Maxi Priest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maxi Priest
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Priest in 2011
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Max Alfred Elliott |
| Born | 10 June 1961 Lewisham, London, England |
| Genres | Reggae, Roots Reggae, Dancehall, R & B, Reggae fusion, Soul, Lovers Rock, Dub, Sound System |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Saxon Studio International, UB40 |
Max Alfred Elliott (born on June 10, 1961), known as Maxi Priest, is a British reggae singer. He is famous for mixing reggae music with R&B, a style called reggae fusion. Maxi Priest was one of the first international artists to become very successful in this music style. He is considered one of the most successful reggae fusion artists ever.
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Early Life and Music Beginnings
Maxi Priest was born in Lewisham, London. He was the second youngest of nine children. His parents moved to England from Jamaica to give their family more opportunities. Growing up, he listened to many types of music, including gospel, reggae, R&B, funk, and soul.
Maxi Priest first learned to sing in church. His mother, who was a missionary, encouraged him. He enjoyed music from Jamaican artists like Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs. He also liked singers such as Marvin Gaye and Al Green.
As a teenager, he helped set up large speaker systems for music events. These were called "sound-systems." He was a founding member of Saxon Studio International. With Saxon, Maxi started performing at local youth clubs and house parties. Two of Maxi Priest's sons are also singers: Marvin Priest and Ryan Elliott. Ryan was part of the 1990s boy band, Ultimate Kaos.
Music Career Highlights
Maxi Priest's music journey began by singing with the South London reggae sound system Saxon Studio International. After that, he released some independent songs. One important early song was "Sensi" with Papa Levi.
His first big album, Maxi, came out in 1988. This album, along with his cover of Cat Stevens' song "Wild World", made him one of the top British reggae singers.
Maxi Priest is one of only two British reggae acts to have a number one song in America. His song "Close to You" reached number one on the Billboard chart in 1990. He also had a hit song called "Set the Night to Music" with Roberta Flack in 1991. In 1996, his song "That Girl" with Shaggy was also very popular in the United States.
Maxi Priest often works with other artists. He has collaborated with famous musicians like Sly and Robbie, Beres Hammond, and Shaggy. In 2007, he toured with the band UB40. He also recorded a song with them, but he did not become their new lead singer.
In 2012, Maxi Priest recorded a cover of a Japanese band's song, "Vivid Colors." In 2013, he recorded a remix of a Hindi song called "Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse." His 2014 album, Easy to Love, reached number two on the Billboard Top Reggae Albums Chart.
Maxi Priest and Sports
Maxi Priest also enjoys sports. In March 2003, he played football for a non-League club called Southall F.C.. This was his son Marvin's team. Maxi Priest helped them out when they needed players for a game because many were injured. Southall lost that game 3–0.
Awards and Recognition
Maxi Priest has been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album three times.
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Grammy Award | Best Reggae Album | Fe Real | Nominated |
| 1997 | Grammy Award | Best Reggae Album | Man with the Fun | Nominated |
| 2021 | Grammy Award | Best Reggae Album | It All Comes Back To Love | Nominated |
Maxi Priest's Music Albums
Studio Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
AUS |
US |
US R&B |
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| 1985 | You're Safe | — | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | Intentions | 96 | — | — | — | |
| 1988 | Maxi / Maxi Priest | 25 | 67 | 108 | — |
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| 1990 | Bonafide | 11 | 25 | 47 | 16 |
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| 1992 | Fe Real | 60 | 130 | 191 | 46 | |
| 1996 | Man with the Fun | — | 52 | 108 | 43 | |
| 1999 | CombiNation | — | — | — | — | |
| 2005 | 2 the Max | — | — | — | — | |
| 2007 | Refused | — | — | — | — | |
| 2014 | Easy to Love | — | — | — | — | |
| 2019 | It All Comes Back to Love | — | — | — | — | |
| 2020 | United State of Mind | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" means the album did not appear on the chart. | ||||||
Compilation Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
AUS |
US R&B |
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| 1991 | Best of Me | 23 | 122 | 45 |
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| 2000 | Collection | — | — | — | |
| 2012 | Maximum Collection | — | — | — | |
| "—" means the album did not appear on the chart. | |||||
Maxi Priest's Hit Songs
Songs from the 1980s
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
IRE | NED |
BEL (FL) |
SWE |
NOR |
AUS |
NZ |
US |
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| 1984 | "Sensi" (with Papa Levi) (UK only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | You're Safe (as Maxi Priest & Caution) |
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| "Throw My Corn" (UK only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1985 | "Should I (Put My Trust in You)" (UK only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Dancin' Mood" (UK only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1986 | "Strollin' On" | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Intentions | ||||||||
| "In the Springtime (The Summertime Remix)" (UK only) | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | You're Safe | |||||||||
| "Crazy Love" | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Intentions | |||||||||
| 1987 | "Let Me Know" (UK only) | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Woman in You" (UK only) | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Some Guys Have All the Luck" | 12 | 15 | 20 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | Maxi (EUR/JAP) Maxi Priest (US/CAN) |
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| 1988 | "How Can We Ease the Pain?" (feat. Beres Hammond) (UK only) | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Wild World" | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 17 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 25 | ||||||||||
| "Goodbye to Love Again" | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" means the song did not appear on the chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||||||||
Songs from the 1990s and 2000s
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
IRE |
NED |
BEL (FL) |
GER |
AUT |
SWI |
AUS |
NZ |
US |
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| 1990 | "Close to You" | 7 | 26 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Bonafide | |||||||
| "Peace Throughout the World" | 41 | — | 52 | — | — | — | — | 87 | 13 | — | |||||||||
| "Human Work of Art" | 71 | — | — | — | 58 | — | — | 142 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1991 | "Just a Little Bit Longer" | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 181 | — | 62 | ||||||||
| "Space in My Heart" (US promo only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1992 | "Groovin' in the Midnight" | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 120 | 31 | 63 | Fe Real | |||||||
| "Just Wanna Know / Fe Real" (feat. Apache Indian) | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 122 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1993 | "One More Chance" | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 38 | — | ||||||||
| 1996 | "That Girl" (with Shaggy) | 15 | — | 35 | — | 52 | 29 | 29 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
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Man with the Fun | ||||||
| "Message in a Bottle" (Japan only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Watching the World Go By" | 36 | — | — | — | 97 | — | — | 88 | — | — | |||||||||
| "Heartbreak Lover" (US promo only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1997 | "Happy Days" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 187 | — | — | ||||||||
| "Once Again It's Summertime" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Best of Maxi Priest | ||||||||
| 1999 | "Mary Got a Baby" (feat Beenie Man) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19 | — | Combination | |||||||
| 2000 | "Back Together Again" | 156 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 2004 | "Fields / Like I Do" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 the Max | |||||||
| 2005 | "Believe in Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "—" means the song did not appear on the chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||||||||
Songs Featuring Maxi Priest
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
AUS |
NZ |
US |
US R&B |
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| 1991 | "Housecall" (Shabba Ranks featuring Maxi Priest) |
31 | — | — | 37 | 4 | As Raw as Ever |
| "Set the Night to Music" (Roberta Flack featuring Maxi Priest) |
76 | 80 | 50 | 6 | 45 | Set the Night to Music | |
| 1993 | "Housecall" (reissue) (Shabba Ranks featuring Maxi Priest) |
8 | — | — | — | — | As Raw as Ever |
| "Waiting in Vain" (Lee Ritenour with Maxi Priest) |
65 | — | — | — | 54 | Wes Bound | |
| 1997 | "Love Somebody" (Yūji Oda with Maxi Priest) |
— | — | — | — | — | Singles only |
| 1998 | "Rise Up" (as part of Jamaica United) |
54 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2008 | "That's What the Girls Like" (promo) (2Play featuring Maxi Priest) |
— | — | — | — | — | |
| 2013 | "Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse" (Rishi Rich & Arijit Singh featuring Maxi Priest) |
— | — | — | — | — | Jackpot |
| "—" means the song did not appear on the chart or was not released. | |||||||
See also
In Spanish: Maxi Priest para niños
