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Gerald Levert

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Gerald Levert

Gerald Levert (July 13 1966 - November 10 2006) was an American R&B singer, one of several from the musical Levert family. His father, Eddie Levert, is the lead singer of the 1970s soul group The O'Jays. Gerald Levert sang with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon in the R&B trio LeVert. He was also a part of LSG, an R&B musical group comprising Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and Levert.

Career

Levert was born to The O'Jays frontman Eddie Levert and his wife Martha in Canton, Ohio on July 13, 1966. Levert grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio and due to his father's career, Levert was exposed to music from a young age and would travel with the band regularly. While in high school, Levert's inclination towards music became apparent when he formed the R&B trio LeVert with his younger brother Sean and friend Marc Gordon in 1984. The group proved to be very successful with four of its seven albums going platinum. These include I Get Hot in 1985, Bloodline in 1986, The Big Throwdown in 1987 and Just Coolin' in 1988. Among the group's memorable hits were "(Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes My Mind", "Casanova", and "ABC-123" (not to be confused with the Jackson 5 hit of the same name).

Solo career

Levert went solo with Private Line (1991) which went to number one on the R&B charts. In 1992, Gerald and his father, Eddie Levert, hit number one on the R&B charts with the single, "Baby Hold On to Me".

He wrote and produced songs for other artists, such as Barry White, Stephanie Mills, Teddy Pendergrass, James Ingram, The Winans and The O'Jays. He also helped launch the careers of two Cleveland-area R&B ensembles who were popular in the early and mid 1990s: The Rude Boyz and Men at Large.

Levert sang the chorus on the Chris Rock spoken-word comedy piece, No Sex (In the Champagne Room) (1999).

Yet another of Levert's collaborations was with the supergroup LSG, comprised of himself, Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill, with whom he produced the 1997 album Levert Sweat Gill and the 2003 album, LSG2. LSG recorded such hits as "My Body" and "Door #1". Levert recorded a string of albums throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, that spawned hits like "Thinkin' About It", "Funny", "Mr. Too Damn Good to You", "U Got That Love", and a remake of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly", along with gospel singer Yolanda Adams.

He can also be seen and heard giving terrific performances of the hits "Reach Out I'll Be There" and "Shotgun" in the 2002 concert-movie Standing In The Shadows of Motown.

One of Levert's last collaborations was with pianist Jim Brickman on the song 'My Angel' for Brickman's 2006 album entitled 'Escape'.

In his final days, the singer was working on a reality TV show that put him on a weight loss program alongside 12 of his female fans. Though he was never married, Levert had three children [1], one of whom, Carlysia, appeared with him in an MTV show, My Super Sweet 16. The singer's tenth album was Voices released in 2005.

Shortly before his passing, Gerald completed his last album entitled In My Songs, which was released February 13, 2007, on Atlantic Records.[1]

A book entitled I Got Your Back, co-written with Eddie Levert and Lyah LaFlore was also finished. I Got Your Back was originally intended to tie in to a new LeVert album of the same name.[1] Levert had also completed a documentery with Eddie about the legendary group that inspired him, The O'Jays. He was set to do a reality show where he and ten female fans would diet together. The fan who lost the most weight would be the female lead in his next video. He also had completed work on a debut album for his daughter.

Death

His label, Atlantic Records, confirmed that Levert died at his home on November 10, 2006 at the age of 40 and issued the following statement:

"All of us at Atlantic are shocked and deeply saddened by his untimely death. He was one of the greatest voices of our time, who sang with unmatched soulfulness and power, as well as a tremendously gifted composer and an accomplished producer," the label said in a statement.

Dan Bomeli, public relations manager at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center in suburban Cleveland, said Levert had been brought to the hospital. Bomeli said Levert had died but he had no further details.

Levert's family released a statement asking for privacy: "As everybody knows, Gerald was a man who lived and breathed music. To his family and friends he was a man of strong character, who had an infectious personality and a zest for life. For his fans, his greatest love was touching the hearts and souls of all people through his music. At this very difficult time, we thank you for your prayers and hope you will understand our need for privacy," the statement read.

Patti LaBelle, who had worked and recorded with Levert, said he "was like a son" to her. "He was such a great entertainer. It's not for real to me that he is gone ... Nobody was prepared for this." LaBelle added that she hopes to sing at Levert's funeral.

"It's very sad. He was an amazing talent, obviously", friend and fellow R&B singer, Will Downing, said. "Gerald was a hard worker. He would go out there and do his thing, and be in places where the folks were. He would touch the people, and that's really what it's all about."

"When we would do shows together, we would get on stage and battle for the hearts of women. Every night, that was our thing," Downing said.

Levert was found dead of what was thought to be an apparent heart attack. In Feb 2007, a coroner revealed that Levert's death was ruled an accident caused by a fatal combination of prescription narcotics and over-the-counter drugs. The drugs in his bloodstream included the narcotic pain relievers Vicodin, Percocet and Darvocet, along with anxiety medication Xanax and two over-the-counter antihistamines, Geauga County Coroner Kevin Chartrand said. The official cause of death was acute intoxication, and the death was ruled accidental. Chartrand said his office received a report Thursday from the Cuyahoga County coroner's office, which conducted the autopsy. Andy Gibson, a family spokesman, said Levert was taking the pain medication because of chronic pain from a lingering shoulder problem and surgery in 2005 to repair a severed Achilles tendon. The autopsy revealed that Levert had pneumonia. Levert also took Xanax for anxiety attacks, Gibson said. Levert, who was never married, had three children, Lemicah, Carlysia and Camryn.

The City of Cleveland announced that they will be renaming a street to Gerald Levert Lane in Levert's honor.

Posthumous Grammy Award nomination

On December 7, 2006, it was announced that Levert, along with soul legend Chaka Khan, gospel singer Yolanda Adams, and R&B crooner Carl Thomas were nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo Or Group With Vocals for their collaboration on "Everyday (Family Reunion)", a song from the soundtrack of Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion. [2]

Discography

Solo Albums

  • 1991 Private Line (#1 R&B, #48 Pop)
  • 1995 Groove On (#2 R&B, #18 Pop)
  • 1995 Father & Son (#2, R&B, #20 Pop)
  • 1998 Love & Consequences (#2 R&B, #17 Pop)
  • 1999 G (#2 R&B, #8 Pop)
  • 2001 Gerald's World (#2 R&B, #6 Pop)
  • 2002 The G Spot (#2 R&B, #9 Pop)
  • 2003 A Stroke of Genius (#1 R&B, #6 Pop)
  • 2004 Do I Speak for the World (#7 R&B, #29 Pop)
  • 2005 Voices (#27 R&B, #115 Pop)
  • 2007 In My Songs (releasing February 13, 2007)

Albums (Levert)

  • 1985 I Get Hot
  • 1986 Bloodline (#8 R&B, #192 Pop)
  • 1987 The Big Throwdown (#3 R&B, #32 Pop)
  • 1988 Just Coolin' (#6 R&B, #79 Pop)
  • 1990 Rope A Dope Style (#9 R&B, #122 Pop)
  • 1993 For Real Tho' (#5 R&B, #35 Pop)
  • 1997 The Whole Scenario (#10 R&B, #49 Pop)

Albums (LSG)

  • 1997 Levert.Sweat.Gill (#2 R&B, #4 Pop)
  • 2003 LSG2 (#3 R&B, #6 Pop)

Albums (Gerald & Eddie Levert)

  • 1995 Father & Son

Top R&B Singles

  • 1986 Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop (Goes My Mind) (#1 R&B) (Levert)
  • 1987 Casanova (#1 R&B, #5 Pop) (Levert)
  • 1987 My Forever Love (#2 R&B) (Levert)
  • 1988 Sweet Sensation (#4 R&B) (Levert)
  • 1988 That's What Love Is (#4 R&B) (with Miki Howard)
  • 1988 Addicted to You (#1 R&B) (Levert)
  • 1988 Pull Over (#2 R&B) (Levert)
  • 1989 Just Coolin' (#1 R&B) (Levert with Heavy D)
  • 1989 Gotta Get The Money (#4 R&B) (Levert)
  • 1990 Rope A Dope Style (#7 R&B) (Levert)
  • 1990 All Season (#4 R&B) (Levert)
  • 1991 Baby I'm Ready (#1 R&B) (Levert)
  • 1991 Private Line (#1 R&B)
  • 1992 Baby Hold On To Me (#1 R&B, #37 Pop) (with Eddie Levert)
  • 1992 School Me (#3 Pop)
  • 1992 Can You Handle It (#9 R&B)
  • 1993 abc-123 (#5 R&B) (Levert)
  • 1994 I'd Give Anything (#4 R&B, #28 Pop)
  • 1995 Answering Service (#12 R&B)
  • 1995 Can't Help Myself (#17 R&B)
  • 1995 How Many Times (#55 R&B)
  • 1995 Already Missing You (#7 R&B, #75 Pop) (with Eddie Levert)
  • 1996 Wind Beneath My Wings (#30 R&B) (with Eddie Levert)
  • 1997 My Body (#1 R&B, #4 Pop) (LSG)
  • 1998 Thinkin' Bout It (#2 R&B, #12 Pop)
  • 1999 Taking Everything (#3 R&B, #11 Pop)
  • 1999 Nothin' to Somethin' (#55 R&B)
  • 2000 Baby U Are (#31 R&B, #89 Pop)
  • 2000 Mr. Too Damn Good (#20 R&B, #76 Pop)
  • 2000 Dream With No Love (#84 R&B)
  • 2001 Made To Love Ya (#37 R&B)
  • 2002 Funny (#37 R&B)
  • 2002 What Makes It Good To You (No Premature Lovin') (#66 R&B)
  • 2003 Closure (#57 R&B)
  • 2004 One Million Times (#56 R&B)
  • 2004 U Got That Love (Call It A Night) (#30 R&B)
  • 2004 Wear It Out (#58 R&B)
  • 2005 So What (If You Got A Baby) (#49 R&B)
  • 2007 In My Songs (#67 R&B)



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  1. ^ a b Cohen, Jonathan (December 22, 2006). "Posthumous Levert Album Due In February". Billboard.com.
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