Toots Hibbert had a number of high-profile admirers --- Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow were some of them.
Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of rock band Blondie are also longtime fans of the legendary singer who died in Kingston, Jamaica on September 11 at age 77.
In an interview with Vulture magazine, both spoke of their admiration for the man who did songs like "Monkey Man", "54-46" and "Bam Bam".
"I can’t remember specifically when Toots first came into my life, but I was immediately really turned on by the music. I’m a huge fan of Toots to this day. In the ’70s, we had a gig down in Texas and we saw Bob Marley play a show. I was so excited by the response and the reception the music was getting. I’ve been watching this fabulous Bob Marley documentary series on TV, and there’s several interview clips with Toots. I love his whole ambiance and facade. There was a sweetness to him, and in a way, it reminded me of Flavor Flav," said Harry.
According to Stein, "Toots was great, man. He really deserved more of a boost in his lifetime," and he later added, "I was always a really huge fan, and those guys [Toots and the Maytals] should have been in the (Rock and Roll) Hall of Fame years ago. I don’t know if he’ll get in posthumously, but it’s way overdue. They were hugely influential."
A petition, initiated by reggae historian Roger Steffens, was launched recently to get Toots in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If successful, he would be the third Jamaican after Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff to be inducted.
Blondie successfully dabbled with reggae in 1980 when they covered "The Tide is High", originally done in 1967 by rock steady trio, The Paragons. Their version went number one in the United States.
Written By Howard Campbell