Gerald Levert

1966–2006

Singer, songwriter, producer

The son of one of the classic soul era's best-loved group leaders, Gerald Levert demonstrated the staying power of R&B vocal styles in an era when technologically driven musical genres such as hip-hop gradually gained ascendancy. His father was Eddie Levert, lead vocalist and organizer of the O'Jays, themselves an R&B act of unusual staying power. Levert came onto the music scene in the middle 1980s as part of the trio LeVert, and embarked on a solo career in 1991. The quality of his voice and talent as a songwriter and producer quickly established him among the "royalty" of the music industry.

Levert was born on July 13, 1966. Although his father and the rest of the O'Jays worked primarily in Philadelphia, Gerald and his siblings spent their formative years in Cleveland, Ohio. He and his brother Sean hooked up with a school friend, Marc Gordon, who sang and played keyboards. Growing up in a musical environment had its advantages. In addition to enjoying their father's encouragement, the Leverts and Gordon could perfect their music skills in the fully equipped studio that was part of the Levert household. Toward the end of their high school years the group, performing under the name LeVert, made appearances at Ohio nightclubs.

In the mid-1980s, the group landed a contract with the independent label Tempre. Despite the waning influence of small independent labels in the 1980s, LeVert's album I Get Hot and its lead single "I'm Still" gained regional popularity in the influential R&B market of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. As a result, the group came to the attention of Atlantic Records and was signed to that label. LeVert became an overnight success, hitting Number One on the R&B charts with the single "(Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes My Mind," from their Atlantic debut album, Bloodline. Observers of the music scene noticed that Levert's voice closely resembled his father's. The group, moreover, was clearly steeped in the classic soul harmonies of the O'Jays. However, the sophisticated production work on the LeVert albums gave them a contemporary style.

LeVert's second album, The Big Throwdown, was released in 1987 and sold more copies than Bloodline. The album's lead single, "Casanova," reached Number One on the R&B charts and crossed over to the pop charts. Several other singles from the album became hits, and LeVert earned even more mainstream exposure with the song "Addicted to You," from the soundtrack of the 1988 film Coming to America. "Addicted to You" also rose to Number One on the R&B charts. In 1988 LeVert released Just Coolin', which featured rapper Heavy D and included a groundbreaking R&B/hip-hop combination on its title track. They also released Rope-a-Dope Style in 1990 and For Real Tho'; in 1992. In 1997, the group released The Whole Scenario, an innovative work that included both rapping and classical orchestral instruments. Several of the LeVert albums sold 500,000 copies or more.

By the late 1980s, Levert began taking steps toward developing a solo career. Also, realizing that producers and writers were controlling the musical direction of R&B, he and Marc Gordon formed their own production company. This company, Trevel Productions, worked with such acts as Anita Baker, Men at Large, the O'Jays, and Miki Howard. The success of Trevel Productions solidified Levert's position at Atlantic and paved the way for his debut solo album, Private Line, in 1991.

Private Line was a resounding commercial success, reaching Number Two on the R&B charts. Four of the album's singles: "School Me," "Can You Handle It," "Baby Hold On To Me," and the title track were widely played on R&B radio stations in 1992. Levert, in collaboration with Tony Nicholas, wrote most of the music on the album. "Baby Hold On To Me" reached Number One on the R&B charts and featured a duet with Levert and his father, Eddie. The two also recorded an album, Father and Son, for the East West label and jointly established a national scholarship fund under the administration of 100 Black Men, a public-service organization of which Eddie Levert was an active member.

Levert appeared in the 1991 film New Jack City and continued with his own production work. In 1994, he released his second solo album Groove On. This album attempted to recreate the atmosphere of 1960s soul and included a full horn section on many of the tracks. Groove On also featured several soulful romantic ballads. The album's lead single, "I'd Give Anything," had originally been recorded as "She'd Give Anything (To Fall in Love)" by the country group Boy Howdy. "When his peers were speaking of relationships as an unnecessary evil," wrote Sonia Murray of the Atlanta Constitution, "Levert, in his big, palpable baritone, proclaimed 'I'd give anything and everything to fall in love.'" To that end, he nurtured a loveable, teddy bear-like personality and enjoyed the nickname G-bear.

By the late 1990s, Levert seemed firmly enshrined in the pantheon of classic rhythm-and-blues and soul performers. He had become an accomplished songwriter for others, as well as himself; he worked closely with Barry White on the 1994 hit "Practice What You Preach." He also collaborated as a vocalist with others. He teamed with vocalists Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill in 1997 to produce the album Levert Sweat Gill. The album included the hit "My Body," and sold more than 2 million copies. The success of the album led the trio to record another; LSG2 was released in 2003.

In the meantime, Levert maintained his solo career. In 1998, he released the solo album Love & Consequences. Like its predecessors, Love & Consequences was a commercial success and sold more than one million copies. In 1999, Levert toured with classic soul diva Patti LaBelle. He released an album each year thereafter: Gerald's World in 2001, The G Spot in 2002, and A Stroke of Genius in 2003. Romance remained a consistent theme in his music, and his soulful voice exuded his characteristic charm in each album.

But Levert changed his tune in 2004, releasing Do I Speak for the World, an album that included songs with overtly political and social themes in the mix of romantic ballads. Critics praised his efforts. "The musical mastery he learned from his father, Eddie Levert of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group the O'Jays, is evident in every song, no matter the subject," Janel Davis wrote in her review for the Memphis Flyer. The album did not mark a permanent change, however, as Voices—a duet album released in 2005—returned to Levert's romantic themes.

Levert kept up a busy schedule, writing and producing music for other artists, creating new work for himself, and touring with his father. He wrote a memoir with his father. He also worked on a reality television show in which he and a bevy of his female fans would attempt to lose weight together. The flurry of activity stopped short on November 10, 2006, when Levert succumbed to heart failure. With his death, "the music world lost one of its most passionate, powerful and potent voices," wrote Charles E. Rogers in the New York Amsterdam News.

At a Glance …

Born on July 13, 1966, in Philadelphia, PA; raised in Cleveland, OH; died on November 10, 2006, Newbury, OH; son of Eddie Levert, founder and lead vocalist of the O'Jays; children: four.

Career: Rhythm-and-blues vocalist, producer, and songwriter, 1980s–2006.

Awards: Five platinum albums with group LeVert; NAACP Image Award, 2004.

Selected discography

Albums, solo

Private Line, Atlantic, 1991.
Groove On, Atlantic, 1994.
Love & Consequences, East West, 1998.
G, East West, 1999.
Gerald's World, East West, 2001.
The G Spot, Elektra, 2002.
A Stroke of Genius, East West, 2003.

Do I Speak for the World, Atlantic, 2004.
Voices, Rhino/Atlantic, 2005.

Albums with Eddie Levert

Father and Son, East West, 1995.

Albums with LeVert

I Get Hot, Tempre, 1985.
Bloodline, Atlantic, 1986.
The Big Throwdown, Atlantic, 1987.
Just Coolin', Atlantic, 1988.
Rope-a-Dope, Atlantic, 1990.
For Real Tho', Atlantic, 1992.
The Whole Scenario, Atlantic, 1997.

Albums with LSG (Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill)

Levert Sweat Gill, East West, 1997.
LSG2, Elektra, 2003.

Books

(With Eddie Levert) I Got Your Back: Our Bond as Father and Son, Random House, 2007.

Sources

Books

Graff, Gary, Josh Freedom du Lac, and Jim McFarlin, MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide, Visible Ink, 1998.

Larkin, Colin, ed., The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Muze U.K., 1998.

Romanowski, Patricia, and Holly George-Warren, The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Fireside, 1995.

Periodicals

Billboard, August 6, 1994; p. 18; September 16, 1995, p. 11.

Jet, November 27, 2006, p. 60.

Los Angeles Times, November 11, 2006, p. B13.

Memphis Flyer, March 31-April 6, 2005, p. 33.

New York Amsterdam News, November 16-November 27, 2006, p. 6.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 11, 2006, p. B3.

Scripps Howard News Service (in Bergen County [N.J.] Record), April 2, 1999, p. 5.

Washington Post, November 11, 2006, p. B5.