Eddie Levert

Edward Willis "Eddie" Levert (born June 16, 1942) is an American singer–songwriter and actor. Levert is best known as the lead vocalist of the R&B/Soul vocal group, The O'Jays.^[1]

Biography

Levert was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but was raised in Canton, Ohio. While attending high school, he met buddies Walter Williams, Bill Isles, Bobby Massey, and William Powell. They were motivated to sing after seeing a performance from Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers. They formed in 1958. The O'Jays were originally known as The Triumphs and The Mascots. They were officially known as The O'Jays after they got their name from DJ Eddie O'Jay. Their first big hit was "Lonely Drifter"in 1963 which was lifted off their debut album Comin Through. The O'Jays are mainly known by their hits "Back Stabbers", "Love Train" and "For the Love of Money". Levert starred and performed in the movie (The Fighting Temptations) and performed the song "He Still Loves Me"in 2003. Levert and his group members received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 BET Awards. The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.^[2][3]

==Personal life==Before becoming famous Eddie was married to Charlie Mae Parham, who gave birth to his first child Wesley Andre Levert, Cleveland, Ohio. Charlie, wanted Eddie to get a "real" job. After he made it, he never looked back or has contacted his son since. Levert is the father of the late R&B singers Gerald Levert, who died on November 10, 2006, Sean Levert, who died on March 30, 2008, Eddie Levert Jr., CEO of Levert Entertainment Group, a Music label headquartered in Los Angeles, CA., and daughter Kadice LeVert of Cleveland (Solon), Ohio. The relationships between Eddie Sr. and Gerald became a subject of a book, I Got Your Back: A Father and Son Keep It Real about Love, Fatherhood, Family, and Friendship issued in 2007 (ISBN 0767927443, ISBN 0-7679-2760-5). LeVert is the third cousin of former Michigan basketball star and current Brooklyn Nets player, Caris LeVert.^[4]

References