Maxi Priest
| Maxi Priest | |
|---|---|
Priest performing in January 2011
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Max Alfred Elliott |
| Born |
10 June 1961 Lewisham, London, England |
| Genres | Reggae, reggae fusion, Lovers rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Saxon Studio International, UB40 |
| Website | maxipriest.com |
Max Alfred "Maxi" Elliott (born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is an English reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion, and became one of the first international successes who regularly dabbled in the genre and one of the most successful reggae fusion acts of all-time.
Maxi Priest was born in Lewisham, London, the second youngest of nine brothers and sisters. 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. He first learned to sing in church, encouraged by his mother who was a Pentecostal missionary. Maxi grew up listening to Jamaican greats such as Dennis Brown, John Holt, Ken Boothe and Gregory Isaacs, as well as singers like Marvin Gaye, Al Green, the Beatles, Phil Collins and Frank Sinatra.
As a teenager, he lifted speaker boxes for the Jah Shaka and Negus Negast sound-systems. He was also a founder member of Saxon Studio International. It was with Saxon that Maxi began performing at neighbourhood youth clubs and house parties, and first won an appreciative audience.
His music is sometimes closer to R&B, and pop, than to reggae music itself. His cousin, Jacob Miller, a reggae icon, was the frontman in the popular reggae group Inner Circle.
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Wikipedia