1. Maxi Priest was one of the first international artists to have success in this genre, and one of the most successful reggae fusion acts of all time.
12 Facts About Maxi Priest
1. 2.
Maxi Priest was born in Lewisham, London, the second youngest of nine siblings.
3.
Maxi Priest first learned to sing in church, encouraged by his mother, who was a Pentecostal missionary.
4.
Maxi Priest was a founder member of Saxon Studio International, and it was with Saxon that Maxi began performing at neighbourhood youth clubs and house parties.
5.
Maxi Priest lost his cousin Jacob Miller in a car crash on 23 March 1980.
6.
Maxi Priest is one of only two British reggae acts to have an American Billboard number one: "Close to You" in 1990.
7.
Maxi Priest's duet with Shaggy in 1996, "That Girl", was a hit in the United States, peaking at number twenty.
8.
Maxi Priest has worked with Sly and Robbie, Drummie Zeb of Aswad, Shaggy, Beres Hammond, Jazzie B, Apache Indian, Roberta Flack, Shurwayne Winchester, Shabba Ranks, Robin Trower, and Lee Ritenour.
9.
Maxi Priest had joined UB40 on tour in 2007, culminating in sold-out shows at the National Exhibition Centre in Solihull in December.
10.
In 2012, Maxi Priest recorded a cover of Japanese band L'Arc-en-Ciel's song "Vivid Colors" for the band's English-language tribute album.
11.
In 2013, Maxi Priest recorded a remix version of the Hindi song "" originally sung by Arijit Singh.
12.
Maxi Priest played for non-League football club Southall, his son Marvin's team, in March 2003 when they needed players to fulfil a fixture due to an injury crisis at the club.