JAZZ & BLUES 2021

Tribute to
TOOTS
HIBBERT
AN EXCITING PERFORMER
ANDProlific
ARTISTE
Toots Hibbert last performed on the Jazz and Blues stage
in 2005 at Cinnamon Hill. That concert was memorable
for many reasons but most of all for the scintillating and
high energy performance the legendary star delivered.
As Carolyn Johnson, freelance writer reported in Gleaner article
published May 21, 2006, “Toots Hibbert was
all the rage at the final night of the Air Jamaica
Jazz and Blues Festival, as he delivered a
commanding performance on January 30,
2005, in Montego Bay, St. James”. His haunting,
raspy voice held the audience in thrall as he
belted out hit after hit.
Jamaica Jazz and Blues joins music lovers
across the world in mourning the passing of
Toots Hibbert in September 2020 when he seemed set to offer so
much more to his myriad fans and the music industry. Toots is an
icon of Jamaica’s music industry, commented Marcia McDonnough,
co-producer of the 2021 festival, “He performed at what was then
the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues in 2003 and was brought back
in 2005 where he admirably shared the stage with many greats
icon
Toots is an
of Jamaica’s
music industry
such as Lou Rawls, Dionne Warwick, Julio
Iglesias and many more. Toots showed the
strength of his music and popularity as he
took the huge crowd singing along with
him song after song. The Jamaica Jazz
and Blues has always
strived to recognise
exceptional talent and of
course Toots is a perfect
example of the type of
performer that gave the
festival its unique place
and popularity among
its fans. He will be sadly
missed by the music
world and we are sorry we will not be able
to showcase him again. We will, therefore,
pay tribute to his legacy with a special
feature at the festival and encourage our
stars on the rise to emulate him ”.
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