LeVert was an American R&B vocal group from

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, United States. Formed in 1983, LeVert was composed of

Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...

and

Gerald Levert Gerald Edward Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an Americans, American singer-songwriter and producer. Levert was best known for singing with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon of the vocal group LeVert. Levert ...

(sons of

Eddie Levert Edward Willis Levert (born June 16, 1942) is an American singer, best known as the lead vocalist of The O'Jays. He is the father of Gerald Levert (1966–2006) and Sean Levert (1968–2008) Biography Levert was born in Bessemer, Alabama, but ...

, founder and lead singer of R&B/

Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

vocal group

O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hi ...

) and Marc Gordon.Wells, Chris (1986) "It's in the Blood", ''Echoes'', 8 November 1986, p. 5

Biography

The group released their first single, "

I'm Still "I'm Still" is a song performed by American contemporary R&B group LeVert. The song is the opening track from the group's debut album ''I Get Hot'' and was issued as the album's first single. The song was produced by lead singer Gerald Levert, and ...

", for Harry Coombes's Tempre label. In 1985, they released their debut album, ''

I Get Hot ''I Get Hot'' is the debut studio album from the American contemporary R&B group LeVert, released in via independent imprint Tempre Records. The album did not chart in the United States; however, the lead single, "I'm Still", peaked at #70 on t ...

'', which included tracks whose vocals drew strong comparisons to Sean and Gerald Levert's father Eddie. ''

Bloodline Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic inform ...

'' followed in 1986, and this album included the band's first big R&B hit "

(Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes My Mind ''Bloodline'' is the second album by the R&B group LeVert, released in 1986. It was their first album for Atlantic Records. The album reached number eight on the Billboard R&B Albums chart. Critical reception The ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote tha ...

", a track that went all the way to Number One. However, the band's next album, 1987's ''

The Big Throwdown ''The Big Throwdown'' is the third album by Cleveland, Ohio-based R&B group LeVert. Reception Released in 1987, led by the number one R&B and top five Pop single, "Casanova", this album would go ahead and chart at number three on the Billbo ...

'' became an even bigger success, on the strength of the Number One R&B hit "

Casanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (, ; 2 April 1725 – 4 June 1798) was an Italian adventurer and author from the Republic of Venice. His autobiography, (''Story of My Life''), is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of information about the c ...

", which gave them a crossover hit on the

pop chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...

(number 5) and also a UK Top 10. A pair of additional R&B Top Five singles were also released from this album: "My Forever Love" and "Sweet Sensation". The band's success continued with their 1988 follow-up album '' Just Coolin''', which was nominated for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album for the

1989 Soul Train Music Awards The 1989 Soul Train Music Awards was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California and aired live in select cities on April 13, 1989 (and was later syndicated in other areas), honoring the best in R&B, soul, rap, jazz, and gospel music f ...

. Both ''The Big Throwdown'' and ''Just Coolin received

gold certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. Beginning in the 1990s, Gerald began dividing his time between LeVert, and his solo career, but the band went on to release three more albums, and

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

released a greatest hits album in 2001. Gerald died of a heart attack due to an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in November 2006. Sean Levert died in March 2008, while serving time in the

Cuyahoga County Cuyahoga County ( or ) is a large urban County (United States), county located in the Northeast Ohio, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the Canada–United States border, U.S.- ...

Jail, for failing to pay

child support Child support (or child maintenance) is an ongoing, periodic payment made by a parent for the financial benefit of a child (or parent, caregiver, guardian) following the end of a marriage or other similar relationship. Child maintenance is paid d ...

Discography

;Studio albums * ''

'' (1985) * ''

'' (1986) * ''

'' (1987) * '' Just Coolin''' (1988) * ''

Rope a Dope Style ''Rope a Dope Style'' is the fifth studio album by American contemporary R&B group LeVert, released , via Atlantic Records. The album was produced by group members Gerald Levert and Marc Gordon; and it peaked at #122 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Fo ...

'' (1990) * ''

For Real Tho' ''For Real Tho is the sixth studio album by the American contemporary R&B group LeVert, released in 1993 via Atlantic Records. It peaked at #35 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and #5 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. Three singles were released from ...

'' (1993) * '' The Whole Scenario'' (1997)

References

External links

*
LeVert II 2011 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com
{{Authority control American contemporary R&B musical groups New jack swing music groups African-American musical groups Musical groups from Cleveland Atlantic Records artists Rhino Records artists