Aunties get ready, the Leverts are coming to town!
And Aunties you know who you are – you were already in love in the ’80s – pillow-dancing up a storm in your lounge to the O’Jays when no one was looking, dreaming of tall dark strangers… So get your old love jones faces on, put those rollers in the hair and book your tickets to this Father-And-Son Affair. That’s right, two generations to go gaga over.
Soul music fans are being given an early …
festive season bonanza with news that Eddie and Gerald Levert are heading for South Africa.
The father and son will be in the country for just two nights – showcasing their soulful R&B for music fans at Carnival City in Boksburg on October 29th and 31st.
Promoter, T.Musicman, has secured the two singers for these rare performances on African soil. Says General Manager, Mantwa Chinoamadi, “We are thrilled that both Eddie and Gerald are coming to perform here. For years, fans have been asking for this double-bill and we finally have secured the two dates, which I have no doubt will make many of their fans extremely happy.”
The arrival of the Leverts in South Africa brings a living legend and a contemporary hit-maker to our shores. Eddie was the lead singer of legendary R&B group, The O’Jays, bringing into its musical mix a voice that’s nothing short of memorable. On albums like ‘So Full of Love’, Eddie proved capable of handling emotion-filled ballads, upbeat dance-floor fillers and socially-conscious songs with ease. Over decades in the music industry Eddie has also proved his mettle as a songwriter, co-writing many songs for the O’Jays and other artists including “Just Another Lonely Night,” and “Wind Beneath My Wings,” a duet between Eddie and Gerald.
Gerald was always destined to be a singer of substance. While still a teenager he joined with brother Sean and friend Marc Gordon to form the soul group LeVert and, after one independent release, signed with Atlantic Records in 1985.
Boasting a voice that is uncannily like his father’s distinctive, growling baritone, Gerald’s group soon earned a top five placing on the Billboard charts with their Atlantic debut single, ‘Casanova’. Like his father, Gerald soon proved an intuitive and successful songwriter, penning and co-penning a string of Soul hits including the number one songs ‘My Forever Love’, ‘Just Coolin’ and ‘Baby I’m Ready’.
As a solo artist since 1991, Gerald has carved a niche as a performer and singer capable of bringing soul straight back into the contemporary era earning a vast fanbase with a slew of albums and working with the likes of Patti LaBelle, Toland Adams and Keith Sweat, among many others.
But it’s Gerald’s duets with Eddie that stand as among the two singers most memorable. One of the first was ‘Baby Hold On To Me’, a phenomenal ballad that was one of 1992’s most memorable songs and which led to their 1994 album of duets, ‘Father and Son’.
The chance to see this legendary pair of artists together is not to be missed by South African music fans so make sure you book early!
