# Gerald Levert
**Gerald Levert** (born 1966) was an American R&B singer, songwriter, and producer, the son of O'Jays lead vocalist [Eddie Levert](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-levert), who fronted the [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) trio LeVert, formed the supergroup LSG with [Keith Sweat](https://www.edgepedia.org/keith-sweat) and Johnny Gill, and ran a parallel solo career capped by the posthumous 2008 Grammy win for Best Traditional R&B Performance for "In My Songs"[1](https://www.shazam.com/artist/gerald-levert/153433) • [2](https://www.grammy.com/artists/gerald-levert/14831/). He died on November 10, 2006, in Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 40[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerald-levert-mn0000649435).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1966, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; November 10, 2006, Cleveland, Ohio, age 40[4](https://musicchartsarchive.com/artists/gerald-levert) |
| Groups | LeVert (with brother Sean Levert and Marc Gordon) and LSG (with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill)[1](https://www.shazam.com/artist/gerald-levert/153433) |
| Solo debut | *Private Line* (1991), No. 1 on Billboard's R&B albums chart; the title track was his first of two solo R&B No. 1 singles[1](https://www.shazam.com/artist/gerald-levert/153433) |
| Group hits | "Casanova," a No. 1 R&B single that crossed over to the pop top 5; the group notched five No. 1 R&B hits[1](https://www.shazam.com/artist/gerald-levert/153433) |
| Father-son work | Duet "Baby Hold On to Me" (No. 1 R&B, January 1992); the 1995 album *Father and Son*, which topped the R&B chart[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerald-eddie-levert-mn0000654750) • [6](https://www.congress.gov/109/crec/2006/11/15/CREC-2006-11-15.pdf) |
| Grammy | Posthumous 2008 winner, Best Traditional R&B Performance, "In My Songs"; also a 2007 nominee for "Everyday (Family Reunion)" with Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, and Carl Thomas[2](https://www.grammy.com/artists/gerald-levert/14831/) |
| Posthumous albums | *In My Songs* (February 13, 2007), No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 R&B; *Something to Talk About* with his father (June 2007)[7](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/gerald-levert) |
## Early life and LeVert
Gerald Edward Levert was born in Philadelphia and raised in the Cleveland area, attending [Shaker Heights High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaker-heights-high-school); his father's standing in the music industry, and a fully equipped home studio, let him prepare for a career from childhood[6](https://www.congress.gov/109/crec/2006/11/15/CREC-2006-11-15.pdf) • [8](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/gerald-levert). While still in high school he formed the trio LeVert with his brother Sean and friend Marc Gordon, and the group performed in Ohio nightclubs before landing a contract with the independent Tempre label[8](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/gerald-levert).
The single "I'm Still" gained regional traction in the Baltimore and Washington R&B market and brought the group to [Atlantic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-records)[8](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/gerald-levert). Their first album, *I Get Hot*, appeared in 1985, and the Atlantic debut *Bloodline* produced the No. 1 R&B single "(Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes My Mind"[1](https://www.shazam.com/artist/gerald-levert/153433) • [8](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/gerald-levert). "Casanova," written and produced by Reggie and Vincent Calloway, topped the R&B chart and crossed over to the pop top 5, and the group accumulated five No. 1 R&B singles before it stopped recording together in the mid-1990s[1](https://www.shazam.com/artist/gerald-levert/153433) • [9](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/levert-mn0000787940). Their catalog also included "Just Coolin'", described by the group's own history as the first R&B group song to feature a rapper, [Heavy D](https://www.edgepedia.org/heavy-d)[10](https://levertmusic.net/).
## Solo career
Gerald launched his solo career with *Private Line* in 1991 while still contributing to the trio's albums[6](https://www.congress.gov/109/crec/2006/11/15/CREC-2006-11-15.pdf). The album reached No. 48 on the Billboard 200, No. 1 on the R&B chart, and earned RIAA platinum certification, and the title track became his first solo R&B No. 1 single[7](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/gerald-levert) • [1](https://www.shazam.com/artist/gerald-levert/153433). Critics located his style squarely in his father's tradition; a Los Angeles Times review described "the brawny, impassioned, pleading-man style" of Eddie Levert, noting that the two singers' voices were nearly identical[11](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-12-ca-314-story.html).
Through the 1990s and 2000s he released a steady run of albums: *Groove On* (1994), *Love & Consequences* (1998), *G* (2000), *Gerald's World* (2001), *The G Spot* (2002), *Stroke of Genius* (2003), and *Do I Speak for the World* (2004)[12](https://www.allmusic.com/album/do-i-speak-for-the-world-mw0000363467). Several went platinum or gold, and *Stroke of Genius* and *Gerald's World* each reached [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) on the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) 200 with *Stroke of Genius* topping the R&B album chart[7](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/gerald-levert). His biggest pop hits were modest by R&B standards: "Thinkin' Bout It" (No. 12, 1998), "Taking Everything" (No. 11, 1999), and the [David Foster](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-foster)-produced "I'd Give Anything" (No. 28, 1994), which was an R&B top 5[4](https://musicchartsarchive.com/artists/gerald-levert) • [13](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2007/BB-2007-02-10.pdf).
## LSG
In 1997 he joined Keith Sweat and [Johnny Gill](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-gill) to form the supergroup LSG, an acronym of their surnames[1](https://www.shazam.com/artist/gerald-levert/153433). Their debut single "My Body" topped the R&B chart and crossed over to No. 4 on the pop chart, and both of the group's studio albums, *Levert.Sweat.Gill* (1997) and *LSG2* (2003), reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200[1](https://www.shazam.com/artist/gerald-levert/153433). LSG earned American Music Award and Soul Train Award nominations for the album and single[14](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0505371/awards/).
## Work with his father
**Father and son.** Gerald had planned since his teens to record with Eddie Levert, lead singer of the O'Jays, but deliberately waited until he had built his own reputation[15](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/05/10/levert-like-father-like-son/58cc1852-26b0-402f-a8e2-f81888cea6a8/). The first recorded duet, "Baby Hold On to Me," appeared on *Private Line* and reached the top of the R&B singles chart in January 1992[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerald-eddie-levert-mn0000654750). After father and son sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" on television, the response prompted the 12-song album *Father & Son* (EastWest, 1995), produced by Gerald with co-writer Edwin "Tony" Nicholas, followed by a joint tour[15](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/05/10/levert-like-father-like-son/58cc1852-26b0-402f-a8e2-f81888cea6a8/) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerald-eddie-levert-mn0000654750). The album reached No. 20 pop, No. 2 R&B, and went gold[7](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/gerald-levert). The two also recorded *Something to Talk About*, released posthumously in 2007[7](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/gerald-levert).
Beyond the duets, Gerald wrote and produced for many other artists, including the O'Jays, Barry White, Stephanie Mills, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle, and [Anita Baker](https://www.edgepedia.org/anita-baker)[6](https://www.congress.gov/109/crec/2006/11/15/CREC-2006-11-15.pdf) • [16](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621245849). He earned a Grammy nomination for his co-production and co-writing of [Barry White](https://www.edgepedia.org/barry-white)'s 1994 hit "Practice What You Preach"[6](https://www.congress.gov/109/crec/2006/11/15/CREC-2006-11-15.pdf). He also helped launch Cleveland-area acts, discovering and developing the Rude Boys, whose "Written All Over Your Face" topped the R&B chart in 1990 with his cameo vocal, and Men at Large[17](https://www.rhino.com/article/happy-birthday-gerald-levert) • [6](https://www.congress.gov/109/crec/2006/11/15/CREC-2006-11-15.pdf).
## Death and legacy
Levert died at his suburban Cleveland home on November 10, 2006, at age 40[18](https://jazzapedia.com/artists/gerald-levert). Early reports attributed the death to a heart attack; the autopsy by the Cuyahoga County Coroner's office concluded instead that the cause was a fatal combination of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, complicated by pneumonia, and ruled the death accidental by acute intoxication[19](https://soelfoundation.org/history-mission/). At the time of his death he had just completed *In My Songs* and a memoir with his father, *I Got Your Back*[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerald-levert-mn0000649435) • [13](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2007/BB-2007-02-10.pdf).
*In My Songs* was released on Atlantic on February 13, 2007, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the R&B album chart, and its title single won the 2008 Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance; his brother Sean accepted the award on his behalf[7](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/gerald-levert) • [2](https://www.grammy.com/artists/gerald-levert/14831/). The song also became his posthumous second Adult R&B top 10, extending his lead in cumulative top-10 appearances on that chart[20](https://manuals.plus/m/63fdbb4b9bd59cbeb942359cccf99e2d645a15f3afdee0d24d68d8b9ff47e388.pdf). In 2013 he was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in his hometown of Cleveland, alongside the O'Jays[7](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/gerald-levert).
## References
1. [Gerald Levert, Shazam artist profile](https://www.shazam.com/artist/gerald-levert/153433)
2. [Gerald Levert, Recording Academy Grammy Awards and Nominations](https://www.grammy.com/artists/gerald-levert/14831/)
3. [Gerald Levert, AllMusic biography by Craig Lytle](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerald-levert-mn0000649435)
4. [Gerald Levert Album and Singles Chart History, Music Charts Archive](https://musicchartsarchive.com/artists/gerald-levert)
5. [Gerald & Eddie Levert, AllMusic biography](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gerald-eddie-levert-mn0000654750)
6. [Congressional Record, November 15, 2006, tribute to Gerald Levert](https://www.congress.gov/109/crec/2006/11/15/CREC-2006-11-15.pdf)
7. [Gerald Levert, VALÉORINE discography and awards reference](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/gerald-levert)
8. [Gerald Levert, Encyclopedia.com biography](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/gerald-levert)
9. [LeVert, AllMusic biography by Greg Prato](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/levert-mn0000787940)
10. [LeVert official history, Levert Music](https://levertmusic.net/)
11. [In Brief: Gerald Levert, "Private Line," Los Angeles Times, January 12, 1992](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-12-ca-314-story.html)
12. [Do I Speak for the World, AllMusic review](https://www.allmusic.com/album/do-i-speak-for-the-world-mw0000363467)
13. ["Back to the Core," Billboard, February 10, 2007](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2007/BB-2007-02-10.pdf)
14. [Gerald Levert, IMDb Awards](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0505371/awards/)
15. [Levert: Like Father, Like Son, The Washington Post, May 9, 1996](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/05/10/levert-like-father-like-son/58cc1852-26b0-402f-a8e2-f81888cea6a8/)
16. [Gerald Levert, Apple Music Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621245849)
17. [Happy Birthday: Gerald Levert, Rhino Entertainment](https://www.rhino.com/article/happy-birthday-gerald-levert)
18. [Gerald Levert, Jazzapedia artist page](https://jazzapedia.com/artists/gerald-levert)
19. [History, SoEl Foundation](https://soelfoundation.org/history-mission/)
20. [Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart pages](https://manuals.plus/m/63fdbb4b9bd59cbeb942359cccf99e2d645a15f3afdee0d24d68d8b9ff47e388.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › R&B singers, 1990s and 2000s › R&B singers of the 1990s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license