# Maxi Priest
**Maxi Priest** is the stage name of **Max Alfred Elliott** (born 1961), a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent from Lewisham, South London, known for fusing reggae backbeats with R&B and pop. He rose to international fame in the late 1980s and 1990s with hits including a cover of [Cat Stevens](https://www.edgepedia.org/cat-stevens)' "[Wild World](https://www.edgepedia.org/wild-world-song)" and "Close to You," which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990, and he has been described as one of the most internationally popular reggae singers since [Bob Marley](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-marley).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxi-priest-mn0000866417/biography) • [2](https://www.chartreign.com/song/76198?chart=billboard-hot-100)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Max Alfred Elliott, born 1961 in Lewisham, London; sources give the year as 1961 or 1962[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxi-priest-mn0000866417/biography) • [3](https://www.dancehall.co.uk/artists/maxi-priest) |
| Signature hit | "Close to You" peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (week of October 6, 1990) and spent 30 weeks on the chart; it reached #7 in the UK[2](https://www.chartreign.com/song/76198?chart=billboard-hot-100) |
| Chart milestone | Described by his booking agency as the first reggae artist to have a Billboard #1 hit worldwide and in the U.S.[4](https://www.dayafterdaymusic.com/artists/maxi-priest/) |
| Grammy nominations | Best Reggae Album nominations for *Fe Real* (1994), *Man with the Fun* (1997), and *It All Comes Back to Love* (2020)[5](https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2025/03/09/maxi-priest-says-musical-mission-not-complete/) |
| Debut album | *You're Safe* (1985), released on Virgin's Ten subsidiary with his band Caution[6](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/fc6548d9-cc7e-4311-bd6c-6eba9c0cd06f) • [7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/priest-maxi) |
| Studio albums | 11 studio albums, from *You're Safe* (1985) to *It All Comes Back to Love* (2019)[8](https://past.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20190723/maxi-priest-carpenter-who-built-his-music-career-hardwork) • [6](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/fc6548d9-cc7e-4311-bd6c-6eba9c0cd06f) |
| Style | Lovers rock and reggae fusion, blending reggae with R&B, pop, and soul[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxi-priest-mn0000866417/biography) |
## Early life and the London sound systems
Elliott was born in the Lewisham area of London to parents who had emigrated from Jamaica. His father worked as a steelworker in a factory, and his mother was a missionary at a Pentecostal church and lead singer for the church choir; the family grew up singing gospel music together, and he also listened to reggae, R&B, and pop as a child. He later converted to Rastafarianism, at which point he adopted the name Maxi Priest.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxi-priest-mn0000866417/biography) • [9](https://www.laphil.com/people/maxi-priest) In a 2014 interview he explained that four of the nine children were born in England, and that his Jamaican-born siblings brought the music into the house.[10](https://unitedreggae.com/articles/n1568/071214/interview-maxi-priest)
His entry into music came through manual work. As a young carpenter he was hired to build speaker boxes for the Saxon International sound system, one of [South London](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-london)'s most prominent reggae sound systems, and his contacts there discovered he could sing. He began performing over the microphone at live dancehall sessions alongside artists such as [Smiley Culture](https://www.edgepedia.org/smiley-culture).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxi-priest-mn0000866417/biography) • [9](https://www.laphil.com/people/maxi-priest) His booking agency describes him as the first British-born singer to graduate from Saxon Studio International, and notes that before joining Saxon he served an apprenticeship with the South London sound systems Negus Negast and [Jah Shaka](https://www.edgepedia.org/jah-shaka).[4](https://www.dayafterdaymusic.com/artists/maxi-priest/)
His first recording success came as a producer. In 1984 he and Paul "Barry Boom" Robinson co-produced Phillip Levi's "Mi God Mi King," the first UK-born reggae single to reach number one in Jamaica.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxi-priest-mn0000866417/biography) His own first single, the independently released "Hey Little Girl" (1983), went to number one in Jamaica and reached number 8 on the British reggae chart, according to a 1997 Los Angeles Times interview; Priest himself has dated his first radio record to around 1980 or 1981.[11](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-08-ca-40348-story.html) • [8](https://past.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20190723/maxi-priest-carpenter-who-built-his-music-career-hardwork)
## Recording career and chart success
Priest signed with [Virgin Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/virgin-records) and released his debut album, *You're Safe*, in 1985, a more traditional reggae set featuring production by Robinson and live backing from his band Caution; it produced the UK hit "In the Springtime." The 1986 follow-up *Intentions* added two more UK successes, "Strollin' On" and a cover of [Van Morrison](https://www.edgepedia.org/van-morrison)'s "Crazy Love."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxi-priest-mn0000866417/biography) • [7](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/priest-maxi)
His 1988 self-titled album, recorded in Jamaica with the rhythm section [Sly Dunbar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sly-dunbar) and Robbie Shakespeare, was his breakthrough. The cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" became his first American hit, reaching number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 5 on the UK Singles chart, and a version of "Some Guys Have All the Luck" kept his UK hit streak alive.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxi-priest-mn0000866417/biography) • [5](https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2025/03/09/maxi-priest-says-musical-mission-not-complete/) • [12](https://musicchartsarchive.com/artists/maxi-priest)
The 1990 album *Bonafide* achieved gold status and produced "Close to You," which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 2 on the Hot R&B Singles chart. The single entered the Hot 100 on June 30, 1990, peaked at number 1 in the week of October 6, 1990, and charted for 30 weeks; in the UK it peaked at number 7 over a 10-week run.[9](https://www.laphil.com/people/maxi-priest) • [2](https://www.chartreign.com/song/76198?chart=billboard-hot-100) • [13](https://hitslist.fyi/song/maxi-priest-close-to-you-pa6a865r0nsg) In 1991 two collaborations extended his chart run: "Set the Night to Music" with [Roberta Flack](https://www.edgepedia.org/roberta-flack), which reached number 6 on the Hot 100, and "Housecall" with [Shabba Ranks](https://www.edgepedia.org/shabba-ranks), which peaked at number 37 on the Hot 100 and number 4 on the R&B chart. He capped the year with the compilation *Best of Me*.[9](https://www.laphil.com/people/maxi-priest) • [12](https://musicchartsarchive.com/artists/maxi-priest) • [14](https://www.deutsch-jamaikanische-gesellschaft.de/fileadmin/Redaktion/Dokumente/Jamaika_Bulletins/1996-12_Jamaika_Bulletin_50_2.pdf)
Later albums included *Fe Real* (1992), *Man With the Fun* (1996), whose single "That Girl" with Shaggy reached number 20 on the Hot 100 in 1996, *Combination* (1999), *2 the Max* (2005), and *Refused* (2007).[6](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/fc6548d9-cc7e-4311-bd6c-6eba9c0cd06f) • [12](https://musicchartsarchive.com/artists/maxi-priest) • [11](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-08-ca-40348-story.html) After a sales dip in the 1990s he stepped out of the spotlight, returning in 2014 after a seven-year hiatus with *Easy to Love* on VP Records, featuring collaborations with Beres Hammond, Sly and Robbie, and Agent Sasco.[10](https://unitedreggae.com/articles/n1568/071214/interview-maxi-priest) The Shaggy-co-produced *It All Comes Back to Love* followed in 2019 on S-Curve Records/BMG, and in 2020 he released *United State of Mind*, a collaborative album with guitarist [Robin Trower](https://www.edgepedia.org/robin-trower) and Livingstone Brown.[4](https://www.dayafterdaymusic.com/artists/maxi-priest/) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxi-priest-mn0000866417/biography)
## Style and reception
Priest's sound fuses reggae rhythms with contemporary R&B production and a focus on love songs, in the London lovers rock tradition. British reggae artists often had a slicker, more polished sound than their Jamaican counterparts, and his hybrid approach drew criticism from reggae purists early in his career even as it expanded the American audience for reggae-based music.[15](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-21-ca-2124-story.html) Priest has framed his own position plainly: "I see myself as an artist first, with the title of 'reggae' above it. That's where I come from."
AllMusic's biography calls him one of the most internationally popular reggae singers since Bob Marley, and fans have christened him the "King of Lovers Rock."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxi-priest-mn0000866417/biography) The Los Angeles Philharmonic's artist profile describes him as the most successful reggae solo artist in the world, second only to Marley.[9](https://www.laphil.com/people/maxi-priest) His three Best Reggae Album Grammy nominations span three decades of work, from *Fe Real* in 1994 to *It All Comes Back to Love* in 2020.[5](https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2025/03/09/maxi-priest-says-musical-mission-not-complete/) He remains active in performance, touring with UB40 and Aswad on UK dates in 2026 and appearing at festivals including [Rebel Salute](https://www.edgepedia.org/rebel-salute) in Jamaica.[16](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/maxi-priest) • [17](https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/maxi-priest/dates/mode/archive/)
## References
1. [Maxi Priest Biography by Steve Huey, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxi-priest-mn0000866417/biography)
2. [Close To You — Maxi Priest, ChartReign (Billboard Hot 100)](https://www.chartreign.com/song/76198?chart=billboard-hot-100)
3. [Maxi Priest, Dancehall UK](https://www.dancehall.co.uk/artists/maxi-priest)
4. [Maxi Priest, Day After Day Productions](https://www.dayafterdaymusic.com/artists/maxi-priest/)
5. [Maxi Priest says musical mission not complete, Jamaica Observer (March 9, 2025)](https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2025/03/09/maxi-priest-says-musical-mission-not-complete/)
6. [Maxi Priest, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/fc6548d9-cc7e-4311-bd6c-6eba9c0cd06f)
7. [Priest, Maxi, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/priest-maxi)
8. [Maxi Priest, the carpenter who built his music career on hardwork, Jamaica Gleaner (July 23, 2019)](https://past.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20190723/maxi-priest-carpenter-who-built-his-music-career-hardwork)
9. [Maxi Priest, LA Phil](https://www.laphil.com/people/maxi-priest)
10. [Interview: Maxi Priest, United Reggae (July 12, 2014)](https://unitedreggae.com/articles/n1568/071214/interview-maxi-priest)
11. [Mixing and Mingling the Maxi Priest Way, Los Angeles Times (October 8, 1997)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-08-ca-40348-story.html)
12. [Maxi Priest Album and Singles Chart History, Music Charts Archive](https://musicchartsarchive.com/artists/maxi-priest)
13. [Close to You by Maxi Priest: chart & list history, hitslist](https://hitslist.fyi/song/maxi-priest-close-to-you-pa6a865r0nsg)
14. [Maxi Priest - The man with the fun!, Jamaika Bulletin 50/2 (December 1996)](https://www.deutsch-jamaikanische-gesellschaft.de/fileadmin/Redaktion/Dokumente/Jamaika_Bulletins/1996-12_Jamaika_Bulletin_50_2.pdf)
15. [Reggae's Maxi Priest Wins Mainstream Favor, Los Angeles Times (February 21, 1991)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-21-ca-2124-story.html)
16. [Maxi Priest Concert & Tour History, Concert Archives](https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/maxi-priest)
17. [Dates: Maxi Priest, Reggaeville](https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/maxi-priest/dates/mode/archive/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Latin American and Caribbean scenes › Caribbean scenes: dancehall, reggae, soca, kompa, zouk › Artists, groups, and people: Caribbean scenes: dancehall, reggae, soca, kompa, zouk › Reggae and dancehall beyond Jamaica*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license