Adamu's shared items

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Tumultuous lives of R&B singers

Listening to the Quiet Storm station on Yahoo LaunchCast, I came across a new group named LeVert, singing "All Seasons" a 1990 slow jam with all the trappings of that era that are now getting lampooned by the likes of SNL's Andy Samberg - my favorites are the clicking synth bells and emotional sax solos that, with a little tweaking, could be reused as a variation on the Perfect Strangers theme song.

Anyway, belying the smooth crooning about romantic evenings and eternal love, LeVert's history isn't nearly so idyllic:

The band's success continued with their 1988 follow-up album Just Coolin'. Both The Big Throwdown and Just Coolin' received gold certification.

Beginning in the 1990s, Gerald began dividing his time between LeVert, and his solo career, but the band released three more albums, and Rhino Records released a greatest hits compilation album in 2001.

Gerald died due to an accidental overdose of over-the-counter and prescription drugs in November 2006.[1],[2] He had been planning a reunion at the time of his death.[citation needed]

The group's reunion plans were still alive, as the group replaced Gerald with Dwight Thompson, a fellow Cleveland native who was a member of R&B group The Rude Boys, which Levert discovered. Before the group started recording their new album Levert Dedication, Dwight Thompson left the group to return to the Rude Boys replacing Larry Marcus as their fourth member. Levert then brought in fellow Cleveland native Blaq Rose[3]

Sean Levert died at 39 following his brother's death on March 31, 2008, while serving jail time in the Cuyahoga County Jail for failing to pay child support. [4][5]. After the death of Sean LeVert Marc Gordon and Blaq Rose are still planning to release their new album.



Bonus Perfect Strangers theme action!

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