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Jr. Toots defining a style of his own |
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Written by Glenn BurnSilver
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Thursday, 12 July 2007 |
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With music, like many professions, it is not uncommon for sons to follow in the father’s footsteps. For Clayton Hibbert, a.k.a. Jr. Toots, those are huge shoes to fill, regardless of his own achievements. When you consider his father invented the word “reggae,” well, it’s not so surprising.
Still, Jr. Toots is undaunted and dead set on making a name for himself. Physically and vocally, he is much like his father, but musically the two are worlds apart. While the elder Toots creates high-stepping reggae that favors rock steady with an R&B
edge over the more popular classic roots style, young Toots is all about now, churning out fast-breaking dancehall and smooth lover’s rock.
Even so, it’s hard to separate one from the other, as Jr. admits.
“I always wanted to be like him, but our ways are separate,” he said by phone from his Oakland, Calif., home. “At the same time we are very much alike. We have the same musical and spiritual vibes. I sound a lot like my dad, but I just wanted to do something different than he did. I wanted to create from the things I am seeing. The time is different, but we’re both doing the same thing differently.”
Though Jr. was always exposed to music, hanging out in the studio with his father while his band The Maytals practiced or recorded, little of that was evident until he left Jamaica to live with his mother in Connecticut. There his inhibitions gradually lifted and he began to make music in his own style.
“When I came to America and was away from my dad, the music started to come out more,” he said. “There was a lot of pressure at first, but I think it didn’t come out around him because there would be so many expectations. As I got older, naturally the vibe changed. I was taken in more by my father’s spirit and the music just came out of me. When I was young I used to think I’d have to try hard, but now it comes more naturally.”
Once he had his own music together, Jr. hit the road with his dad, using the Maytals as his band. It was a solid gig and a chance to get his feet wet on stage, but eventually he had to break off and create his own musical identity.
“I needed to establish myself as my own artist and bring it to the people, do it on my own time with more responsibility,” he said of the split.
His latest album is “Crown of Fire,” which he calls his “greatest work so far to date.” With tracks like “Don’t Give Up,” and “Gift of Jah,” it is all about conscious living everyday to make the world a better place.
“Music is food for the people and I think right now people’s soul is filled with a lot of junk food,” he said. “So I am giving them spiritually conscious music, which is righteous food and you can make a better decision.”
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TO GO TO THE SHOW
2nd Annual Poudre River Reggae Fest
2 p.m. Saturday, July 21
- The Itals (Classic Roots)
- Jr. Toots (Dancehall/Lover’s Rock)
- M.F.A Loop Lab (Electronica Dub Music)
- Jus Goodie (Reggae sung in Hebrew and English)
- Sandra D (Soulful Reggae sung in Spanish and English)
- The Roots and Fire Band (Boulder Reggae)
- Dubskin (Fort Collins Reggae)
- The Freedom Movement (Conscious Hip Hop)
- Xenadu (College Reggae Music)
- DJ Uplifter (Colorado’s No. 1 Reggae DJ)
Mishawaka Amphitheatre
13174 Poudre River Highway (Colo. 14), Bellvue
All ages. $24
482.4420
www.jrtoots.com
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THE DETAILS
Jr. Toots wants to be independent in every way of his father’s tremendous legacy. Yet, when asked why he doesn’t go by his given name of Clayton Hibbert instead calling himself Jr. Toots, he answers that escaping his history would be futile.
“With my name of Clayton, everyone looked at me like, ‘who?’ I got the sense that I had to come and deal with my father’s work,” he said, before he added proudly, “but that’s my rightful name and title because of my birth. It is who I am. Everything I am … I am my father again.” | Only registered users can write comments.
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