Maxi Priest
Maxi Priest, real name Max Alfred Elliott (born June 10, 1961 in London , England , United Kingdom ) is a British reggae singer and songwriter .
Life
The von Priest family emigrated from Jamaica to London after World War II . Maxi Priest was born there as the second youngest of nine children. His family was active in the Pentecostal movement. Priest himself later converted to the Rastafari and from then on called himself Maxi Priest.
Priest first worked as a carpenter before gaining a foothold in London's reggae scene. His debut album You're Safe was released in mid-1985.
His third album Maxi Priest , released in autumn 1987, brought him the final breakthrough. The cover versions Some Guys Have All the Luck ( Robert Palmer ) and Wild World ( Cat Stevens ), recorded with reggae sound, became smaller hits in England and the USA .
The subsequent album Bonafide was released in mid-1990 and became his greatest success. The single Close to You (composed by singer-songwriter Gary Benson) reached number 1 in the US and the top ten in the UK and Germany . Priest has enjoyed collaborating with other artists throughout his career, including Sly & Robbie , Beres Hammond, and Apache Indian . The duet singles Set the Night to Music (1991) with Roberta Flack , Housecall (1991) with Shabba Ranks and That Girl (1996) with Shaggy became top 20 hits.
However, the success of Maxi Priest decreased more and more from the mid-1990s. His last two albums CombiNation (1999) and 2 the Max (2005) were only rarely sold.
In addition to reggae , Priest's music also features pop and R&B elements. His fans gave him the nickname "King of Lovers Rock ".
Discography
Studio albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
1986 | Intentions | - | - | - |
UK96 (1 week) UK |
- |
First published: November 24, 1986
|
1987 | Maxi | - | - | - |
UK25th
gold
(15 weeks)UK |
US108 (17 weeks) US |
First published: November 23, 1987
|
1990 | Bona fide |
DE32 (12 weeks) DE |
AT25 (4 weeks) AT |
- |
UK11
gold
(13 weeks)UK |
US47
gold
(37 weeks)US |
First published: May 22, 1990
|
1991 | Fe Real | - | - | - |
UK60 (1 week) UK |
US191 (1 week) US |
First published: October 28, 1991
|
1996 | Man with the fun | - | - |
CH48 (1 week) CH |
- |
US108 (10 weeks) US |
First published: July 3, 1996
|
2019 | It all comes back to love | - | - | - | - | - |
First published: September 20, 2019
|
more publishments
- 1985: You're Safe
- 1999: CombiNation
- 2005: 2 the Max
- 2007: Refused
- 2011: Time of the Year
Compilations
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
1991 | Best of Me | - | - | - |
UK23
gold
(5 weeks)UK |
US189 (2 weeks) US |
First published: November 12, 1991
|
more publishments
- 2003: A Collection
- 2008: The Best Of
- 2012: Maximum Collection
EPs
- 1991: The Maxi Priest EP (only in Japan)
- 2008: Island Remixes EP
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
1985 | In the Springtime You're Safe |
- | - | - |
UK54 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: May 1985
|
1986 | Strollin 'on intentions |
- | - | - |
UK32 (9 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: March 1986
|
Crazy Love Intentions |
- | - | - |
UK67 (5 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: October 1986
|
|
1987 | Let me know intentions |
- | - | - |
UK49 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: March 1987
|
Woman in You Intentions |
- | - | - | - | - |
First published: June 1987
|
|
Some Guys Have All the Luck Maxi |
- | - | - |
UK12 (12 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: October 1987
|
|
1988 | How Can We Ease the Pain? Maxi |
- | - | - |
UK41 (6 weeks) UK |
- |
First release: February 1988
feat. Beres Hammond |
Wild World Maxi |
- | - | - |
UK5 (9 weeks) UK |
US25 (18 weeks) US |
First published: May 1988
|
|
Goodbye to Love Again Maxi |
- | - | - |
UK57 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: August 1988
|
|
1990 |
Close to You Bonafide |
DE4 (31 weeks) DE |
AT8 (14 weeks) AT |
CH10 (10 weeks) CH |
UK7 (10 weeks) UK |
US1
gold
(30 weeks)US |
First published: May 1990
|
Peace Throughout the World Bonafide |
- | - | - |
UK41 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
First release: August 1990
feat. Jazzie B |
|
Human Work of Art Bonafide |
DE58 (7 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK71 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: November 1990
|
|
1991 | Just a Little Bit Longer Bonafide |
- | - | - |
UK62 (3 weeks) UK |
US62 (11 weeks) US |
First published: September 1991
|
1992 | Groovin 'in the Midnight Fe Real |
- | - | - |
UK50 (2 weeks) UK |
US63 (8 weeks) US |
First published: September 1992
|
Just Wanna Know Fe Real |
- | - | - |
UK33 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
First release: November 1992
feat. Apache Indian |
|
1993 | One More Chance Fe Real |
- | - | - |
UK40 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: March 1993
|
1996 | That Girl Man with the Fun |
DE52 (16 weeks) DE |
AT29 (3 weeks) AT |
CH29 (14 weeks) CH |
UK15 (7 weeks) UK |
US20 (20 weeks) US |
First release: June 1996
feat. Shaggy |
Watching the World Go By Man with the Fun |
DE97 (1 week) DE |
- | - |
UK36 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: September 1996
|
As a guest musician
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
1991 | Housecall As Raw as Ever |
- | - | - |
UK8 (15 weeks) UK |
US37 (15 weeks) US |
First release: August 1991
Shabba Ranks feat. Maxi Priest |
Set the Night to Music Set the Night to Music |
- | - | - | - |
US6 (20 weeks) US |
First release: September 1991
Roberta Flack feat. Maxi Priest |
|
1993 | Waiting in Vain Wes Bound |
- | - | - |
UK65 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
First release: July 1993
Lee Ritenour feat. Maxi Priest |
Web links
- Official website
- Maxi Priest on Myspace
- VH1 biography of Maxi Priest
- Works by and about Maxi Priest in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Priest, Maxi |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Elliott, Max Alfred (real name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British reggae singer and songwriter |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 10, 1961 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | London , England , UK |