The reggae singer Max Romeo, who was 80 years old, passed away on Friday, April 11. His official Facebook page announced his death on Saturday, April 12. “We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and tributes and kindly ask for privacy at this time.” Romeo’s lawyer, Errol Michael Henry, called the news “quite shocking.” “He was a perfect gentleman, and a gentle soul. He had great love for his family, and he was a legend in his own right. You couldn’t meet a nicer person – which makes the loss more difficult.” Romeo had a heart condition, according to The Guardian.
According to Billboard, the reggae artist Maxwell Livingston Smith was born on November 22, 1944, in Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica. Before going solo in the late 1960s, Romeo was a member of a band named The Emotions.
His first major success as a solo artist was the controversial song “Wet Dream” from 1969, which made it into the British top 10 but was banned by BBC radio stations.
After then, his songs became more politicized. According to Rolling Stone, the song “Let the Power Fall on I” from 1971 served as the campaign anthem for future prime minister Michael Manley. The next year, Manley would be elected.
Romeo relocated to New York in 1977. He worked with The Rolling Stones when he was there. In 1980, Romeo was featured on the Emotional Rescue song “Dance (Pt. 1).” Keith Richards would later play guitar on Romeo’s Holding Out My Love to You album, released in 1981. After a while, Romeo went back to Jamaica and carried on making music recordings.
Romeo’s CD War Ina Babylon, which was essential to the roots reggae period, is perhaps his most well-known work. The Prodigy, Cage the Elephant, and Jay-Z have all sampled “Chase the Devil,” one of his best-known tracks.
According to him, the devil in the 1976 song represents the “negative within your psyche, just like God is the positive within your psyche,” as he said to the BBC in 2011. Simply said, “chasing the devil” means “letting the positive take control of your thoughts and chasing the negative out of your mind.”
At the age of 70, Romeo said in a 2014 interview with Jamaica Observer, “I would be happy if I reached 90, but my goal is to reach 100.” Words From the Brave, Romeo’s last studio album, was released in 2019.
Romeo’s performance with his kids, Xana and Azizzi, during the Wickie Wackie Music Fest in Bull Bay, Jamaica, was one of the last Instagram pictures on the musician’s official profile.