A Tribute to Gerald Levert
Taking A Deeper Look At A Big Voice That First Hit in the 80s
From inheriting O'Jays gold to striking 80s platinum and going strong til his last breath with one of R&Bs most distinct voices ever, a big nod to Gerald Levert's career.
With his sudden fatal heart attack in November, Gerald Levert’s musical legacy recalled his contribution to carrying R&B through defining years in the 1980's. During that decade, as a member of the trio LeVert which he formed with his younger brother Sean, along with their childhood friend, Marc Gordon, the singer was influenced by the longer legacy of his father, Eddie Levert, of the legendary O’Jays and the sounds of the times which consisted of dissipating 70's funk mega groups, the growing influence of Hip-Hop, the 'lessinstruments and more production' formula from other smaller singing groups, trios, duos and solo artists.
While there is no room to list the contributions of male R&B singers in the 80's, there were unique contributions from specific acts, such as Cameo, who began in the 70's as a 13-piece outfit, but would receive international acclaim as a trio during the 80's; Motown devotees New Edition who carried the banner for harmony, moves and boy bands; and solo crooner Freddie Jackson to name but a few. The backdrop to this was big name acts such as Run DMC, Prince and Michael Jackson breaking through mainstream pop charts. R&B was an autonomous, vibrant industry in the 80s and LeVert, who would go on to release 4 albums during the decade was a significant part of that movement.
During the course of their musical career, LeVert became R&B household names, recording multiple chart toppers, be nominated for a Grammy and break through pop charts. By the time their number one single Cassanova dropped in 1987, LeVert’s efforts in creating a groundswell in the Cleveland music scene coupled with the lessons passed on from the O’Jays came full circle. Their last album from the decade, Just Cooling, stood out for its title track featuring rapper Heavy D in a rhyme guest spot that is an imprint for today’s R&B track.
On the heels of LeVert’s amazing success in the 80's, Gerald Levert left the group in 1990 to pursue a full time solo career which lasted right up until his death last month. During that time, he recorded with his father and in a nod to the 80's, hooked up with Keith Sweat and Johnnie Gill to form the R&B super group LSG.
We said goodbye to many musical geniuses this November; at the tender age of 40, Gerald Levert left us with a lifetime of memories.
