The Story Behind Toots Hibbert's Bam Bam

In 1966 Toots and the Maytals entered the Jamaica Festival Song Competition with a nyabinghi flavoured song called "Bam Bam". The music competition was introduced to promote the newly emerging Jamaican popular music, which had created ska, nyahbinghi and rock steady music at that point. Nyahbinghi roots music emerged from the Rastafarian movement as ritual music for a ceremony known as a Grounation.

Influenced by the tradition of Burru drumming, the main instruments of the ceremony were the Funde, Kette and Repeater drums accompanied with chants which were a fusion of christian hymns and traditional religious forms. Count Ossie is among the main influencers in the formation of this drumming ritual. Eventually, pioneers such as Count Ossie and Ras Michael commercialised a version of the music.

"Bam Bam", written by Toots Hibbert, was recorded with strong nyahbinghi characteristics. However, the nyabinghi drums were low in the final mix of the original recording, probably due to the production house that made the song. Read More