To most, reggae mainly meant Marley, but to afficionados there were many more, not least Toots Hibbert who died in Jamaica on Sept. 11 at age 77, possibly from COVID. Indeed, the frontman for Toots & the Maytals was not only a pioneer of the feel-good genre but is credited with having coined its name.

Born Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert, “Toots” (a childhood nickname) was a five-time Grammy award winner known for such classics as “Pressure Drop,” “Monkey Man,” “Funky Kingston,” and “Reggae Got Soul.”

One of his most popular and surprising songs was his reworking of John Denver’s nostalgic “(Take Me Home) Country Roads,” with the setting changed from West Virginia to Jamaica.

A muscular ex-boxer, Hibbert was a bandleader, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and showman whose concerts sometimes ended with dozens of audience members dancing with him on stage. Great friends with contemporary Bob Marley, he was also embraced by the likes of rock stars Keith Richards, John Lennon, and Eric Clapton, helping him develop an international profile – as did his appearance in the 1972 film “The Harder They Come” with Jimmy Cliff.

His final album, “Got To Be Tough,” was released earlier this year and included contributions from Ziggy Marley and Ringo Starr, whose son, Zak Starkey, served as co-producer.

Hibbert was ranked No. 71 on a 2008 Rolling Stone magazine list of the 100 greatest contemporary singers, and in 2012 he received the Order of Distinction by the government of Jamaica for outstanding contribution to the country’s music.

Check out this incredible version of his original 1976 classic “Reggae Got Soul” – my favourite Toots tune – performed in 2014 with the Playing For Change collective (and including Taj Mahal).
– Mike