Priest began his career singing in the South London reggae sound system Saxon Studio International with his 1st album "Maxi" dropping in 1988 along with his cover of Wild World by Cat Steven’s, establishing him as not only one of the top British reggae artists, but also one of the first international artist to have success in the genre “Reggae Fusion” which is reggae mixed with influences of R&B.
His follow up album Bonafide spawned the hit "Close to You" reaching No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No.2 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart. Three more singles would be released from Bonafide which didn’t have the same chart success however, the popularity of Close to You carried the weight of the album driving it to Gold Status in 1991.
A career spanning over 3 decades with 12 studio albums and 3 compilations to his name, Maxi Priest has firmly established himself as one of the all-time reggae greats. Fun Fact: His cousin Jacob Miller was the Front man in the popular reggae group Inner Circle, best known for their hit songs Sweat (A La La Long) and Bad Boys. Talent really does run in this family.
With that said, we’re gonna chill and enjoy some “Reggae Fusion” this weekend with Close to You by Maxi Priest. Have a good one guys.
Click on image below to listen to this track. Enjoy 
