Gerald Levert: Casanova

Sean Levert was apart of the group Levert, a '90's trio comprised of him, his brother Gerald, and friend Marc Gordon. They had a string of platinum and gold records. They also had a bunch of Billboard Top Ten hits. The group has over the past few years has hit some hard times. Gerald Levert died in 2006 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. They were scheduling a reunion tour and album at the time. The group was moving on recruiting a new member that was close to Gerald Levert. Bad luck struck once again on March 30 when Sean Levert dropped dead in while starting to serve a year and ten month jail sentence for non-paying of child support.

I have two fond memories of Gerald and the group Levert. It was 1987, I was 7 years old and my father was into Rap and R&B. He used to play the radio and go out to clubs. He would come home sometimes when my mom wasn't home (she didn't like us to listen to secular music), he would play R&B music throughout the house. He would play this song called "Casanova". I remember dancing to it and the song having an infectious beat. My father would sing "Ooooh, Casanova" and I would laugh. I thought it was so funny. My dad wasn't really the best dancer but he would do the "running man" dance. It was a popular dance around the time. He actually taught me how to do that dance. That was one of my fondest memories of Gerald Levert and his group, Levert.

The second memory I had of Gerald Levert and Levert is them performing in the movie "New Jack City". They were featured throughout the film singing songs and moving along the story. Their harmonies were so tight in the film that I actually catch myself singing every time I see the film. I remember them performing the song "For the Love of Money". The song featured Queen Latifah and Troop as well. The cool thing about the song is that it had lyrics from Gerald and Sean's father, Eddie Levert's song of the same name. It was cool how they blended the old and the new. The song actually was one of the most memorable things about the movie.

Now that Sean Levert is gone, I really am sympathetic toward his father, Eddie Levert. It is sad to think that both his sons didn't live to reach the age of 41. The Levert family has always been praised for being strong in a business of cutthroat people. It is a shame to see his sons die before him. I work at a clothing store and they play a Gerald Levert song off his last album. It's sad to think that his brother has joined him too.