Max Romeo and his wife Charm celebrating his 80th birthday last November at Skyrim Villa in Tower Isle, St Mary..
Max Romeo remembered for his work,impact
One of the Rastafarian artistes who made reggae a global force during the 1970s, Max Romeo recorded a series of classic songs inspired by the tumult of that decade. He died on April 11 in St Catherine at age 80.
At press time, no details of the singer/songwriter’s death had been announced by his family.
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Max Romeo, best known for songs like Let The Power Fall on I, War Ina Babylon, and One Step Forward, was scheduled to tour Europe this summer with roots group The Congos.
Ashanti Roy, a member of that trio, told the Jamaica Observer he knew the St Ann-born Romeo for over 45 years.
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“Wi grow up together inna Greenwich Farm, move ‘round with Bunny Lee, then wi go to Scratch [producer Lee Perry]. A great bredrin, I neva hear dat man war or quarrel with anyone,” said Ashanti Roy.
Born Maxwell Livingston Smith, he was among the artistes on the 1971 musical bandwagon that supported the People’s National Party’s campaign for the February 1972 General Election. Those islandwide shows helped propel the party’s candidate, Michael Manley, to a resounding victory.
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Max Romeo’s breakthrough song was the risqué Wet Dream, a 1968 hit in the United Kingdom. During that period he was lead singer for The Emotions — an East Kingston-based group that included bassist Aston “Familyman” Barrett, drummer Carlton Barrett, and singer Lloyd Shakespeare, older brother of bass legend Robbie Shakespeare.
The artiste was also part of Greenwich Farm’s bustling music scene in the 1970s, a time of social change in Jamaica. Alphanso Henclewood, who is from that Kingston community, remembers his impact.
“A tough artiste, great artiste! I would put him in the region of Toots and Bob Andy… a roots an’ culture soldier. Him was a top man,” he said.
It was in Greenwich Farm that Max Romeo first linked with Lee, who produced Let The Power Fall and Macabee Version, two of his biggest hits. The eccentric Perry also guided him on War Ina Babylon, One Step Forward, and Chase The Devil.
Those songs earned Max Romeo a lasting fan base in Europe, where he toured relentlessly since the 1970s.
In 2008 he was honoured with the Order of Distinction by Jamaica’s Government and was among the veteran artistes honoured at the recent Reggae Gold Awards.
Last November he celebrated his 80th birthday with an all-white party at Skyrim Villa in Tower Isle, St Mary.
“Sometimes I don’t really feel I’m that old, because my body don’t tell mi dat. Mi still performing, mi do a series of shows last year, about 57 shows back-to-back, non-stop,” Romeo told the Observer at the time. “Right now, I’m resting to head out on di road next year to do some festival, so I’m doing alright.”
Late last year, VP Records re-released Every Man Ought to Know, the 1975 album Max Romeo recorded for Bunny Lee.
Minister of Culture and Entertainment Olivia Grange said Max Romeo was one of the pioneers of Jamaican music. His music not only provided entertainment but much of it addressed social issues such as poverty, inequality, and justice, citing Revelation Time as one of his powerful social commentaries.
Grange shared that he had also performed backing vocals on The Rolling Stones song, Dance, on the album Emotional Rescue. The compliment was returned when Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones co-produced and played on Max’s album Holding Out My Love to You.
“I am so very happy that we inducted Max into the Jamaica Music Museum Hall of Fame earlier this year at the Reggae Gold Awards Ceremony during Reggae Month at the National Indoor Sports Centre. As I have always said, the fraternity, and the country at large, should strengthen the habit of hailing our stalwarts while they are alive and able to enjoy the honour,” she said.
