Max Romeo (born Maxwell Livingston Smith, 22 November 1944, Alexandria, St. Ann's, Jamaica), is a reggae recording artist who has achieved chart success in his home country, and in the UK. Career He left home at the age of 14 and worked on a sugar plantation, cleaning out irrigation ditches, before winning a local talent competition when he was 18; prompting a move to the capital, Kingston, in order to achieve a successful musical career. In 1966, he had his first hit, as part of the group The Emotions, with the Ken Lack produced, "(Buy You) A Rainbow". The Emotions, which was also made up of Kenneth Knight and Lloyd Shakespeare, went on to have several hit singles and by 1968, the singer, by this point known as Max Romeo, felt confident enough to launch a solo career. Working with producer Bunny Lee, the young star recorded a number of pop songs, mainly love ballads, but they failed to be popular and so he returned to The Emotions.