Frederick "Toots" Hibbert's career reads like a history of Jamaican music. From ska to rocksteady, from roots reggae to more modern, digital productions, Hibbert has weathered every trend, without ever losing sight (or sound) of his roots in R&B and gospel. The singer formed The Maytals in the early 1960s with friends Raleigh Gordon and Nathaniel Mathias. Heavy hitters such as Coxsone Dodd and Prince Buster produced their music.

But the band's promising career was derailed when Hibbert was arrested in 1966 for smoking marijuana and served a year and a half in prison. On his release, The Maytals reformed and teamed with producer Leslie Kong to offer a string of hits, including "Monkey Man" and the well-known "Pressure Drop," which got worldwide exposure on the soundtrack of The Harder They Come.

The red-hot group signed to Island Records and continued working with Kong until his death; Hibbert then assumed top billing, and the original Maytals disbanded in 1981. However, new members have since been added to complement Hibbert's powerfully soulful vocals, and the group have continued to be popular concert attractions, touring regularly to bring The Maytals' nearly 40-year musical legacy to old and new fans alike.

-- Dan LeRoy

Dan LeRoy is the music and entertainment writer for the Charleston Daily Mail. He serves as an associate editor for Grafitti, a statewide entertainment newspaper, and has also written for several music-related publications, including Launch.com, Boston Rock and Lexicon.