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Like Father, Like Son
Ladies Love Levert
Gerald Levert Has Reasons to Smile
LADIES LOVE LEVERT:
G. Phi G. sorority sisters don't fight their feelingsDayton Daily News (Dayton, OH), Nov 23, 2001 p4
Byline: Carol Simmons Dayton Daily News
COPYRIGHT 2001 Dayton Daily News
Most performing artists have a fan club of some sort - avid followers who anticipate every new release and concert appearance with rapturous delight.
Gerald Levert has a sorority - a bona fide, Greek-lettered organization formed in summer 2000 by six women who shared an appreciation, a deep appreciation, for Levert's talents.
G. Phi G. stands for Girl's Primary Honey Is Gerald. And it's purpose is more determined than your average fan club -which, the women assert, they are not. According to the group's Web site (at www.gphig.freeservers.com), 'G. Phi G. is a promotional forum devised to hurl Gerald Levert to the forefront of R&B where he belongs.'
The bear-sized singer has inspired devotion in his listeners since he first started to think he might want to follow the musical paths laid down by his father, Eddie Levert, lead vocalist for the O'Jays. The trick was getting people to listen without making the kind of father-son comparisons that hinder rather than help a career.
And though Levert the father cut a huge shadow, Levert the son had enough innate musical gifts to light a way of his own.
What's more, Gerald learned a lot from watching his father. He came into the business already knowing how hard it is, the commitment it takes and the toll it has on one's family. He has said in interviews that his understanding of the rigors of the industry are part of the reason he has kept his home-base in Cleveland, where he grew up. It's also made him generous with fans and appreciative of time spent with family and friends.
On tour this fall to support his latest release on Elektra Records, Gerald's Word , Levert is revealing himself to be a performer who continues to grow as a leading vocal force.
Lusty and versatile are a couple of the adjectives that have been used to describe his vocals. His ability to combine emotional drama with sweet lyricism leaves women across the country swooning, while men appreciate his capacity for expressing the feelings in their hearts.
A solo performer for the past decade, Gerald started out in the business with his brother, Sean, and a friend, Marc Gordon, as the lead singer for the vocal trio LeVert. The ensemble hit the Billboard R&B charts hard: five No. 1 singles, seven more Top 10 singles and four more that made the Top 20. The group's hit Casanova crossed over to the pop charts, as well, peaking there at No. 4.
Gerald released his solo debut album, Private Line , in 1991. The title track was his first solo hit, going to the top of the R&B charts that year.
And the R&B hits just kept coming, although the pop market was slow to catch on to his charms. Thinkin' Bout It and Taking Everything made Billboard 's Top 20 pop charts in 1998 and '99 respectively.
Besides recording and performing, Levert has also made his mark in the music business as a respected songwriter and producer for acts including the O'Jays, Barry White, Stephanie Mills, the Winans, Patti Labelle and Teddy Pendergrass (who was a guest in Levert's childhood home).
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