Maxi Priest

Biography

Max Alfred Elliott, better known as Maxi Priest, was born on 10 June 1961 in Lewisham, London, to Jamaican parents who had emigrated to the UK in the 1950s.[2][6] He grew up in a deeply musical, church-centered household where his mother was a Pentecostal missionary, and he absorbed gospel alongside the reggae, R&B, and soul records that filled the home.[1][2] As a teenager in South London he first engaged with sound system culture by lifting speaker boxes for Jah Shaka and Negus Negast, and soon became a founding member of the influential Saxon Studio International sound system, where he graduated from crew member to singer at youth clubs and house parties.[2][3] This vibrant London Caribbean milieu in the late 1970s and early 1980s, combined with his Jamaican roots, nurtured the lovers rock style that would define his career.[3][4][6]

Priest’s recording career began in the early 1980s with independent singles and productions such as co‑producing Phillip Levi’s "Mi God Mi King" with Paul Robinson, the first British reggae production to reach No. 1 on the Jamaican charts.[3][4] His early discomix releases, including the track "Sensi" with Papa Levi on the Level Vibes label, built his reputation across both dancehall and conscious roots audiences.[2] After topping UK Black music charts with "Should I" in 1985, he released the albums "You’re Safe" and then "Intentions," collaborating with British reggae band Aswad and headlining major venues like Brixton Academy and Hammersmith Odeon before performing at Jamaica’s prestigious Reggae Sunsplash.[3][5] His self-titled album "Maxi" (issued as "Maxi Priest" in North America) in 1988, featuring a hit cover of Cat Stevens’ "Wild World" recorded with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, helped establish him as one of the leading British reggae vocalists.[2]

Through the late 1980s and 1990s, Maxi Priest became a global ambassador for lovers rock and reggae fusion, blending smooth reggae rhythms with contemporary R&B to reach mainstream audiences.[2][3][4] He scored one of the few U.S. Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits by a British reggae artist with "Close to You" in 1990, and followed with further crossover successes including the U.S. Top 10 duet "Set the Night to Music" with Roberta Flack in 1991 and the hit "That Girl" with Shaggy in 1996.[1][2][3] His sustained output, from early sound-system singles through albums like "Man with the Fun" and later works such as "Easy to Love," along with tours and recordings with UB40, cemented his status as a key figure in internationalizing lovers rock and reggae fusion.[1][3][4] Celebrated by fans as the "King of Lovers Rock," Priest’s legacy lies in showing that reggae could be tender, romantic, and commercially successful worldwide while remaining rooted in Caribbean sound system culture.[1][4][6]

Fun Facts

• Before becoming known as a singer, Maxi Priest worked as a carpenter and first entered the music business by being hired to build speaker boxes for the Saxon International sound system, where his vocal talent was then discovered.[3][4]
• He co‑produced Phillip Levi’s "Mi God Mi King," widely credited as the first UK‑born reggae single to reach No. 1 on the Jamaican charts—an unprecedented achievement for a British reggae production at the time.[3][4]
• Priest is one of only a very small number of British reggae acts, alongside UB40, to have reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, with his 1990 single "Close to You."[1][2]
• Reggae fans have nicknamed him the "King of Lovers Rock" due to his dominance in the romantic reggae subgenre and his status as one of the most internationally popular reggae singers since Bob Marley.[4][6]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Dennis Brown - Major vocal and stylistic influence from Priest’s youth, shaping his smooth, melodic lovers rock delivery. (Influence reflected across Priest’s lovers rock repertoire rather than a specific joint recording.) [1970s–1980s (formative years and ongoing influence)]
• Marvin Gaye - Important R&B and soul influence that informed Priest’s fusion of reggae with contemporary R&B textures. (Influence evident in the R&B‑infused production and vocal phrasing on hits like "Close to You.") [1970s–1990s (as Priest developed his reggae fusion style)]
• Saxon Studio International sound system - Collective and environment that functioned as his early training ground in performance, mic technique, and sound‑system culture. (Early live performances and discomix singles including "Sensi" with Papa Levi on Level Vibes.) [Early–mid 1980s]

Key Collaborators

• Paul "Barry Boom" Robinson - Producer and creative partner on early recordings that helped establish Priest’s profile in UK and Jamaican reggae scenes. (Co‑produced Phillip Levi’s "Mi God Mi King"; produced Maxi Priest’s single "Strollin’ On" and other early material.) [Early–mid 1980s[3][4]]
• Phillip (Philip) Levi - Worked with Priest as vocalist and deejay in early UK reggae projects, including a landmark Jamaican chart hit. ("Mi God Mi King" (Priest co‑produced with Paul Robinson), widely noted as the first UK‑born reggae single to reach No. 1 in Jamaica.[3][4]) [Circa 1984]
• Papa Levi - Conscious dancehall toaster who appeared with Priest on early sound‑system style recordings that built Priest’s underground reputation. (Discomix single "Sensi" backed by Caution on the Level Vibes label.[2]) [Mid 1980s]
• Aswad - British reggae band that collaborated with Priest on album work during his early Virgin Records period. (Collaborations on the album "Intentions" (mid‑1980s), contributing to his early chart visibility.[3]) [Mid 1980s]
• Sly Dunbar & Robbie Shakespeare - Legendary Jamaican rhythm section and producers who worked with Priest on a key breakthrough cover recording. (Recorded Priest’s hit version of Cat Stevens’ "Wild World" for the album "Maxi" / "Maxi Priest."[2]) [Late 1980s]
• Roberta Flack - Duet partner on a major U.S. pop crossover ballad that expanded Priest’s mainstream audience. (Duet "Set the Night to Music," a U.S. Top 10 hit in 1991.[1][2]) [Early 1990s]
• Shaggy - Collaborator on a successful mid‑1990s single that blended dancehall and pop elements. (Single "That Girl" from Priest’s album "Man with the Fun," a British Top 20 hit.[3]) [Mid 1990s]
• UB40 - Touring and recording partners, uniting two major British reggae acts and reaching broad live audiences. (Touring together and the collaborative track "Dance Until The Morning Light."[3]) [Circa 2008]
• Rishi Rich - Producer who brought South Asian pop influences into Priest’s later work via a Hindi remix project. (Remix of the Hindi song "Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse" (often transliterated similarly) with Priest in 2013.[1]) [2013]

Artists Influenced

• Later lovers rock and reggae fusion vocalists (various) - Priest’s global success with romantic, R&B‑infused reggae helped open mainstream doors for subsequent British and international lovers rock/reggae fusion singers, though specific named proteges are not clearly documented in major sources. (Crossover hits like "Close to You" and albums such as "Maxi Priest" and "Man with the Fun" are frequently cited in discussions of reggae fusion’s development.[2][3][4][6]) [1990s onward]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Wild World (Maxi)
2. Close To You (Bonafide)
3. That Girl (Man With The Fun)
4. Some Guys Have All The Luck (Maxi Priest - A Collection)
5. Set the Night to Music (with Maxi Priest) - 2006 Remaster
6. Close To You
7. Love Somebody
8. May Girl Diss (Refused)
9. Walking Wounded (United State of Mind)
10. Just A Little Bit Longer - Radio Edit

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia