MAXI
PRIEST
Photo by A. Walcott / AMM
Born Max Elliott, Maxi
was raised in the Lewisham section of London and was working as a carpenter when he was
hired to build speaker boxes for a local reggae sound system, Saxon. Soon Maxi was singing
over the mic at Saxon's live dancehall sessions and in 1984 made a bit of history after he
and Paul Robinson produced Phillip Levi's "Mi God Mi King," the first UK reggae
song to hit #1 in Jamaica.
Maxi soon joined the band Caution and
in 1985 released his debut album You're Safe on the Virgin subsidiary Ten Records. The
album yielded three hit singles and in 1986 Maxi recorded his follow-up Intentions, which
included his hit version of Van Morrison's "Crazy Love."His 1988 Album Maxi
increased his popularity on the global music scene. With pop flavored tracks like a hit
cover of Cat Steven's "Wild World" (which reached the Top 25 of Billboard's Hot
100) and roots tracks like "How Can We Ease the Pain" (a duet with Beres
Hammond), Maxi was establishing himself as a versatile vocalist and hitmaker. |
Two
years later, Maxi released Bonafide and the single "Close To You" which hit #1
on Billboard's Singles chart and #2 on Billboard's R&B chart, firmly breaking Maxi to
the American audience. In 1991 Maxi released his greatest hits collection Best of Me,
which commemorated his ten years in music. By the early to mid '90s Maxi was critically
acclaimed for his skills in balancing hard core reggae vibes with more mainstream pop
sensibilities and that approach added to his growing popularity as both a recording and
touring artist. In
1993, Maxi launched Dugout, a small label based in Lewisham. Maxi remains actively
involved in Dugout, and has been instrumental in the development of local talent in rap,
soul, reggae and jungle. Around the launch of Dugout, he also found the time to record a
new album Fe Real. In 1996 Maxi released his hit CD Man With the Fun which contained the
corssover single "That Girl," a duet with Shaggy. His most recent album
Combination embraces reggae, hip hop, R&B and pop, with production and songwriting
from Sly & Robbie, Robert Livingston, Beenie Man and others.Maxi Priest has enjoyed a
fruitful and flourishing career, appealing to people of all ages and backgrounds with his
multi-faceted sound.
Maxi Priest Links:
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