Max Romeo
Max Romeo (* 22. November 1947 in Saint Ann Parish , Jamaica as Max Smith ) is a Jamaican singer.
Max Romeo is one of the leading figures in early reggae and roots reggae . His "Wet Dream" from 1968 was banned by the BBC because of the grossly suggestive text and, not least because of this, sold over 250,000 times. In his later years Romeo became increasingly political and socially critical, a high point of this phase is the album "War Ina Babylon" from 1976.
biography
Decision to become a singer
Max Romeo was born Max Smith on November 22, 1947 in Saint Ann Parish (from which Bob Marley and Justin Hinds also come). When he was nine years old, his mother had the chance to emigrate to England and left the family behind. Max moved in with his father. Due to difficulties with his stepmother, Max left home at the age of 14, lived temporarily in a cave and in abandoned cars. After meeting an old man, he decided to become a singer. Romeo described this experience as follows:
“One day I came to a friend's house and there was this old man sitting on the porch. He was watching me, but I didn't pay any attention to him. I looked pretty depressing at this point: holes in my shoes, a sleeve missing from my shirt, etc. The man called me over and said, "You shouldn't be walking around like that. What's your problem?" I told him a little bit about my life and he said, "Fine, I'll help you. Go home now and write down twenty things you want to do in your life." He gave me a pen and a piece of paper and I went home and wrote down all the different jobs and things I could think of and brought them back to him. He said, "Now I want you to narrow it down to two things." Back then there were two things that I really wanted to be and that was a preacher or a singer. So I cut the list and went back to him. He said, "Now it's easy to narrow it down to one thing." I said, "I like the glamor in music and the respect you give a preacher." But at that point in time I put glamor over respect and decided: "singer". The man replied, "Well, from now on, if someone asks you what you do for a living, you will say that you are a singer. And every morning when you wake up you will tell yourself that you are a singer are. " At the end he asked me: "Can you sing?" I said, "Yes, I sang a lot as a kid." To which he replied: "That's good. Now go ahead."
The Rocksteady Years
From then on, Max worked to put his decision into practice. A friend loaned him money for new clothes so that he could enter a talent competition and promptly won. In 1967, still at the heyday of rock steady , he recorded his first single I'll Buy You A Rainbow , which reached number 2 on the Jamaican charts. His great success a year later, however, should belong to the new, upcoming style, reggae . Wet Dream came in at number 10 in England and drew a number of other adult singles with it. A first album, A Dream By Max Romeo , was released. Romeo put together his own backing band, the Híppy Boys , with the brothers Carlton and Aston Barrett on drums and bass . This group would later become Lee Perry's studio band The Upsetters , which in turn formed the nucleus of Bob Marley's Wailers .
From rudeboy to rastafari
Although quite successful, Romeo was uncomfortable with his superficial rude boy image. He became interested in the Rastafarian religion . His songs turned to spiritual and ideological themes, which was reflected in song titles such as Black Equality and Holla Zion . In the early 1970s, many Rastas promised themselves the implementation of their ideals from the leader of the socialist party, PNP , Michael Manley . Max Romeo wrote his official campaign anthem Let The Power Fall On I . But in the aftermath of Manley's 1972 election victory, there was growing disappointment. The political leader could not keep his promises. Max Romeo distanced itself in 1974 from its policy with the song No, Joshua, No .
In 1975 he brought out the first reggae concept album , Revelation Time . A year later Lee Perry produced his album War Ina Babylon , which is considered one of the most important releases of roots reggae . The ruling PNP banned the title play War Ina Babylon during the 1976 Jamaican election campaign . The election campaign was marked by numerous armed clashes between rival party supporters. The play Chase the devil was in 1992 The Prodigy in the track Out of Space sampled. This was followed by the album Reconstruction with the hit Melt Away . On Holding Out My Love To You 1981 he was selected by Rolling Stones - Guitarist Keith Richards accompanied. To this day, Max Romeo has released a new album every few years and goes on tour regularly, most recently with the Ethiopians .
Discography
Singles / songs
- 1967: I'll Buy You A Rainbow, I Don't Want To Let You Go, I Can't Do No More, Don't Be Ashamed, Soulful Music, No Use To Cry, Carelass Hands, Rudeboy Confession
- 1968: Wet Dream, Put Me In The Mood, Walk Into The Dawn, Wine Her Goosie, My One Girl, She's But A Little Girl
- 1969: A No Fi Mi Picc'ny, Sweet Chariot, Michael (Row The Boat Ashore), Love Oh Love, I Don't Want To Loose Your Love, You Can't Stop Me
- 1970: Melting Pot, Fish In The Pot
- 1971: I Woke Up In Love This Morning, Black Equality, Holla Zion, Let The Power Fall On I, Ginal Ship
- 1974: No, Joshua, no
- 1975: Three Blind Mice
- 1976: Chase the Devil
- 2000: Max Romeo vs. Prodigy - Out of Space (X-DREAMER Remix)
Albums
- A Dream By Max Romeo (1968)
- Let The Power Fall (1971)
- Revelation Time (aka Open The Iron Gate, 1975)
- Was Ina Babylon (1976)
- Reconstruction (1977)
- I Love My Music (1979)
- One Horse Race (1980)
- Holding Out My Love To You (1981)
- Max Romeo meets Owen Gray at King Tubby's Studio (1984)
- Transition (1989)
- Far I Captain Of My Ship (1992)
- Our Rights (1995)
- Selassie I Forever (1998)
- Max Romeo & Friends: Love Message (1999)
- Something Is Wrong (1999)
- Max Romeo Sings Bob Marley in Dancehall (1999)
- In This Time (2001)
- A Little Time for Jah (2004)
- Crazy World of Dub (2005)
- Max Romeo Sings Hits of Bob Marley (2006)
- Pocomania Songs (2007)
- Father and Sons (2014)
- Horror Zone (2016)
Web links
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Romeo, Max |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Smith, Max (real name); Smith, Maxwell |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Jamaican singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 22, 1947 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saint Ann Parish , Jamaica |