- Bob Marley's contemporary, had been hospitalized since the beginning of the month after testing positive for coronavirus.
Reggae has suffered a very painful loss this Saturday, when the death of the great Frederick «Toots» Hibbert, leader of the legendary band Toots & The Maytals and inventor of the word "reggae", for the song "Do the reggay".
The singer has passed away at the age of 77 years after being admitted to a private hospital in Kingston (Jamaica) two weeks ago when testing positive for Covid-19. His group has confirmed it through social networks.
“It is with great regret to announce that Frederick Nathaniel‘ Toots’ Hibbert passed away peacefully tonight, surrounded by his family at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica. The family and their management team would like to thank the medical and professional teams for their care and diligence., and asks that their privacy be respected during their time of mourning », announced the Twitter account of the band he was leading..
It should be remembered that Hibbert was hospitalized at the beginning of the month after testing positive for coronavirus and, despite the fact that "it showed signs of improvement for hours", has finally passed away.
Born in May Pen (Clarendon, Jamaica) Hibbert grew up singing in church and formed the Maytals in the 1920s. 1960. Just one week before your hospitalization, Toots & The Maytals released their first album of original material in a decade, ‘Got To Be Tough’.
Frederick Hibbert was born in 1942 in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica. Son of preaching parents of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, began singing in the church choir and 16 years moved to Kingston, where he formed the vocal trio The Maytals with Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" Matthias, with whom he fused gospel, rhythm and blues, ska and other styles.
Along with Bob Marley and the Wailers, they were one of the first reggae groups to be signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records label, recorded on the now-legendary Studio One label and began releasing singles in the early 1990s. 1960. His song "Monkey Man" had some success in the UK on 1970, and several songs from his album "Pressure Drop" sounded in the film of 1972 «The Harder They Come», that helped popularize reggae in the world.
The crossover between punk scenes, ska and reggae from the late 70 in the UK it was a great stepping stone for Toots and the Maytals, since The Clash made a version of "Pressure Drop" and The Specials another of "Monkey Man".
The band has been on tour non-stop until 2013, when he did they had a three-year hiatus after Hibbert was hit on the head by a bottle thrown from the public at an American festival. The singer said he suffered from "extreme anxiety, memory loss, Headaches, dizziness and, saddest of all, fear of crowds and performances ».
Hibbert's departure leaves great reggae anthems like "Pressure Drop", “Do The Reggae”, “Monkey Man” o “54-46 That’s My Number”. Plus a new album recorded with Zak Starkey (son of Ringo Starr and owner of Trojan Records Jamaica), Sly Dunbar (of the also mythical Sly & Robbie).
