Considered one of the most popular international reggae singers since Bob Marley, modern pop and R&B influences did not help him gain much acceptance from reggae purists, but they helped him develop a strong and distinctive style that propelled him to the top of the transatlantic charts with "Close to You."
Sometimes he strayed far from his reggae roots to achieve something hybrid and very stylish, but his voice was as smooth as silk, which was ideal for conveying very romantic and sophisticated material; and his best songs were as sensual as they were soulful.
Maxi was born on June 10, 1962, under the name Max Elliott, in the Lewisham area of London. He was the eighth of nine children, with parents who had emigrated from Jamaica years before his birth. His mother was very active in the Pentecostal church, and so the family always sang gospel songs together; later Maxi converted to Rastafarianism, when he changed his name to Maxi Priest.
He was working as a carpenter when he was called to build speakers for the prominent Saxon Internacional sound system. It did not take long for his contacts to realize that he could also sing, and soon after he was performing live at dance halls. In 1984 he and Paul "Barry Boom" Robinson co-produced Phillip Levi's "Mi God Mi King", the first UK-born single to reach number one in Jamaica.
In 1985, Priest signed with Virgin Records and released his first album You're Safe. A more traditional reggae album than those that followed, it featured Robinson's production and live instrumental support from the band Caution, with the song "In the Springtime" becoming a hit in the United Kingdom. His next release, in 1986, Intentions, brought two other UK successes, "Strollin' On" and a Van Morrison interpretation, "Crazy Love."
However, it was when Maxi was produced by Sly-Robbie that he truly had his big breakthrough; his Top 30 cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" gave him his first American hit, and his other cover, Robert Palmer's "Some Guys Have All The Luck" put him at the top of the UK charts. Elsewhere, he embraced romantic rock sounds more than ever, and even made a rare foray into social consciousness with the duet "How Can We Ease The Pain?" by Beres Hammond.
Then, super famous in the United Kingdom and on his way to the U.S., Maxi released what would be his best-selling album, Bonafide. Released in 1990, it climbed the charts with the song "Close to You" heavily influenced by Soul II Soul, which ended up reaching number one in the U.S. The follow-ups, "Just a Little Bit Longer" and "Space in my Heart" did not duplicate the same success, but "Peace Throughout the World" and "Human Work of Art" became very well known in Great Britain. The hit collection Best of Me came out quickly in 1991, and soon after they worked with Shabba Ranks to make the club hit "House Call," and not long before a duet with Roberta Flack, "Set the Night to Music" climbed into the U.S. top ten.
However, his next album, Fe Real, from 1992, had a solid release but was a commercial disappointment, and the singles "Groovin' in the Midnight" or the duet with Shaggy "One More Chance" did not have much impact. After appearing in the film Scam, Maxi took a break from recording for a few years to focus on launching his own label, Dugout.
But Maxi returned in 1996 with Man With the Fun, the most eclectic album in his catalog to date. The album's song "That Girl," another duet with Shaggy, reached the Top 20 in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Despite having a dancehall flavor, most of the album does not sustain the romantic rock side that Maxi always had attached to his name. This trend continued on the 1999 album Combination, which was predominantly focused on hip-hop and smooth ballads.