The Toyes
Encyclopedia
The Toyes are an American
reggae
band based in Grants Pass, Oregon
. Their style has been described as a "cross between Bob Marley
and Barenaked Ladies
". They are perhaps most famous as the original songwriters and recorders of the song "Smoke Two Joints
". It was originally recorded in 1983, and was re-released on their 1993 debut album The Toyes. It was featured on the soundtrack for the 1998 American comedy-thriller film Homegrown
. An influential version was recorded by the band Sublime
; the song has since been mistakenly attributed to them or to Bob Marley
. The Toyes also wrote and performed a song called "Monster Hash", a parody of Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash
".
The Toyes are composed of Mawg on Lead Vocals and Lead Guitar, B-dub on Vocals and Rhythm Guitar, John Trujillo on Vocals and Bass Guitar and Brian Rogers on Drums.
. Sky was working as a Pedi cab driver and Mawg was guitarist and vocalist in the Honolulu-based cover band, The Lifters.
In fall of 1982, Mawg and Sky were entertaining friends who had arrived at the home to take in the finest local herb. While jamming a rootsy groove and improvising lyrics, the hook of "Smoke Two Joints" came tumbling out to the delight of the party guests.
Seeing the response, Mawg and Sky completed the lyrics the following day while sitting under a large banyan tree on Kuhio Beach.
Weeks later, Mawg performed the completed "Smoke Two Joints" with The Lifters. According to Mawg, "The crowd went wild and sang along. We played it 5 times that night after the crowd stopped our other songs in mid-performance by chanting 'Smoke Two Joints'."
The tune had become an instant sensation.
Financed by their mother Paulette Kay, a French woman living in France, the Kay brothers immediately recorded the song and produced 500 45 RPM Vinyl discs. Joining them in the studio and rounding out the trio was 17 year-old Ricci Accardi, a local drummer. Having quit The Lifters, Mawg, Sky and Ricci joined up with singer Mike Dawson to form Tightrope, which they later renamed The Toys.
In late 1983 The Toys received a Cease and Desist letter from Motown Records
' legal department threatening a lawsuit over the use of the name "The Toys
", who were a signed act of Motown and who recorded "A Lover's Concerto
". Wanting to avoid costly litigation with the recording giant, the brothers decided to add an "e" to their name, becoming The Toyes.
The sessions were produced by Mawg and Sky and engineered by the house recording engineer at Audio-Media, Ed Roy. The songs were recorded and mixed that same day, and the master was quickly sent to a vinyl pressing plant on the mainland Hawaii.
Mawg distributed the 45's at clothing stores, gift shops and convenience stores, as well as making the record available for sale at their live shows.
The record soon found its way into the hands of Andy Preston, the Music Director at 98 Rock KPOI-FM, Oahu’s top rock station and was featured in the station’s 5:00 PM feature “Top 5 at 5”. That month “Smoke Two Joints” usurped Michael Jackson
and Journey
as the #1 most requested song and held that position for ten months.
The Toyes followed up their 45 RPM single by recording three more songs which were released as a 12" vinyl EP featuring "Smoke Two Joints", "Listen to the Radio", which was released as a second single and received moderate air play in Hawaii, "Never Wanna Go", which is the only Toyes track sung by Mike Dawson, as well as Mawg's solo acoustic guitar composition "Eddie's Theme".
The Toyes went on the road to support the new album touring the Hawaiian Islands and Guam.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band based in Grants Pass, Oregon
Grants Pass, Oregon
-Rogue River:The Rogue River runs through Grants Pass.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,003 people, 9,376 households, and 5,925 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 9,885 housing units at an average density of 1,303.3 per square mile . By 2008,...
. Their style has been described as a "cross between Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
and Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto...
". They are perhaps most famous as the original songwriters and recorders of the song "Smoke Two Joints
Smoke Two Joints
"Smoke Two Joints" is a song originally written by The Toyes, who performed it in traditional Reggae style and released it in 1983. According to The Toyes, "one fine fall day on a small island" of Oahu in Hawaii, two of the band members, Jim and Sandy, were sitting under a large banyan tree on...
". It was originally recorded in 1983, and was re-released on their 1993 debut album The Toyes. It was featured on the soundtrack for the 1998 American comedy-thriller film Homegrown
Homegrown (film)
Homegrown is a 1998 comedy / thriller film. It was directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal and starred Billy Bob Thornton, John Lithgow, and Hank Azaria.-Plot:...
. An influential version was recorded by the band Sublime
Sublime (band)
Sublime was an American ska punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's line-up, unchanged until their breakup, consisted of Bradley Nowell , Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh . Michael "Miguel" Happoldt also contributed on a few Sublime songs, such as "New Thrash." Lou Dog, Nowell's...
; the song has since been mistakenly attributed to them or to Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
. The Toyes also wrote and performed a song called "Monster Hash", a parody of Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash
Monster Mash
"Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song and the best-known song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes...
".
The Toyes are composed of Mawg on Lead Vocals and Lead Guitar, B-dub on Vocals and Rhythm Guitar, John Trujillo on Vocals and Bass Guitar and Brian Rogers on Drums.
Early Career (pre-1983)
Mawg (Jean-Christophe Kay) and his brother Sky (Michael Kay) were living together in WaikikiWaikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
. Sky was working as a Pedi cab driver and Mawg was guitarist and vocalist in the Honolulu-based cover band, The Lifters.
In fall of 1982, Mawg and Sky were entertaining friends who had arrived at the home to take in the finest local herb. While jamming a rootsy groove and improvising lyrics, the hook of "Smoke Two Joints" came tumbling out to the delight of the party guests.
Seeing the response, Mawg and Sky completed the lyrics the following day while sitting under a large banyan tree on Kuhio Beach.
Weeks later, Mawg performed the completed "Smoke Two Joints" with The Lifters. According to Mawg, "The crowd went wild and sang along. We played it 5 times that night after the crowd stopped our other songs in mid-performance by chanting 'Smoke Two Joints'."
The tune had become an instant sensation.
Financed by their mother Paulette Kay, a French woman living in France, the Kay brothers immediately recorded the song and produced 500 45 RPM Vinyl discs. Joining them in the studio and rounding out the trio was 17 year-old Ricci Accardi, a local drummer. Having quit The Lifters, Mawg, Sky and Ricci joined up with singer Mike Dawson to form Tightrope, which they later renamed The Toys.
In late 1983 The Toys received a Cease and Desist letter from Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
' legal department threatening a lawsuit over the use of the name "The Toys
The Toys
The Toys were an American pop girl group from Jamaica, New York, which was formed in 1961 and disbanded in 1968.-Members:The trio consisted of:* Barbara Harris sang lead most of the time....
", who were a signed act of Motown and who recorded "A Lover's Concerto
A Lover's Concerto
"A Lover's Concerto" is a pop song written by American songwriters Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell and recorded in 1965 by The Toys. Their version of the song was a major hit in both the United States and the UK during 1965. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #2.Critic Dave Thompson wrote,...
". Wanting to avoid costly litigation with the recording giant, the brothers decided to add an "e" to their name, becoming The Toyes.
"Smoke Two Joints" Success
On December 2, 1982, Mawg, Sky and Ricci went into modest Audio-Media Studios in downtown Honolulu to record “Smoke Two Joints” and a hastily made-up jam song, “Big Fat Mama”.The sessions were produced by Mawg and Sky and engineered by the house recording engineer at Audio-Media, Ed Roy. The songs were recorded and mixed that same day, and the master was quickly sent to a vinyl pressing plant on the mainland Hawaii.
Mawg distributed the 45's at clothing stores, gift shops and convenience stores, as well as making the record available for sale at their live shows.
The record soon found its way into the hands of Andy Preston, the Music Director at 98 Rock KPOI-FM, Oahu’s top rock station and was featured in the station’s 5:00 PM feature “Top 5 at 5”. That month “Smoke Two Joints” usurped Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
as the #1 most requested song and held that position for ten months.
The Toyes followed up their 45 RPM single by recording three more songs which were released as a 12" vinyl EP featuring "Smoke Two Joints", "Listen to the Radio", which was released as a second single and received moderate air play in Hawaii, "Never Wanna Go", which is the only Toyes track sung by Mike Dawson, as well as Mawg's solo acoustic guitar composition "Eddie's Theme".
The Toyes went on the road to support the new album touring the Hawaiian Islands and Guam.