Hibbert, the youngest of his siblings, was born on December 8, 1942, in May Pen, Jamaica. Hibbert grew up in a church choir because his parents were both strict Seventh-day Adventist preachers. Both parents died when Hibbert was 11 years old, and he went to live with his brother John in Kingston’s Trenchtown neighborhood. He met his future bandmates Raleigh Gordon and Jerry Matthias while working at a local barbershop.
Toots and the Maytals was founded in 1961 by multi-instrumentalist Hibbert. He could play every instrument in his band and cited Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, and James Brown as influences. Maytals is a Rastafari term that means “do the right thing,” according to Hibbert.
There are also claims that the name came from Hibbert’s hometown of May Pen. The band began as a trio, with Gordon and Mathias, and later expanded to include Jackie Jackson and Paul Douglas.
Much of Hibbert’s early recorded work, including “Hallelujah” (1963), reflects his Christian upbringing. He was also known to write about Rastafarian religious themes, and he addressed the issue in an early Maytals song, “Six And Seven Books of Moses” (1963).
Toots Hibbert children: Meet Liba Hibbert
Liba Hibbert is Toots Hibbert’s daughter. Toots Hibbert’s daughter Leba Hibbert is now the lead singer of the new Toots and the Maytals band.
