Lewisham-born reggae icon Maxi Priest has to be one of the UK's most successful reggae artists. His chart-ready sound comes directly from the tandem influences that raised him. 

On the one hand there were Jamaican greats like Dennis Brown, John Holt, and Gregory Isaacs, and on the other, UK and US pop like Marvin Gaye, Al Green, and The Beatles. That mix of UK and US pop and soul with Jamaican reggae was directly responsible for the R&B-infused sound that would often be called "reggae fusion".

Whatever you want to call his style, it quickly found popularity in the '80s and '90s, bringing reggae to an even wider audience than before. Here he is on iconic music show Soul Train in 1990 performing "Close To You", one of only two reggae songs to earn an American Billboard number one (the other being UB40).