jammed with many Maoris and others dressed rasta-style.
I waited with some anxiety for my mother and my aunt to disembark. Because my aunt had trouble walking, they were the last of the regular passengers to come out of arrivals. Before I could get to them, Toots and his entourage came out to great cheers from the crowd. My mother and aunt, who I don’t think had ever heard of either reggae or rastas, were totally bewildered and wondered at what kind of strange place they had come to.
Toots is pretty much responsible for the music being called Reggae.
I saw him in Detroit and he invited people on stage to dance. I jumped up and before I left I gave him a hug. I would never force a hug on someone I don’t know, so I more or less just open my arms and give them the option to walk away, shake hands, high five, or come in for the hug. He saw this and ran over and gave me a huuuuuug. I was pretty buzzed, and it was interesting when I turned to leave and realized a few hundred people were watching me.
RIP
