British singer-songwriter and reggae vocalist Max Alfred Elliott, professionally known as Maxi Priest, was born 63 years ago in Lewisham, London, is married and has 2 sons.
Being of Jamaican descent, Max was particularly influenced by Jamaican singers and since he was a child, he listened to reggae, R & B, pop and gospel music. His first singing experience was in church and during his teenage years, he performed in house parties and local youth clubs.
Elliott’s career took of in London when he sang on the reggae sound system, followed by the release of some singles. His first two albums also came out, but his most significant one was the third, which was released in 1988 and featured the UK no 5 hit single ‘Wide World’, which was a cover version of the original track issued by Cat Stevens in 1970. With this album and hit singles, Max became an established British reggae singer.
Over the years, he collaborated with numerous artists like Shaggy (with whom he sang in duet ‘That Girl’), Roberta Flack, Jazzie B and Apache Indian, amongst others. In 1990, he had a US Billboard number one hit ‘Close to You’.
In 2008, it was rumoured that Max would replace the lead singer of British pop and reggae band UB40, however, it was later revealed that he was just recording some material with them.
To date, Maxi Priest released 12 studio albums, 3 compilations and 30 singles and featured with other artists in 8 tracks. He is also considered as one of the most famous reggae fusion acts ever.
Image: no infringement intended. Source: rottentomatoes.com