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Maxwell Livingston Smith worked on a sugar plantation for four years from the age of 14 before moving to Kingston to start a career in music. Changing his name to Max Romeo, the young musician earned himself a following as a renowned reggae artist. He started out with The Emotions, whilst still a salesman for the Jamaican Caltone label, before becoming part of The Upsetters, the house band used by producer reggae Lee 'Scratch' Perry on many of his productions. In 1968 Romeo had a breakthrough as a solo artist with the single 'Wet Dream'; the track became a hit in Jamaica and the UK, where it spent an astonishing six months in the charts and at the zenith of its popularity reached number ten. Predictably banned by the BBC, 'Wet Dream' established Max Romeo as a major reggae star. His best work is acknowledged by critics as the 1976 album 'War ina Babylon', an album which featured The Upsetters and spawned the hit single 'Chase the Devil'. After 'War ina Babylon', his relationship with Perry turned sour and the artist relocated to New York where he wrote (and starred in) the hit musical 'Reggae'. Romeo subsequently left the music business for a period before eventually returning to Jamaica to kick-start his recording career once more. Over the years he has recorded 26 albums, releasing more than 70 singles along the way, making him one of Jamaica's most prolific and enduring reggae performers.
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