NEW YORK – VP Records joins family, friends and fans as we collectively mourn the passing of Reggae icon Frederick Nathaniel ‘Toots’ Hibbert.
Toots first became widely known in 1966 for his recording of the song “Bam Bam” which won the Jamaican Independence Festival Popular Song Competition. That success was followed by “Do The Reggae” (the first song to ever include the word Reggae and name the genre), “Pressure Drop,” “Sweet and Dandy” and “54-46 That’s My Number.”
In the 1980’s, Ska and Rocksteady became very popular, and at the center of that sound was Toots and the Maytals. Toots voice, and The Maytals sound, which Chris Blackwell is quoted as saying “were unlike anything else … sensational, raw, dynamic” was paired with the legendary rock band The Who for a North American tour in 1975 to 1976. Their song “Monkey Man” was covered by the UK group The Specials and The Clash covered their hit song “Pressure Drop.”
Patricia ‘Miss Pat’ Chin, Matriarch of VP Records remembers Toots fondly. From her home in New York Ms. Pat says, “Toots was the type of artist who commanded the stage. His passing has hit us hard, but his voice will always be heard.”
In addition to Toots performing on major stages around the world, Toots song “Sweet and Dandy” was included on the soundtrack of the iconic movie The Harder They Come, and he was featured on Willie Nelson’s fifty-third studio album ‘Countryman’ released in 2005. The track was called “I’m a Worried Man.” More recently, Toots and the Maytals song “Pressure Drop” can be heard on the national television commercial for Coors Light Beer.
VP Records encourages fans worldwide to connect with Toots through his music and send condolences to his family. Thank you Toots for the years you have given us. Rest in Power.”
