PRIEST... I've always done combinations, I've always been about representing good music

This is de doctah! /Maxi Priest and Shabba!

Those lines, and the underlying backbeat, seemed inescapable just about a decade ago when then fast-rising DJ Shabba Ranks teamed up with Maxi Priest for the chart-topping Housecall. The single, one of several high-profile pairings for the DJ at the time, also established Priest as a viable partner in dancehall's first big run at the North American market.

Prior to that, Priest had scored solo hits with Close To You and Cat Stevens' Wild World among others. Shabba only figures sporadically at present, but London-born Priest has hung around, though not without difficulties. After a long absence, he re-emerged at the Air Jamaica jazz and blues Festival in January, as an impromptu guest of show-stopper Beres Hammond.

Another show-stopper at that event was country-and-western king Kenny Rogers, and it is Rogers' return to Jamaica, for a one-night only show in Kingston on November 4, that will also bring Priest (as well as Ernie Smith) back before Jamaican audiences. The show presented by Turnkey Productions in collaboration with Tent City and What's On Jamaica.com, takes place on the grounds of King's House.

As one would expect, Priest is keyed up, not only about appearing before Jamaican fans, but at the opportunity to share a bill with country-and-western's greatest international exponent.

PRIEST... I love Kenny Rogers, grew up with his music in my home as I'm sure almost every Jamaican did

"I think me and Kenny could even do a song together," he suggests, and indeed, given his track record, the notion is not at all far-fetched.

Speaking by telephone from a studio in England where he is laying tracks for his next album, Priest reminds that he's used to pairings with the biggest and brightest stars of the music world, regardless of the genre, and in fact sees the show's blend of reggae and country music as a perfect match for him.

"Man, I've always done combinations, I've always been about representing good music and being open to different ideas and influences from different cultures. It's not so different from what Bob [Marley] and Peter [Tosh] and them guys did."

"I love Kenny Rogers, grew up with his music in my home as I'm sure almost every Jamaican did" he continues, "and I definitely say 'nuff respect' to him, but also for me as an artiste, I really view this as a natural progression at this stage of my career."

Ironically, his career began much closer to the dancehalls. Initially a carpenter by trade, Priest spent his formative years crafting speaker boxes for legendary UK system Saxon. A more hands-on involvement would come later when he was credited as a co-producer on DJ Jah Levi's 1980s smash, Mi God, Mi King.

Priest then went on to form his own band, Caution, and gradually ascended the ladder of his solo career.

His collaborative hits also include the number one ballad, Set The Night To Music with Roberta Flack and working alongside jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour, on a breezy cover of Marley's classic torch song Waiting In Vain.

The crooner is fresh from Brazil, where he worked alongside the likes of Gilberto and other major stars from that country. Previous tour appearances have seen him hook up with Anita Baker, guitar legend Carlos Santana (who has himself developed a knack for winning combinations) and portly vocalist Phil Perry.

Looking on at dancehall's "Second Wave" via Sean Paul,
Wayne Wonder, Shaggy et al, Priest is very heartened about his own role as trailblazer.

"I feel good that those guys can step up and have success, and thus keep new ideas flowing into the music. Bob and the other fore-runners did unforgettable and vital stuff, but the music can't be allowed to stagnate, that's not the approach they took and it's certainly not the approach I come to the music with."

Still, he maintains, the offerings from his upcoming album (early next year is the only release date we'll get at the moment) are a progression form his previous work, building on the mid-tempo lover's rock vein that he has successfully mined since the late 1980s. It's that same mix that fans will be expecting when he takes the stage come next week.

"There's always an unbeatable vibe about performing in Jamaica, and I know this time will be no different. I'm feeling better than I've felt in a long time. I'm renewed and ready to go out there and have a great time just sharing who I am with the people."

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