Gerald Levert | |
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 Levert in 1988 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Born | Gerald Edward Levert[2] (1966-07-13)July 13, 1966 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | November 10, 2006(2006-11-10) (aged 40) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1983–2006 |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
Gerald Edward Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was anAmericansinger-songwriter andproducer. Levert performed with his brother,Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon with the R&B vocal group,LeVert. Levert was also a member ofLSG, asupergroup comprisingKeith Sweat,Johnny Gill, and himself. Levert was the son ofEddie Levert, lead singer of theR&B/soul vocal groupthe O'Jays. He released nine solo albums, six as a member of LeVert, two with his father, and two as a member of LSG. Levert was also credited with the discovery of R&B groupsthe Rude Boys,Men at Large, and1 of the Girls.
Levert was born on July 13, 1966, in Canton, Ohio, to the frontman ofthe O'Jays,Eddie Levert,[2] and his wife Martha. He grew up inShaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb ofCleveland.
Levert often joined his father and his band on the road for their various performances. While in high school, Levert's inclination towards music became apparent when he formed the trioLeVert, with his younger brotherSean Levert (September 28, 1968 – March 30, 2008) and friend Marc Gordon in 1983.
Four ofLeVert's seven albums wentgold.
Levert's first solo album,Private Line, debuted in 1991 and topped the R&B charts. The following year, Gerald and his father, Eddie Levert, topped the R&B charts again with the single, "Baby Hold On to Me". Levert recorded a string of albums throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, that contained the hit singles, "Thinkin' About It" (No. 12 Pop) which was released June 23, 1998, "Taking Everything" (No. 11 Pop),[3] "Funny", "Mr. Too Damn Good to You", "U Got That Love", and a remake ofR. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly", along with gospel singerYolanda Adams. Levert also sang lead vocals in two songs on the 2002 film documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" - the story of theFunk Brothers. Levert performed "Shotgun" and "Reach Out I'll Be There". Levert released his tenth album,Voices, in 2005.
Levert wrote and produced songs for other artists such asPatti LaBelle,Barry White,Stephanie Mills,Anita Baker,Eugene Wilde,Teddy Pendergrass,James Ingram,Freddie Jackson,Chuckii Booker,the Rude Boys,New Edition,Men at Large, The O'Jays,Keith Washington and1 of the Girls. In 1994, Levert appeared in the groupBlack Men United for the hit single "U Will Know" for theJason's Lyricsoundtrack; other members of the group includedKeith Sweat,Christopher Williams and Levert's former mentorJoe Little of theRude Boys. In 1997, Levert teamed up again with fellow singersKeith Sweat andJohnny Gill, to form thesupergroup,LSG.[4] The trio released the albumLevert.Sweat.Gill the same year, selling over two million copies;[4] it was followed byLSG2 in 2003.
In 1999, Levert sang the chorus on theChris Rock spoken-word comedy piece, "No Sex (In the Champagne Room)". Levert performed a duet withTeena Marie on the latter's 2004 albumLa Doña. Levert's last collaborations includedJim Brickman on the song "My Angel", for Brickman's 2006 album entitledEscape and on the song "Real S***" from rapperStyles P's album,Time Is Money. Levert was posthumously featured again on former groupmatesKeith Sweat's "Knew It All Along" andJohnny Gill from the singer'sTil the Morning album, which was released two days before Levert's fifth anniversary of his death. Levert was also posthumously featured on Keith Sweat's track "Let's Go to Bed" from his 2016 studio albumDress to Impress.
Levert began his acting career as Charles Young, his first appearance onThe Jamie Foxx Show for 2 episodes with "Just Don't Do It", that aired on November 5, 1998, and Jamie disapproves of his mother (Jo Marie Payton) because she decided to marry him in the episode. In January 2001, Gerald appears again in the series finale "Always and Forever" when Jamie (Jamie Foxx) and Fancy (Garcelle Beauvais) got married and sang the opening ceremony at the wedding and joined by fellow singersGladys Knight andMarilyn McCoo (without her husbandBilly Davis Jr.). On November 10, 2003 (exactly three years prior to his death), Levert's final acting role that aired during his lifetime was when he appeared in an episode ofThe Parkers, He played T's father in the episode and comes for a visit to start a new bandwith T.
On November 10, 2006, Levert was found dead in his bed at his home inCleveland, Ohio, at age 40[5] Initial reports stated that Levert had died of an apparentheart attack,[6] but theautopsy report conducted by theCuyahoga County coroner's office concluded that Levert's death was caused by a fatal combination of prescriptionnarcotics andover-the-counter drugs. The drugs in his bloodstream included the narcotic pain relieversVicodin,Percocet, andDarvocet, the anxiety medicationXanax, and two over-the-counterantihistamines. The autopsy also revealed that Levert hadpneumonia. The official cause of death was acute intoxication, and the death was ruled accidental.[7] Following disclosure of Levert's cause of death, a family spokesman stated that all the drugs found in Levert's bloodstream were prescribed to the singer. Levert was taking the pain medication because of chronic pain from a lingering shoulder problem and surgery in 2005 to repair a severedAchilles tendon.[7]
Levert dated singer Miki Howard from 1985 to 1989.[citation needed] In 2003, Levert had a relationship with singerKandi Burruss.[8] Levert had three children: LeMicah, Camryn, and Carlysia.[9]Carlysia, an aspiring singer, appeared on theMTV seriesMy Super Sweet 16, with her father in 2005. His father is the third cousin ofCleveland Cavaliers basketball playerCaris LeVert.[10]
Shortly before his death, Levert completed work on what would be his final album,In My Songs. The album was released on February 13, 2007.[11] In June 2007, a book Gerald was working to complete entitled,I Got Your Back: A Father and Son Keep it Real About Love, Fatherhood, Family, and Friendship, was released. The book was initially planned as a tie-in for a Levert album of the same name.I Got Your Back explores Gerald and Eddie's father/son relationship, the necessity of male bonding, and the importance of repairing fractured families.[12] Levert was also working on areality show in which he was losing weight along with 12 of his female fans, who were training with him at his palatial home.[13]
On December 7, 2006, it was announced that Levert, along withChaka Khan,Yolanda Adams andCarl Thomas were nominated for aGrammy in the category of BestR&B Performance by a Duo Or Group With Vocals for their collaboration on "Everyday (Family Reunion)", a song from the soundtrack ofTyler Perry'sMadea's Family Reunion.[14] He was nominated again for the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for his single, "In My Songs". At the 50th annualGrammy Awards, it was announced that Levert had won the award for "In My Songs". Levert's brother and former foundingLeVert memberSean Levert accepted on his late brother's behalf.On August 17, 2013, in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, Gerald Levert was inducted into the 2013 class of theRhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame along with the O'Jays.
| Title | Album details | Peak positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] | US R&B [3] | ||||
| Private Line |
| 48 | 1 |
| |
| Groove On |
| 18 | 2 |
| |
| Father and Son (withEddie Levert) |
| 20 | 2 |
| |
| Love & Consequences |
| 17 | 2 |
| |
| G |
| 8 | 2 |
| |
| Gerald's World |
| 6 | 2 | ||
| The G Spot |
| 9 | 2 | ||
| Stroke of Genius |
| 6 | 1 | ||
| Do I Speak for the World |
| 29 | 7 | ||
| In My Songs |
| 2 | 1 | ||
| Something to Talk About (with Eddie Levert) |
| 19 | 5 | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||
| Title | Album details | Peak positions | Certifications | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] | US R&B [3] | ||||
| The Best of Gerald Levert |
| 162 | 12 | ||
| An Introduction to: Gerald Levert |
| — | — | ||
| Made to Love Ya |
| — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop [3] | US R&B [3] | UK [15] | |||
| 1988 | "That's What Love Is" (withMiki Howard) | ― | 4 | ― | |
| 1990 | "Just One of Them Things" (withKeith Sweat) | ― | ― | ― | |
| 1991 | "Private Line" | ― | 1 | ― | |
| 1992 | "Baby Hold On to Me" (withEddie Levert) | 37 | 1 | ― | |
| "School Me" | ― | 3 | ― | ||
| "Can You Handle It" | ― | 9 | ― | ||
| 1994 | "I'd Give Anything" | 28 | 4 | ― | |
| 1995 | "Already Missing You" (with Eddie Levert) | 75 | 7 | ― | |
| "Answering Service" | ― | 12 | ― | ||
| "Can't Help Myself" | 98 | 15 | ― | ||
| "How Many Times" | ― | 55 | ― | ||
| 1996 | "Wind Beneath My Wings" (with Eddie Levert) | ― | 30 | ― | |
| 1998 | "Thinkin' Bout It" | 12 | 2 | 77 | |
| "Taking Everything" | 11 | 3 | ― | ||
| 1999 | "Breakin' My Heart" (featuringSean Levert) | ― | 5 | ― | |
| "Nothin' to Somethin" | ― | 55 | ― | ||
| 2000 | "Baby U Are" | 89 | 31 | ― | |
| "Mr. Too Damn Good" | 76 | 20 | ― | ||
| "Dream With No Love" | ― | 84 | ― | ||
| 2001 | "Made to Love Ya" | ― | 37 | ― | |
| "Make My Day" (featuringJoe Little III &Sean Levert) | ― | 89 | ― | ||
| 2002 | "What Makes It Good to You (No Premature Lovin')" | ― | 66 | ― | |
| "Too Much Room" (featuringMystikal) | ― | 67 | ― | ||
| "Funny" | ― | 37 | ― | ||
| 2003 | "Closure" | ― | 57 | ― | |
| "Wear It Out" | ― | 58 | ― | ||
| 2004 | "A Rose by Any Other Name" (withTeena Marie) | ― | 53 | ― | |
| "U Got That Love (Call It a Night)" | ― | 30 | ― | ||
| "One Million Times" | ― | 56 | ― | ||
| 2005 | "So What (If You Got a Baby)" | ― | 49 | ― | |
| 2007 | "In My Songs" | ― | 52 | ― | |
| "DJ Don't" | ― | 31 | ― | ||
| 2010 | "Can It Stay" | ― | 25 | ― | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | |||||
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