Toots’ fans petition Rock & Roll Hall for induction
configuration named Toots
& The Maytals, his repertoire
encompasses country, gospel,
pop, ska and in a song he titled
“Do The Reggay,” branded
Jamaica’s national music.
Jamaican musicologists
claim Toots was the very person
to describe the beat in a
dance or song and is widely
acclaimed as the musician to
coin the word “reggae.”
Acclaimed “the godfather
of reggae” when asked about
how he derived the word, he
explained that back in the 60s
‘streggay’ was a slang word used
to describe a “loose woman.”
Toots often related that on
his way to a recording session
in the 1960s he was asked the
name of the impending song
and without hesitation hastily
decided to parody the popular
phrase in a song.
The finished composition
was an infectious action tune
he named “Do The Reggay.”
From then everyone on his
island of Jamaica either, sang
or danced to a beat called reggae.
The trailblazer died last
year at age 77.
Ironically, it was months
after he released “Got To Be
1999 and 2003.
Trinidad and Tobago Newsday
said that Singing Sandra, the
second woman to win the Calypso
Monarch contest in the twinisland
republic, was regarded as
the “Mother of the Calypso Fraternity.”
The publication said it understood
that she died at Mt. Hope
Medical Complex.
Another Trinidad and Tobago
publication, the Trinidad
Express, reported that, in 2015,
Singing Sandra “spent weeks on
the Intensive Care Unit of the
Port-of-Spain General Hospital
after undergoing surgery for a
hernia.”
“For decades, Singing Sandra,
a former two-time Calypso
Monarch, not only entertained
national and international audiences
with her many calypsos,
but she was seen as an educator
via her songs,” said Randall
Mitchell, Trinidad and Tobago’s
minister of Tourism, Culture
and the Arts, in a statement.
“Long before the ‘Time’s Up’
and the ‘Me Too’ movements
Tough” his first studio recording
in 10 years.
As a matter of fact, the
album was chosen one of Billboard
Magazine’s Top 10.
News of his passing shocked
the industry.
“He seemed vibrant, optimistic
and minus the COVID-
19 pandemic he might have
been touring the world,” a fan
said.
Roger Steffens, a Californiabased
reggae archivist spearheaded
the induction initiative
and has been calling fans to
join him by adding their names
to the more than 8,565 names
already signed onto www.niceup.
com
Nominees for the class
of 2021 are expected to be
announced later this month.
At that time online fan voting
will begin. Inductees will be
revealed in May.
Although inductees are generally
rock and roll recorders,
the Hall has periodically
acknowledged “some of the
best-known and most influential
musicians, bands, producers,
and others that have in
some major way influenced the
music industry” regardless of
their genre,” their web portal
took root, Singing Sandra
embraced the women’s movement
and provided our women
with the rallying call to ‘die with
their dignity’,” he said.
“Singing Sandra was true to
her word,” Mitchell added. “And,
as we mourn her passing, the
citizens of Trinidad and Tobago
in general, and the cultural fraternity,
Caribbean L 34 ife, FEBRUARY 5-11, 2021
in particular, will always
be thankful for her contribution
which has made us a richer
nation.”
According to Wikipedia, the
free online encyclopedia, Singing
Sandra was born in a poor
family and faced many hardships
through her early teenage
years.
“Singing Sandra never met
her father, and she was the
only child of the family, but
her singing talent was evident
from an early stage, given that
her grandmother was the best
singer in her village in Tobago,”
Wikipedia said. “She was baptized
in spiritual Baptist church
when she was 15 years old; and,
during her later stage of her life,
she became a practicing orisha.”
Frederick “Toots” Hibbert. Associated Press/Amy Harris,File
said.
Initially, there were four
categories for induction —
performers, non-performers,
early influences, and lifetime
achievement.
However, in 2000, “sidemen”
towards branding myself the
best way possible while being
the best person that people
can look up to,” she added.
An international beauty,
who was born in New York
and raised with her West
Indian family in Trinidad,
Redd started off acting and
modeling at an early age,
having over 40 commercials,
movies and modeling appearances
to her credit by 16.
“She is a beautiful entertainer
who can sing, dance,
model, act, write, produce
and direct her own music videos
and films,” said Driven,
stating that Redd currently
stars in Bounce TV’s “Saints
and Sinners” and also VH1’S
Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta.
“Karlie is the perfect example
of how one can accomplish
anything you put your mind
to,” Driven added. “Beauty
and brains included, you can
have it all. Karlie’s advice
to aspiring young adults is
‘remain humble, confident,
never settle and work hard to
be the best you can be’”.
Redd has worked with
noted producers — Commisioner
Gordon, L.O.S., The
Maestro, Lenky (responsible
for Sean Paul’s “Get Busy”;
musicians- Sean Kingston,
KRS-1 and Will.I.Am; dance
company — Alvin Ailey
Dance Company; and film
school — Los Angeles Film
School (received a certificate
in directing, producing and
sound.
Her accomplishments/
business ventures include:
“Heartbreaker” Ft. Young Dro
(#26 on ITunes Chart and #15
on Google Play and Spotify);
label partnership with Empire
Distribution; minority shareholder
in Trace Prime Television
Network; in comedy
“Top 5” (written and directed
by Chris Rock), played opposite
of Rock, Gabrielle Union,
Kevin Hart, Cedric the Entertainer,
among others.
Other accomplishments/
business ventures are: Nollywood
Film “30 Days in Atlanta”,
entered the 2017 Guinness
Book of World Records
for highest domestic gross
in Bollywood, Nollywood and
Hollywood; Owner of MERCI
Boutifque in Alpharetta, GA;
brand ambassador for KR by
Posner Cosmetics; Starred in
theatrical production “Thugs
and the Women Who Love
‘Em” opposite K Michelle,
Ray J, Jamal Woolard, Lyfe
Jennings, Amina Buddafly,
Boosie Badazz; Novel “Even
Xchange”; founder of the Big
House Foundation; and producer,
host and creator of
“Bringing the Heat” on SiriusXM
Radio.
“Classy and business savvy,
Karlie Redd is a genius jack
of all trades, deserving of
more acclaim,” Driven said.
“At PlaybookMG, we give her
all of the praise she deserves
and more.”
Redd can be contacted
at IG: @IamKarlieRedd;
Youtube: @KarlieRedd; Twitter:
@KarlieRedd; website:
www.KarlieRedd.com; FB: @
KarlieRedd; and email: bookings@
karlieredd.com.
Continued from Page 33 Continued from Page 33
was introduced as a category.
Artists become eligible for
induction in the performer’s
category 25 years after the
release of their first record.
Toots’ first recording was
released in 1968.
He was inducted to the
Grammy Hall of Fame in
2008.
He has received six Grammy
nominations.
He won the best reggae
album category in 2005.
Continued from Page 33
Singing Sandra dies at 64 Redd sets out to build an empire
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