MAX ROMEO live @ Main Stage 2010

Born in 1947 (his real name is Max Smith), despite the ‘gospel-like’ fervour of his style, and enthusiastic belief in Rastafarianism, Max gained great success in the UK with ‘Wet dream’, a track with explicit lyrics that the artist was nearly forced to sing by his producer Bunny Lee. In the early Seventies, Max works in close contact with such names as Lee Perry, Bunny Lee and Niney The Observer, and produces great material. Among the hits of that time, there are such classics as ‘Let the power fall’, ‘Aily andallaloo’, ‘Babylon burning’ and ‘Three blind mice’.

Max Romeo is a fervent political supporter of Michael Manley’s PNP, and many are the songs released at that time focus on the difficult political situation in those turbulent years. In 1975 he releases ‘Revelation Time’, an extraordinary self-produced album: the following year Lee Perry produces Max Romeo’s most famous masterpiece, ‘War inna Babylon’, that is distributed world-wide by Island records. In the following years, Max records other great albums, including ‘Reconstruction’ and ‘I love my music’. With the supremacy of dancehall style in the Eighties, the name of this great Roots artist starts to fade, although he still continues to perform and produce music.

In the last ten years, he releases ‘Tafari captain of my ship’, a roots album produced by Jah Shaka, ‘Selassie I forever’, produced by Mafia & Fluxi, and the beautiful ‘In this time’, recorded in Italy with the band Tribalistica, and produced by Satta Records.

17* Rototom Sunsplash 2010 Peace, Love & Reggae
Aug 21-28 Benicàssim Spain
www.rototom.tv