Maxi Priest in session

Maxi Priest has been involved in music for the past twenty years. It was while working as a carpenter, building speaker boxes for a local reggae sound-system, that he first began singing over the mic at live dancehall sessions with artists such as Smiley Culture.

In 1984 Maxi made a bit of history after he and Paul 'Barry Boom' Robinson produced Philip Levi's 'Mi God Mi King'. The record became the first UK reggae tune to reach Number One in Jamaica.

Originally from Jamaica, Maxi was brought to London in his childhood and grew up on a diet of gospel, reggae and R&B, as well as pop music. Over the course of 10 albums, he has tried to mark his own brand of "one-world music that heals, rejuvenates and uplifts".

His 1988 album 'Maxi', was recorded in Jamaica with legendary musicians Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, and Willie Londo, and was released in America by Virgin Records. With 'Some Guys Have All the Luck', a cover of Cat Steven's classic 'Wild World' (that gave Maxi his first U.S. smash hit) and roots tracks like his duet with Beres Hammond, 'How Can We Ease The Pain', Maxi's music was taken to an entirely new level, gaining him worldwide recognition.

By the early to mid 90's, 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.

Over his career he has worked with Beenie Man, Roberta Flack, Sly and Robbie, Beres Hammond, Shabba Ranks and Red Rat to name but a few.

He is still in the studio working away. To keep up to date with what he's up, check out his website.

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