Reggae Icons Bunny Wailer and Maxi Priest Set for St. Kitts Music Festival

Bunny Wailer

BASSETERRE (12th April, 2011): Two of the most successful reggae solo artists in the world, Bunny Wailer and Maxi Priest will be performing live in this year’s 15th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival, which takes place from the 23rd to the 25th of June, 2011.

Bunny Wailer, who is also known as Bunny Livingston and affectionately as Jah B, was an original member of the iconic reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, who defined reggae music as a genre and brought it to audiences all over the world.

Bunny Wailer is widely regarded as a musical legend and is considered one of the longtime standard bearers of reggae music. He has been named by Newsweek as one of the three most important musicians in world music.

Maxi Priest, whose best hits include “Close to You” and “Wild World” is widely loved for singing reggae music with a R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion, and became one of the first international successes who regularly dabbled in the genre as well as being one of the most successful reggae fusion acts of all-time.

Maxi Priest

Maxi, who is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent, is also known for a duet with Roberta Flack, “Set the Night to Music”, which reached the American Top Ten in 1991. His duet with Shaggy in 1996, “That Girl”, was also a hit in the United States, peaking at number twenty.

Maxi is one of only two British reggae acts to have an American Billboard number one: “Close to You” in 1990, and other British reggae act is Ali Campbell’s UB40, who will also be performing at this year’s St. Kitts Music Festival.

Ali Campbell’s UB40 has sold more than 60 million records worldwide, toured across the globe, cinched four number one singles, released 24 studio albums and received an Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement. A whole generation has grown up listening to his infectious voice on classic tracks such as “Red, Red Wine,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Kingston Town,” and “The Way You Do the Things You Do.”

Now in its 15th consecutive year, the festival attracts both locals and visitors alike. It features various musical styles on the popular market, including R&B, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Soca, Calypso, Gospel and Contemporary music. Past artists have included such prominent acts as John Legend, T-Pain, Michael Bolton, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Wyclef Jean, Ne-Yo, Air Supply, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Dionne Warwick, Billy Ocean, Sean Paul, Boyz II Men, King Konris, Stephen Marley, Regina Belle, Maxi Priest, Biggie Irie and Lord Nelson.