Toots Hibbert

1942–2020; Jamaican singer and songwriter, born in May Pen, Clarendon

Hibbert wrote both words and music of “Monkey Man” and sang the 1969 original as the Maytals’ frontman. Raised on gospel in May Pen, Clarendon, he moved to Kingston in the late 1950s and became one of the defining voices of ska and reggae — his 1968 single “Do the Reggay” is often credited with naming the genre. He died on 11 September 2020, aged 77.

Who recorded it

Songs written by Toots Hibbert

Monkey Man

Written by them — first recorded by The Maytals

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