Paul Douglas (born c. 1950) is a Jamaican musician, best known for his work as the drummer, percussionist and bandleader of Toots and the Maytals. His career spans more than five decades as one of reggae's most recorded drummers. Music journalist and reggae historian David Katz wrote, "dependable drummer Paul Douglas played on countless reggae hits."
Douglas has worked with artists including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Bonnie Raitt, and Eric Gale. Douglas has also toured with artists including The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews Band, The Who, Eagles and Sheryl Crow.
Contents
Early life
Paul Douglas was born in St. Ann, Jamaica. His career as a professional musician began in 1965 at the age of 15.
Influences
Douglas' musical influences include Lloyd Knibb, Steve Gadd, Harvey Mason, Sonny Emory, Elvin Jones, William Kennedy, Carlos Santana, Bob Marley, John Coltrane, Sam Cooke, George Duke, Boris Gardiner, The Skatalites, Eric Gale, Leslie Butler, George Benson, Marvin Gaye, David Garibaldi, and David Sanborn.
Affiliated groups
While Douglas has maintained an active career as a studio musician for reggae, jazz, and funk artists since 1965, he has also been a member of several notable musical groups.
Toots and the Maytals
In 1969 Douglas joined Toots and the Maytals as a founding member of the band as it is known today, which up to that time had consisted of a vocal trio. Douglas has been the group's drummer, percussionist and bandleader from 1985 to the present day.
Excerpt from "The Rise of Reggae and the influence of Toots and the Maytals" by Matthew Sherman:"...Reggae was born. Toots (Toots Hibbert) heralded the new sound with the seminal, complex groove monster "Do the Reggay"...Toots could do no wrong recording for Leslie Kong. With the consistent nucleus of musicians, the Beverley's All-Stars (Jackie Jackson, Winston Wright, Hux Brown, Rad Bryan, Paul Douglas and Winston Grennan) and the Maytals' brilliant harmonizing..."Reggae is listed in the dictionary as:reggae [reg-ey] (noun) - a style of Jamaican popular music blending blues, calypso, and rock-'n'-roll, characterized by a strong syncopated rhythm and lyrics of social protest. Origin of reggae: Jamaican English, respelling of reggay (introduced in the song "Do the Reggay" (1968) by Frederick "Toots" Hibbert).Accompanied by Paul Douglas and Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan in studio, Jackie Jackson explained the formation of the group in a radio interview for Kool 97 FM Jamaica:"We're all original members of Toots and the Maytals band. First it was Toots and the Maytals, three guys: Toots, Raleigh, and Jerry. …And then they were signed to Island Records, Chris Blackwell. And we were their recording band. One day we were summoned to Chris' house. And he says, "Alright gentleman, I think it's time. Toots and the Maytals looks like it's going to be a big thing". By this time he had already signed Bob (Marley). So in his camp, Island Records, there was Toots and the Maytals / Bob Marley; we were talking about reggae is going international now. We kept on meeting and he (Blackwell) decided that the backing band that back all of the songs, the recording band, should be the Maytals band. So everything came under Toots and the Maytals. So we became Maytals also. And then we hit the road in 1975...we were the opening act for the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and Jackson Browne. We were the opening act for The Who for about two weeks."
Paul Douglas, Jackie Jackson and Radcliffe 'Dougie' Bryan are recognized as founding members who, along with frontman Toots Hibbert, continue to perform in the group to the present day.
The first Toots and the Maytals album released and distributed by Chris Blackwell's Island Records was Funky Kingston. Music critic Lester Bangs described the album in Stereo Review as "perfection, the most exciting and diversified set of reggae tunes by a single artist yet released." As Chris Blackwell says, "The Maytals were unlike anything else...sensational, raw and dynamic." Blackwell had a strong commitment to Toots and the Maytals, saying "I've known Toots longer than anybody – much longer than Bob (Marley). Toots is one of the purest human beings I've met in my life, pure almost to a fault."
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Douglas contributed to several of Bob Marley's albums, including Small Axe and Soul Shakedown Party which were released on the Beverley's label, and performed live with Bob Marley and the Wailers in the early 70s. The Wailers worked with reggae producer Leslie Kong, who used his studio musicians called Beverley's All-Stars (Jackie Jackson, Paul Douglas, Gladstone Anderson, Winston Wright, Rad Bryan, Hux Brown) to record the songs that would be released as an album entitled The Best of The Wailers. The tracks included "Soul Shakedown Party," "Stop That Train," "Caution," "Go Tell It on the Mountain," "Soon Come," "Can't You See," "Soul Captives," "Cheer Up," "Back Out," and "Do It Twice".
Excerpt from an interview of Winston Grennan by Carter Van Pelt:"...Chris Blackwell say, 'Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I give them the money to make this record.' But at that time they was forming the band. Bob (Marley]) came to me, figure it was me, Gladdy, Winston Wright, Jackie and Hux to be the band. That was the band that Bob did really want, but those guys didn't want to get involved. You know that the situation around Bob was pretty hectic...They turned it down. So right away, I couldn't get involved, because I didn't want to leave the guys. We was doing all the sessions.Robin Kenyatta came to Jamaica, we played for him. Garland Jeffreys, Paul Simon, Peter, Paul and Mary we play for them. The Rolling Stones came down we played for them. We were the guys... we could read music. If I leave, I feel it would be a bad vibes. When Hugh Malcolm joined the group, he couldn't keep up, so they got rid of him. A little later on a drummer came along name Paul Douglas, every so often we would bring him in, because I couldn't play on a session. Paul was about the only guy, that these other guys would trust to really come and play amongst them."
"The Perfect Beat" is a song on the album Eardrum from Talib Kweli that sampled a song from Bob Marley and the Wailers called, "Do It Twice", which is a drum beat from Paul Douglas.
Lee "Scratch" Perry and Leslie Kong
Excerpt from the book "People Funny Boy - The Genius Of Lee "Scratch" Perry by David Katz:"On the instrumental front, Perry (Lee "Scratch" Perry) began more serious experimentation, exploring diverse influences and styles with a range of musicians. ...Perry also started working with Paul Douglas, an occasional Supersonics member and mainstay of Leslie Kong's productions."
Alton Ellis
Douglas is credited as the drummer on Alton Ellis' "Girl I've Got A Date". "Girl I've Got A Date" is recognized as one of the first songs to define the rocksteady genre.
Tommy McCook & The Supersonics
Douglas was a member of Tommy McCook & The Supersonics from 1968 - 1969, during which time the group released three LP's.
The Boris Gardiner Happening
Between 1970 - 1973 Douglas was the drummer for The Boris Gardiner Happening, completing five LP's with the group. The Boris Gardiner Happening recorded a version of "Ain't No Sunshine" in 1973 with Paul Douglas singing lead, and Boris Gardiner playing bass guitar, for the album Is What's Happening. Samples from this album were later used on the song "Wesley's Theory" from the Grammy nominated album To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar.
Leroy Sibbles
Douglas worked as a bandleader for the Leroy Sibbles band.
John Holt, The Pioneers, Eddy Grant
Douglas toured the UK with John Holt (singer) in 1974. This was the first major reggae tour that was accompanied by a major orchestra, a 15-piece orchestra out of England. The members of this tour included six veteran session musicians: Hux Brown (Guitar), Jackie Jackson (Bass), Paul Douglas (Drums), Rad Bryan (Guitar), Winston Wright (Organ), and Gladstone Anderson (Piano). Douglas also joined and played with The Pioneers band which featured Eddy Grant from The Equals that same year in England.
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires
In 1975 Douglas joined Byron Lee and the Dragonaires as a session musician, and later became a band member, as the group's drummer on the Sparrow Dragon Again LP.
Solo Work
In 2021, Douglas released a full-length solo album titled "Jazz Mi Reggae". The album features performances by fellow former Toots and the Maytals members Toots Hibbert, Charles Farquharson, Andy Bassford, Dougie Bryan, Carl Harvey, and Jackie Jackson. Other notable contributors on the album include Eddie Bullen, Willie Lindo, Bernie Pitters, Bob Marley and the Wailers keyboardist Tyrone Downie, Leslie Butler, Monty Alexander, Robby Lyn, Trevor Lopez, Juan Vasques, Keith Jones, Norris Webb, Mario Smith, AJ Brown and Richard "Ricky" Walters.
A second solo release, Jazz Mi Reggae Too, followed in 2022.
"That's What We Call You" (2024)
On August 6, 2024, Paul Douglas released the single "That's What We Call You" on Jamaican Independence Day. The song is a tribute to Jamaica celebrating the island's influence on global culture and art.
The single features an ensemble of renowned Jamaican instrumentalists who have each played a pivotal role in popularizing the vibrant sounds of Jamaica on the world stage. Collaborators include:
Monty Alexander
Sly & Robbie
Jackie Jackson
Leslie Butler
Paul Fakhourie
Ricky Walters
Tyrone Downie
Willie Lindo
Eddie Bullen
Italian music reviewer Andrea Mariano described the rhythm of That's What We Call You as 'shamanic,' adding; "The difference between someone who truly knows a genre and someone who merely imitates it is immense. Here, of course, we are in the first category."
Touring
Douglas has toured with many artists over the course of his career, including:
Toots and the Maytals
Jackson Browne
Linda Ronstadt
Eagles
The Who
The Rolling Stones
Dave Matthews Band
The J. Geils Band
Carlos Santana
The Roots
Sheryl Crow
James Blunt
On 24 June 2017 at the Glastonbury Festival, reggae group Toots and the Maytals were slotted for 17:30 with BBC Four scheduled to show highlights from their set. When they did not show it was suspected they missed their time slot, and BBC broadcaster Mark Radcliffe apologized on their behalf stating, "If you were expecting Toots and the Maytals – and, frankly, we all were – it seems like they were on Jamaican time or something because they didn't make it to the site on time." The group credited with coining the term "reggae" in song was subsequently rescheduled by the Glastonbury Festival organizers giving them the midnight slot, with all other acts being shifted by one hour.
On 29 July 2017 Toots and The Maytals headlined the 35th anniversary of the WOMAD UK festival.
Studio work
Douglas' work as a session musician crosses several genres. His talent on the drums earned him recognition and respect from producers
Excerpt from an article on "Clancy Eccles":"In the U.K. Trojan Records released Clancy (Eccles)'s productions...The finest musicians available were used, with the core of his regular session crew, The Dynamites, featuring the talents of Hux Brown (guitar), Clifton "Jackie" Jackson (bass), Gladstone Anderson (piano), Winston Wright (organ) and Paul Douglas (drums)."
In addition to recordings completed as a member of affiliated acts, Douglas' studio work includes sessions with:
In an interview with Mikey Thompson on 27 November 2016 for Kool 97 FM, Jackie Jackson along with Paul Douglas and Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan were asked about the many recordings they did together as the rhythm section for Treasure Isle Records, Beverley's Records, Channel One Studios and Federal Records. In addition to work mentioned with Sonia Pottinger, Duke Reid, Lynn Taitt, Delroy Wilson, and Lee "Scratch" Perry, they were interviewed about working on the following songs:
In a 2017 Reggaeville interview with Sly Dunbar of Sly & Robbie, when asked "who do you think played the prototypes of the reggae beat?", Dunbar remarked of Paul Douglas: "He played a lot for Treasure Isle. He played with Lloyd Charmers on Everything I Own by Ken Boothe. He played on Everybody Bawling and a whole heap of tunes. He played for the Maytals too. And he played on some Beverley's songs too like Freedom Street by Ken Boothe. Paul Douglas. Wicked drummer. Bad bad drummer."
Notable televised performances
1990 VH1 New Visions World Beat hosted by Nile Rodgers
2001 Late Night with Conan O'Brien
2004 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno featuring Bonnie Raitt & Toots and the Maytals
2004 Saturday Night Live
"Last Call with Carson Daly". Last Call with Carson Daly. 29 September 2004. NBC. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
2004 Later... with Jools Holland
2010 Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
"New Year's Eve Live". New Year's Eve with Carson Daly. 31 December 2011. NBC.{{cite episode}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
"A Song Call Marley". The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. 25 July 2018. NBC. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
2018 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Film
In 2011, Douglas was part of the documentary released by Director George Scott and Producer Nick De Grunwald called Reggae Got Soul: The Story of Toots and the Maytals which was featured on BBC Television. Described as "The untold story of one of the most influential artists ever to come out of Jamaica", it features appearances by Marcia Griffiths, Jimmy Cliff, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Willie Nelson, Anthony DeCurtis, Ziggy Marley, Chris Blackwell, Paolo Nutini, Sly Dunbar, and Robbie Shakespeare.
Awards and recognition
1981 Grammy Award Nomination for Toots Live!
1989 Grammy Award Nomination for Best Reggae Album of the Year: Toots in Memphis
1991 Grammy Award Nomination for Best Reggae Album of the Year: Toots & the Maytals – An Hour Live
1997 Canadian Reggae Music Awards
1998 Canadian Reggae Music Awards
1998 Grammy Award Nomination for Best Reggae Album of the Year: Toots & the Maytals – Ska Father
2004 Grammy Award Winner for Best Reggae Album of the Year: Toots & the Maytals - True Love
2008 Grammy Award Nomination for Best Reggae Album of the Year: Toots & the Maytals – Light Your Light
2013 Grammy Award Nomination for Best Reggae Album of the Year: Toots & The Maytals – Reggae Got Soul: Unplugged on Strawberry Hill
2019: Featured on Barack Obama's annual Summer Playlist for the track "54-46 Was My Number".
2020 Grammy Award Winner for Best Reggae Album of the Year: Got To Be Tough
2021 Named one of Drummerworld's 'Top 500 Drummers'
2023: Featured on Barack Obama's annual Summer Playlist for the track "Funky Kingston".
Interviews
In an interview with Batterie Magazine for their 2017 September/October edition, Douglas was asked about his work as the main drummer and musical director for Toots and the Maytals, in addition to being called upon by artists and producers such as Bob Marley, Lee Scratch Perry, Eric Gale, Ken Boothe, The Congos and Delroy Wilson. In the interview, Douglas explains one of his heroes to be Lloyd Knibb of The Skatalites, as well as being influenced my musicians such as George Benson, Carlos Santana, John Coltrane, Sam Cooke, and David Sanborn. On 10 September 2021 Paul Douglas was the featured guest for series 3 episode 6 of The 212 Podcast. On 13 April 2023 Paul Douglas was one of the featured guests on the Mubi Podcast's episode "MUBI Podcast: "The Harder They Come"—Reggae Catches Fire on Film".
Rolling Stone Feature: Paul Douglas was featured in the November 2024 issue of Rolling Stone Argentina, which highlighted his career and contributions as the "unsung hero of reggae." The article discusses his pivotal role in shaping the reggae sound alongside icons such as Bob Marley.
BBC Podcast Series – Eras: In 2025, Douglas appeared in the BBC podcast series Eras. This season focused on Bob Marley's music and legacy, with Douglas discussing his career and his contributions to Marley's recordings. Previous seasons of the podcast have featured artists like Sting, The Beatles, ABBA, and Kylie Minogue.
Museums and expositions
From April 2017 to August 2017, Douglas is part of the Exposition Jamaica Jamaica ! at the Philharmonie de Paris in France. Douglas is featured on the poster displayed at the exposition showing the early formation of Bob Marley & The Wailers on the Tuff Gong record label, and he is additionally part of the exposition as a member of Toots and the Maytals for their importance in the development of reggae music.
Discography
Paul Douglas is credited on over 250 works. In 2021 he released a full-length solo album titled "Jazz Mi Reggae".
Instruments and sponsorships
Paul Douglas is an official artist of Sabian, one of the "big four" manufacturers of cymbals.
Favourite Sabian Cymbal: 16'' O Zone Evolution Crash, AAH 14'' Stage Hi Hats, HHX, 18'' HHX China