by Howard Campbell
SOUTH FLORIDA – Maxi Priest was on top of his game in 1991 when he got a call at his London home from R&B legend Roberta Flack. Within weeks, they were recording Set The Night to Music, which became a massive seller that year.
One year earlier, Maxi Priest had hit number one on the Billboard Album chart with Bonafide, which yielded the hit single, Close to You. A hit with Flack — who died on February 24 in New York City — was the icing on the cake.
“As for whose idea the collaboration was, I truly don’t know. Maybe someone told me at some point, but honestly, what stays with me is that moment — the fact that Roberta Flack called my home phone. That is the clearest memory of how it all started, and it will forever live with me, especially between me, my sister Rose, and Roberta,” the British singer told South Florida Caribbean News.
Written by Dianne Warren, Set The Night to Music was originally recorded by American rock band Starship. Like that cut, the Roberta Flack/Maxi Priest version went into the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number six.
Flack, who was 88, had been ailing for some time. In 2022, she was diagnosed with ALS which forced her to retire from performing.
A graduate of Howard University, Flack was a formally-trained vocalist. She had a number of hit songs. Including Killing Me Softly With His Song, and The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Plus, Feel Like Making Love, and The Closer I Get to You (with Donny Hathaway).
The North Carolina-born artist had close ties to Jamaica, visiting the country frequently during the 1970s. She was close friends with Bob Marley and Kapo, a spiritual leader.
“Roberta always spoke about her love for Jamaica, the music, the culture, the food, and the fact that she knew a lot of people from there. Of course, I loved the fact that she had such strong connections to Jamaica. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I got to do the collaboration with her—in which case, I’m so thankful for it,” said Maxi Priest, who was born in the United Kingdom to Jamaican parents.
