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Contact:
George Jude
Thursday, October 07, 2004 - St. Lucia Tourist Board and American
Airlines have announced that the now-famous, Pigeon Island Park will be the
venue for a November 6, 2004 charity concert, featuring two world-renowned
musical artistes - Reggae superstar Maxi Priest and Country Music legend, Kenny
Rogers. This special, one-day-only charity event coincides with American
Airlines’ inaugural flight to St. Lucia, at which the island is to be presented
with a special hospitality services award, as a tourist destination.
At a press conference held at Auberge Seraphine on Wednesday, October 6, 2004,
Walter Elmore, Executive Director of the Miami-based promotion group, Turn Key
Productions (TKPP), said that the charity concert was the initiative of
Children’s Umbrella Charity Groups, an amalgamation of local charity groups.
The concert will also include a number of local artistes and production
personnel, which Mr. Emore said had improved considerably, over the years. The
TKP Executive Director also indicated that Kenny Rogers would remain on the
island for a few extra days “to partake in his professional hobby, photography”.
He said that Mr. Rogers was extremely excited at the prospect of taking pictures
of St. Lucia.
Kenny Rogers, the most successful in Country Music history has sales of 105
million units from 61 albums, including The Gambler, and Lady. And with 20
platinum albums, he is in the league group of all-time greats, including Elvis
Presley, Elton John and Michael Jackson.
Max Elliott known as Maxi Priest is the eighth of nine children born to Alfred
and Hyacinth Elliott, who migrated to England from Jamaica in the late 50’s with
five of those children. Maxi Priest was born on June 10th, in Lewisham, London
England, along with two brothers and one sister. His father was a steelworker in
a factory, while his mother devoted her life to Christianity; she was a
missionary at a Pentecostal Church and lead singer for the church choir.
Next we find our hero making himself a living as a carpenter. After being asked
to build speaker boxes for a local reggae sound-system, Saxon, he was singing
over the microphone at their live dancehall sessions with folks like Smiley
Culture, and made history in 1984 after he and Paul “Barry Boom” Robinson
produced Philip Levi’s “Mi God Mi King”, the first UK reggae tune to reach
number one in Jamaica.
And that was just the beginning…
So, after Transcending from the Caribbean sound, known as Reggae music, Maxi
Priest achieved success and international fame worldwide in popular music, known
as Pop, signing to Virgin Records in 1985. He has achieved #1’s, Top Ten hit
singles on the Billboard Charts, R& B Charts, Top of the Pop Charts, Reggae,
Jazz, Country and many other charts around the world.
He has been nominated three times for a Grammy Award and other Awards for
outstanding achievements. He has had numerous soundtracks such as ‘How Stella
got her Groove Back”, Scam, and House Party 2. He has worked with a wide range
of legendary artists, such as Roberta Flack, Lee Ritneour, Sly & Robbie, Lisa
Fisher, Soul II Soul, Shabba Ranks, Shaggy, Joe, Toni Rich, Monifah, Apache
Indian, Dennis Brown, Yuji Oda, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Glamour Kid, Degree (to
name just a few to have come from his stable).
Maxi Priest has featured in Talk shows such as David Letterman, Arsenio Hall,
Vibe, Morning Show, MTV, Bay Watch, BET, VH1, and has worked with producers and
directors such as Kevin Brae, Hype Williams, Todd Hollman, appearing at the
Wembly “Free Nelson Mandela” Concert. He has seven best- selling albums and has
released “Com-Bination”. He has been classified vocally with Frank Sinatra.
He is a pioneer like his legendary peers, the honorable Robert Nestor Marley AKA
Bob Marley, The Prince, Dennis Emanuel Brown (known as Dennis Brown), and Marvin
Gaye. He continues to speak the word in Reggae music in the national and
international world. His recordings and live performances showcase a marvellous
voice, impeccable songs sense, and the ability to tackle a wide range of
material. He has created a screaming pandemonium of excitement and has the
ability to thrill the hearts of any audience.
And that’s not even the end...
Some of the proceeds from the charity concert, which will be held on November
7, if it rains on November 6 will go towards the hurricane-ravished islands of
the Caribbean, including Grenada and Jamaica.
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