Lenny Kravitz Bahamian Comeback
When it comes to paying homage to the best music from the sixties and seventies
, there is one musician who stands out the industry. That man is none other than the legendary, Lenny Kravitz. Since his first album in 1989, called, Let Love Rule, he has been bringing the retro rock and funk to a very appreciative audience. For his latest album, Lenny spent two years re-charging his batteries and recording a new album in the Bahamas. His latest release is considered by many to be perhaps his greatest moment.
Lenny Kravitz (nee Leonard Albert), was born on May 26, 1964, in New York City. His mother, Roxie Roker, is an actress who is well known to many for playing the character, Helen Willis, on the very popular seventies T.V. sitcom, The Jeffersons. Lenny's mother is of Bahamian decent, something which may have factored into his choice of the Bahamas, as a location for recording his latest album. His father, Sy Kravitz, was also involved in television as a producer for NBC.
As a young child, Lenny already knew what he wanted to work at - and that was a musician. His first instrument was the drums. Later he added guitar. As a child, his parents introduced Lenny to a wide variety of music. Blues, jazz, classical, opera, gospel and R&B, were all staples at the Kravitz house. He even got to see the legendary Jackson 5 play at Madison Square Garden when he was seven. The effect on him was profound. His father worked as a jazz promoter, and he knew many of the big names in jazz during this period. Sy Kravitz was friends with Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgeral, Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Although he wasn't able to appreciate the magnitude of the event at the time, Duke Ellington once played Lenny, "Happy Birthday" when he was five.
Another huge influence on Lenny's style is soul music. From a young age he was familiar with the heavyweights of this classic American music. The following were big influences on Lenny and their styles can be heard throughout his music: The Isley Brothers, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Gladys Night.
In 1974 the Kravitz family left New York and moved to Los Angeles. This move was as a result of his mother securing her role on the aforementioned T.V. show, The Jeffersons. While there, Lenny was encourage by his mother to participate in the California Boys Choir. His time with the boys choir eventually landed him a position in the Metropolitan Choir and a place in a performance of Mahler's, Third Symphony, at the Hollywood Bowl.
He listened to soul in New York, and choir also influenced his music, however, yet another influence reached him while he was in Los Angeles. That music is of course, rock. Bands such as, The Beatles, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Kiss and The Who, became favorites of his. Not only the music of these bands, but the way they recorded their music. Lenny became a big advocated of the analog sound of that era, which is something that has stayed with him throughout his career.
While in California, Lenny attended the now legendary, Beverly Hills High School. Two notable classmates of his, one of which would become a musical collaborator on his second album, were Nicolas Cage and Slash (of Guns and Roses fame). Lenny joined the school music program in 1978, with the intention of eventually become a studio musician. Both the piano and bass were instruments that Lenny taught himself to play. He also had some minor success in acting and appeared in a few commercials.
Over the ensuing years, Lenny refined his craft and by 1989, was ready to release his first album, Let Love Rule. The album took a while to get noticed in the United States, but became a world-wide hit. It sold over 2 million copies in Europe alone. His next album, Mama Said, was a bigger hit and has been certified double platinum. Lenny followed these two successes with, Are You Gonna Go My Way, which continued the string of success and a made him a household name.
After the initial three albums, Lenny went through a bit of a decline, both commercially and critically. It was becoming apparent that Lenny needed to rethink his game plan. He took three years off after his album, It Is Time for a Love Revolution. While in hiatus, he moved to the Bahamas for two years. During that time he was greatly affected by the ill sentiment he was picking up in the media towards president, Barack Obama, and decided to write a rebuttal. His reaction to the negativity he was feeling became the stimulus that got him writing material for his new album.
Black and White America, is Lenny's most critically acclaimed record in over two decades, and the Bahamian influence seems to have helped him. Lenny cited the "simplicity" of the lifestyle, and the peace of mind he felt in the Bahamas as being a very powerful factor in the renewed creativity that he experienced in recording his latest album. Lets hope the trend continues.
by: Robert Nickel
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