Maxi Priest
(born, 10 June 1961, Lewisham, London) is a Reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing Reggae music with a R&B influence .
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MAXI PRIEST TICKETS
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Career
Maxi Priest is the second youngest of nine children. His parents moved to England from Jamaica to provide more opportunity for their family and he grew up listening to
gospel, reggae,
R&B, and
pop music. His
music is sometimes closer to R&B, and pop, than to reggae music itself. His uncle,
Jacob Miller, a reggae icon, was the frontman in the popular reggae group
Inner Circle and his son, Ryan Elliott, was a member of the
boy band Ultimate Kaos.
Priest's musical career began with him singing on the
South London reggae soundsystem
Saxon Studio International, after which some independent single releases followed. His first major
album was the self-titled
Maxi Priest
(1988) which, along with his cover of
Cat Stevens' "
Wild World", established him as one of the top British reggae singers.
He is one of only two
British reggae acts (along with
UB40) to have a
American Billboard number one: "
Close to You" in 1990. A
duet with
Roberta Flack, "
Set the Night to Music", reached the American Top Ten in 1991. His duet with
Shaggy in 1996, "That Girl", was also a hit in the United States, peaking at number twenty.
In the latter half of his recording career, Priest has favoured working alongside other artists, both established and up-and-coming. He has worked with
Sly & Robbie,
Shaggy,
Beres Hammond,
Jazzie B,
Apache Indian,
Roberta Flack,
Shurwayne Winchester,
Shabba Ranks and
Lee Ritenour.
It was reported in some newspapers in the
Birmingham area, including the
Birmingham Mail on 13 March 2008, that Priest would be replacing
Ali Campbell as the new lead singer of UB40, and that he had recorded a cover of
Bob Marley’s "
I Shot the Sheriff" with the band, based on information from "an unnamed source close to the band." Priest had joined UB40 on tour in 2007, culminating in sell out shows at the
National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in
Solihull in December.
[1] [2] Another local newspaper, the
Express & Star that had reported that Priest would be the new UB40 frontman, included a statement from band spokesman Gerard Franklyn which contradicted the claim, stating "Maxi is collaborating with the band to record material but he won't be the new lead singer, that will be Duncan Campbell, the brother of Ali and Robin Campbell. He will only be appearing with them for this new recording."
[3]
Discography
Albums
- You're Safe
(1985)
- Intentions
(1986) #96 UK
- Maxi Priest
(1988) #108 U.S.; #25 UK
- Bonafide
(1990) #47 U.S.; #11 UK
- Fe Real
(1992) #191 U.S.; #60 UK
- Man With The Fun
(1996) #108 U.S.
- CombiNation
(1999)
- 2 The Max
(2005)
- Refused
(2007)
[4]
Compilations
- Best of Me
(1991) #23 UK
- Collection
(2000)
Singles
| Year
| Song
| US Hot 100
| US R&B
| UK Singles Chart | Album
|
| 1986
| "Strollin' On"
| -
| -
| 32
| Intentions
|
| "In the Springtime"
| -
| -
| 54
| You're Safe
|
| "Crazy Love"
| -
| -
| 67
| Intentions
|
| 1987
| "Let Me Know"
| -
| -
| 49
|
| "Woman in You"
| -
| -
| -
|
| "Some Guys Have All the Luck"
| -
| -
| 12
| Maxi Priest
|
| 1988
| "Wild World"
| 25,10 US AC
| -
| 5
|
| "Goodbye to Love Again"
| -
| -
| 57
|
| 1990
| "Human Work of Art"
| -
| -
| 71
| Bonafide
|
| "Close to You"
| 1,15 US AC
| 2
| 7
|
| "Just a Little Bit Longer"
| 62
| 30
| 62
|
| 1991
| "Space in My Heart"
| -
| 76
| -
|
| "Set the Night to Music" (with Roberta Flack)
| 6,2 US AC
| 45
| -
| Set the Night to Music
(Roberta Flack)
|
| 1992
| "Groovin' in the Midnight"
| 63
| 29
| 50
| Fe Real
|
| 1993
| "One More Chance"
| -
| 77
| 40
|
| 1996
| "That Girl" (with Shaggy)
| 20
| 34
| 15
| Man with the Fun
|
| "Watching The World Go By"
| -
| -
| 36
|
| rowspan="2" 2009
| "2 Play feat Maxi Priest - That's what the girls like (Sam Young & Jack Black Mix)"
| -
| -
| -
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References
- Birmingham Post: Maxi Priest is new singer with UB40
- Birmingham Mail: Maxi Priest to join UB40
- Express and Star: Maxi Priest is new UB40 frontman
- British Hit Singles & Albums