Max Romeo

Reggae musician and vocalist Max Romeo was born Maxwell Livingston Smith on November 22, 1944, in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica. He was best known for the controversial single “Wet Dream” (1968), which was banned by the BBC in the UK because of its sexually suggestive lyrics. Max Romeo worked on a sugar plantation for four years from the age of 14 before moving to Kingston, Jamaica to start his musical career. He built up a local following as a member of The Emotions before joining The Upsetters, which was producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s house band. Max Romeo came to solo prominence in 1968 with the release of his single “Wet Dream.” The song was eventually banned by BBC Radio because of its sexually suggestive lyrics, and, because of the controversy, it became extremely popular and made him one of reggae music’s biggest artists at the time. After a series of singles and albums – including A Dream (1969), the politically-charged Let the Power Fall (1971), and Revelation Time (1975) – he released the 1976 album War Ina Babylon and the single “Chase the Devil,” both of which were extremely successful. Alongside Bob Marley, Max Romeo became one of the most influential artists in Jamaica. After his 1977 album Reconstruction failed to match the success of his previous releases, he relocated to New York in 1978 and co-wrote and starred in the musical Reggae. In 1980, he sang back-up on The Rolling Stones’ Emotional Rescue album and worked with Keith Richards again in 1981, when the Stones guitarist produced his album Holding Out My Love to You. Max Romeo’s career fizzled out in the latter part of the ‘80s and he ended up working at a New York electronics store before fellow reggae icon John Holt encouraged him to move back to Jamaica and re-start his career. He returned to recording and performing in the early 1990s and remained busy for the next three decades although he didn’t experience the same amount of commercial success that he had enjoyed in the 1970s. Max Romeo died of heart complications on April 11, 2025, at the age of 80.

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