singer; songwriter; producer
Personal Information
Born on July 13, 1966, in Philadelphia, PA; raised in Cleveland, OH; son of Eddie Levert, founder and lead vocalist of the O'Jays.
Career
Rhythm-and-blues vocalist, producer, and songwriter. With brother Sean Levert and Marc Gordon, formed group LeVert, early 1980s; with LeVert released album I Get Hot on independent Tempre label, 1985; signed to Atlantic Records, 1985; with LeVert released Bloodline, first of a series of top-selling albums, 1986; began producing albums for other artists, late 1980s; launched solo career with album Private Line, 1991; recorded and performed with Eddie Levert, 1995; with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill, released Levert Sweat Gill, 1997; released Love & Consequences, 1998.
Life's Work
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. By the late 1990s he was still a leading album seller and concert headliner, and although he worked widely as a producer and was keenly aware of contemporary musical trends, in his own music he kept the focus where it had always been--on the vocals.
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.
Signed to Atlantic Label
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.
Launched Solo Career
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 in 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.'"
By the late 1990s, Levert seemed firmly enshrined in the pantheon of classic rhythm-and-blues and soul performers. He teamed with vocalists Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill in 1997 to produce the album Levert Sweat Gill. 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.
Awards
At least three gold albums with group LeVert ; gold and platinum albums for solo releases.
Works
Selected discography
- (with group 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.
- (solo albums)
- Private Line, Atlantic, 1991.
- Groove On, Atlantic, 1994.
- Love & Consequences, East West, 1998.
- (with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill)
- Levert Sweat Gill, East West, 1997.
- (with Eddie Levert)
- Father and Son, East West, 1995.
Further Reading
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.
- Billboard, August 6, 1994; p. 18; September 16, 1995, p. 11.
- Scripps Howard News Service (in Bergen County [N.J.] Record), April 2, 1999, p. 5.
— James M. Manheim
