Farewell to Toots

 

Very sad to hear of the death, from COVID 19, of reggae great Toots Hibbert. He was 77. Toots was one of the true greats of Jamaican music and was quite superb on every occasion that I was lucky enough to see him and the Maytals perform. The Maytals began recording ska in the early sixties with the likes of Coxsone Dodd, Prince Buster, Byron Lee and Lesley Kong. He served 18 months in prison in 1966 for possession of marijuana which was the inspiration for one of his best known songs '54-46 Was My Number', released in 1968. He was one of the first artists to use the word 'reggae' with 'Do The Reggay' and other classic tracks included 'Bam Bam', 'Pressure Drop' , 'Pomps and Pride' and 'Monkey Man'. Toots had an incredibly soulful voice and he was invited to Memphis by Jim Dickinson where he recorded 'Toots in Memphis' with the likes of Eddie Hinton, Teenie Hodges and Andrew Love. His covers of soul numbers such as 'I've Got Dreams To Remember', 'Love and Happiness' and 'Precious Precious' were excellent. The 1978 LP 'Reggae Got Soul' was further proof of his soul greatness. Other albums included 'Never Grow Old' and 'Life Could Be A Dream' from the sixties, 'Slatyam Stoot', 'Funky Kingston', 'From The Roots' and 'Pass The Pipe'.

I've dug out my Toots and the Maytals LPs and 45s  and will spend the rest of today playing them in memory of a true reggae superstar. RIP Toots. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhH1Lxv-8sA

And now I hear of the death of Edna Wright, sister of Darlene Love, who was a background singer on many recordings, a member of the Blossoms and a member of Honey Cone, who recorded some great soul for Hot Wax in the early seventies, She also recorded as a solo artist. She appeared at the Porretta Soul Festival in 2001, the Bologna edition, as a member of the Sweet Inspirations (centre of photo below).