Toussaint Smith, Staff ReporterTHE CAPTION reads: 'Award for 25 Years in Music Industry Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert receiving a trophy in 1988 from Karen Chin of Mapp Successors, in recognition of his being a musical ambassador for Jamaica over the past 25 years. Occasion was last Friday night's finals of the Festival Song Contest at the National Arena in Kingston. Toots, who leads the Maytals, was a guest performer. He is a three-time winner of the Festival Song contest and the first winner, with Bam Bam in 1963. The award honours his contribution to Jamaica's music both here and in the wider world.
Sunday Gleaner: How did it feel receiving such an award?
Toots Hibbert: It felt good yuh nuh ... At last they gave me something. It's a good feeling to have received it. Very exciting, just like when I won the first festival song, like the Grammy, it is something for me to look upon and remember. And one like me have to remember how long I have been singing and these songs didn't get any proper pay, so the Grammy pays for all that. Although it's not money, but it's more than money.
SG: Do you think our Festival Song Contests are relevant?
TH: The festival song is just exciting as the Grammy. The festival songs they sing now, most of them have too much words. It's a hype thing now. It wasn't not like when I was doing it yuh... It's just a different thing now, two different thing.
SG: How have your life changed since?
TH: Well you know my life is a lot of excitement, just as usual. I always have exciting things in my career and you know it change, because I have to be on the road more often now. It just can't be no other way, cause I have to go here and there to meet the people in Jamaica who respected me and the people all over the world and meet new people. I have to do what I'm doing, so it's really exciting."
SG: What are your views on the music industry now?
TH: I think the music industry is growing and doing fine for the younger generation. They are doing what they can do and they doing it so well and I wish that they could stay the positive way and do what they doing same way and do it better. Better and better. So dancehall, reggae on a whole, everyone have to show the world our culture and make sure of the music and the way the lyrics itself before they can deliver to the world and to Jamaican people and to the kids them going school and to the parents that listening, you know. Radio stations, disc jockeys, everybody has to listen and enjoy, so we have to help make reggae sail high, whether dancehall or anything. Once you sing it and it have to go over the radio and over the world, it has to be properly done.
SG: What do you think are some of your most notable achievements?
TH: My Grammy is one of them. Well, I haven't achieve a lot of money. All I achieve is my name that is respected all over the world - Toots and the Maytals. My name was before the Grammy, so my name stands out more in my career and the Grammy come next and the Jamaican people respect. Those three things."
What is Toots and the Maytals up to now?
"Toots and the Maytals is up to keep on writing good songs and think we about to release another album that is good enough than the one before. I'm on tour now, going all over the world, I'm doing shows for colleges, benefits also, so when I tour I don't only just tour to make a money, I tour and do benefits for people who really need it, same way I do in Jamaica."
What can we expect from Toots and the Maytals in the future?
"Expect real good things, good lyrics as usual and releasing a whole lot of songs that I didn't get to release before. I'm just gonna release some songs that people really waiting for."
