in his father's eyes

Saturday, November 18, 2006
John Soeder
Plain Dealer Pop Music Critic
© 2006 The Plain Dealer / © 2006 cleveland.com All Rights Reserved.

Like father, like son. If you're talking about Eddie and Gerald Levert, those words never have rung truer. Their soulful voices were interchangeable, their respect and admiration was mutual and their bond was -- is -- unbreakable.

They recorded an album together, "Father & Son," released in 1995. They regularly performed together, too. And just before Gerald's death Nov. 10, they completed the final draft of a book about their relationship, "I Got Your Back," co-authored by Lyah Beth LeFlore. It's set to be published in June, just in time for Father's Day.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Eddie Levert of the O'Jays has been too grief-stricken to do interviews, but he responded via e-mail to these questions submitted by The Plain Dealer.

At what point was it clear Gerald wanted to follow in your footsteps and pursue a music career of his own? Did you encourage his musical ambitions?

Gerald was about 12 years old when I knew exactly what he wanted to do. We were playing around in the basement and making tapes and he let it be known that he was going to be an entertainer. I wanted him to be a doctor or lawyer.
We'd make a tape and Gerald would sing and I would sing and then I'd do a great run. I'd say, "Hey, man, that was a great run, huh?" And he said, "Well, Dad, that was me." That's when I knew I'd have to take him in the studio, spend all my money, get on an airplane, take him to record companies.
The labels would say he's so much like me, there's no place for him. If we put him out, what's going to happen to you? And I would tell them, "If he can knock me out of the game, then I wasn't worthy anyway."

Growing up, did Gerald often tag along with the O'Jays?

He'd always come to the stage and sit there and watch everything I did. He stole all of my moves. After awhile, I had fallen on my knees so much, I started hurting and I got to the place -- around 35 to 40 years old -- where I had to stop falling on my knees. Soon after that, Gerald started falling on his knees. He went on and took it to another level.

How did you feel when your sons, Gerald and Sean, hit the big time themselves with the group LeVert?

For them to be successful, for them to have the hit records and sellout tours, it was a wonderful thing. I was and am very proud of them. Being from a group, it's hard to work with different people. You get different opinions and different attitudes and a lot of times, that's where the friction comes in. Why do they keep asking Eddie or Gerald or Sean all of the questions? It's those things that start dissension in groups. So I told Gerald, "Quit the group and do your own thing." This was real early, before "Casanova" or "Baby I'm Ready." But that's what he wanted and Gerald was the quarterback and he ran with the ball and I was so proud because he was my kid.

Did the fact Gerald was "the son of Eddie Levert of the O'Jays" open doors for him? At the same time, did it make it challenging for him to get a fair shake on his own terms?

It opened the door, but after I opened the door, he had to do the work. Yes, he was Eddie Levert's son -- there was certain monetary and marketing value to the name -- but after he got through the door, the job fell on him. It was no longer my job. And he did it well.

People often comment on the similarities between your voice and Gerald's voice. Are they missing anything? What was unique about Gerald's voice?

I had to tell Gerald how to address and how to caress the words, how to sing the song. I told him, "You don't have to be so harsh. Some songs you have to sing sweet, sing tender and sometimes you have to caress the words, feel the words and make the listener feel the sweetness of the notes." That is probably the most important info I gave him.

Did Gerald seek your advice on musical matters?

We talked about everything. Where he wanted to go, what he wanted to put on album covers. We talked about times when he wanted to go to the record company and let them know they weren't doing anything. I would say, "If you really feel that, go and tell them. If you are venting, let it go. If you are going to make a point, effect a change within the label. If you feel like you are right, go for it. I'm with you."

The "Father & Son" album is a favorite of many fans. Were there plans to do a "Father & Son II" album someday?

We wanted to. We had started working on it and we have a song now that we've done already and put our voices on. After we came back from South Africa, I was ready to go in the studio and finish it up on the 20th of this month.

Gerald and you often performed together, too. What was he like onstage?

I was talking to Johnny Gill and he said, "If you're going to sing with Gerald, you have to bring your A' game every night. There's no B' or C' game. He's not going to let you walk through it."

Tell us about the book "I Got Your Back."

The book is basically about our relationship and how we feel about certain things -- politics, religion, women. About mistakes we make in our relationships, about how we have to bond and keep ourselves together. How we love fully. How we thought about partying. How we felt about each other. A very honest book. Now he's not here and all I can say is, the story . . . well, it's to be continued.

Show business aside, you and Gerald had a remarkable bond most fathers and sons would envy. How did the two of you stay so close?

Sometimes we would speak every day for a week. Sometimes we wouldn't speak for five days. It varied. Sometimes three or four times a day. My son was my best friend, my buddy. We shared some real precious moments. Wow. I had some precious moments with my son and he's going to be sorely missed by me.

The one thing I found out about death is, no matter how much pain I feel, no matter how much I wish that he were still here, the fountain is still running, the cars are still going down the street and the bars are still full. Life goes on. I wish that he could come in here right now with his loud self and I would watch everybody go and gravitate to him and then before you know it, we'd just be laughing out loud. I'm not going to hear that laugh anymore. They'll never know my pain. I'd give up everything to have him back. Everything.

What is the most important thing you want people to know about Gerald? How do you hope he'll be remembered?

My son loved everyone and he loved very hard. They will never really know how sorely he will be missed. You all will never know how great he really was. Not as a performer, but as a person. I know how great he was.

 

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