Music icon Eddie Levert, Sr. is underappreciated to say the least. Many people do not recognize the impactful contribution he has made to music over the last four decades. His career has transcended generations standing the test of time.
When I received a call with the opportunity to interview the music icon, I jumped at the opportunity. The fact is I grew up on Eddie Levert’s music. Growing up in a Black home in America during the eighties and nineties, the O’Jay’s anthems were always being played on the radio. Eddie Levert’s famous singing voice was undoubtedly a consistent backdrop in my household and during car rides with family and friends over the years.
While singing with the O’Jays as the lead vocalist, Eddie earned an impressive nine Platinum records, ten Gold records and nine #1 singles including “Back Stabbers,” “Use Ta Be My Girl,” “Love Train,” “Give The People What They Want,” “I Love Music,” “For The Love Of Money,” “Livin’ For The Weekend,” “Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby,” and “Family Reunion” while signed under Gamble and Huff 's Philadelphia International Label. The single, “For The Love of Money,” is a GRAMMY Hall of Fame 2016 Inductee and is the theme song for NBC’s “The Apprentice” and “The Celebrity Apprentice.”
Eddie has received numerous awards for his passionate stirring vocals, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, the BET Lifetime Achievement Award, The Trumpet Lifetime Achievement Award and the Heroes and Pacesetters Award.
The Los Angeles Sentinel and L.A. Watts Times had the pleasure of sitting down and for a one-on-one interview with Eddie Levert, Sr. as he toured Los Angeles promoting his new album “Did I Make You Go Ooh.” While visiting L.A., Eddie performed at the world famous Maverick’s Flat club in South L.A. and he also performed at the Los Angeles Convention Center for the annual KJLH Women’s Health Exposition.
During the interview, Eddie shared that his favorite collaboration and most memorable was the father and son project with his son Gerald Levert. “That is still the epitome of some of the best times in my career because he (Gerald) brought me into a younger audience I didn’t have and I realized young people were into my music,” said Eddie.
In 1984, Eddie saw a proud moment as his high school aged sons, Gerald and Sean, announced that they wanted to follow their Dad’s footsteps. They teamed up with good friend Marc Gordon, recording under the group name LeVert. Using his influence, Eddie introduced his young sons around the industry while warning them that Dad could help open the doors but it was themselves that would have to make it, and that they did.
In 1992, Eddie and Gerald teamed up and went #1 on the R&B charts with the single, “Baby Hold On to Me.” In 1995, they recorded the “Father & Son” album with “Already Missing You” scoring big on the R&B and Pop charts. Eddie and Gerald recorded another CD album, “Something To Talk About.” This album spun the very successful “Father and Son” tour that continued for years. Then in 1996 Eddie and Gerald recorded “Wind Beneath My Wings” that charted to critical acclaim.
“One of the greatest moments with him was when we were doing the R&B awards and this was the first time we did the song “Wind Beneath My Wings” and the effect that it had on people,” said Eddie. “When we did it on television that was the first time me and him ever sung the song, and we had to make ourselves sing the song because it wasn’t in our repertoire at the time so we decided we were going to sing it and when we sung it the response we got from not only the people right there in the audience but the people from television land and people in their homes it was something that the world needed to hear and people needed to see, fathers and sons doing things together.”
In 2008, Eddie accepted the “Best Duo or Group” Image Award for himself and Gerald. Adding “author” to his numerous achievements, Eddie and Gerald wrote a book, “I Got Your Back” published in 2007.
With life and success so comes tragedy and tragedy unfortunately struck Eddie harder than ever, losing both his sons within a two-year span between 2006 and 2008.
On November 10, 2006, Gerald Levert was found dead in his bed at his Cleveland, Ohio home. In February 2007, an autopsy report conducted by the Cuyahoga County coroner’s office concluded that Levert's death was caused by a fatal combination of prescription narcotics and over-the-counter drugs. In 2008, Sean Levert became ill while incarcerated in the Cuyahoga County Correctional Facility, prior to his transfer to a state prison, reporting high blood pressure and hallucinations; he died six days after being admitted to the jail, on March 30, 2008. In 2010, Sean’s widow was awarded 4 million dollars as a result of lawsuit filed against Cuyahoga County.
Even though Eddie has endured severe tragedy losing his two sons, he finds a way to triumph and prevail everyday. He maintains a positive outlook on life and showcases positive vibe at all times. “You’ve got to learn from your mistakes and be able to recover from them too,” said Eddie.
Speaking on recent music tragedy, Eddie was asked to speak on the recent death and passing of Prince. “I only met him once and at first I was like what a little guy (laughs) but he was a little giant,” said Eddie.
“He put in the work. He would go in the studio and cut all the songs by himself. You know how much talent that takes? He didn’t need a guitar player, he didn’t need a piano player, he didn’t need a tenner and he could do all those things himself. Even Stevie (Wonder), as great as he is, used other people to touch his music to make it happen. Gamble & Huff used other people for their music to make it happen. When you are able to go in and do the total package you are the total package and this guy he was able to do that and he was able to touch so many people with just his touch…and that is a heck of an accomplishment. Now in my one time meeting him, he’s a Gemini and I am a Gemini so I can understand his passion and I can understand him being a recluse person.
“I don’t do this, we don’t do this for accolades and I don’t do it for people to tell me how great I am I do it because the satisfaction is that once I get done with the project then I feel so empty until I can get to the next one, I got a reason to keep going. And after I finish that then its empty again and I’m a must fill that cup up again. It’s a constant thing, its over and over it never stops. Its like I don’t feel productive unless I’m working or doing something towards my music and that’s who I am and God has given me that. It’s the closest I will ever be to God because I can take something out the air and make it become something that is real and people can see it and feel it.”
During the interview with Eddie Levert Sr., I could feel the warmth of his genuine personality. Eddie has a magnetic aura. His calm and cool demeanor presents someone who knows where they came from and confident in where they are going.
When Eddie turned about 12 years old, that’s when he knew what he wanted to do with his life. That is the age he started writing songs.
“I got in this contest with Kellogg’s cornflakes and they were looking for a jingle and so I wrote a jingle and I won, they paid me about $25 for winning and then I started singing in high school with the guys (the O’Jays),” said Eddie.
The O’Jays did their first gig at a YMCA and the group got paid $25 so they split the money to $5 a piece. This is when Eddie knew this was good gig to have.
“I’ve been blessed man, it’s not something that I intentionally go out and do because you’ve got to know that I’ve done all the wrong things too (laughs), I was just able to recover from it,” said Eddie.
Eddie says his most recent project has something for everyone but most definitely something for the ladies. He still tours the world with the O’Jays and Gladys Knight. He also performs with Johnny Gill and Keith Sweat as the “LeVert” in LSG representing for his son Gerald who was an original member of the trio.
In order to stay positive and keep focused Eddie shared that he really tries to take care of his body and mind. He works out regularly and practices healthy eating habits. And it doesn’t hurt he is happily married. His wife is his rock and best friend.
Imagine you are a small business owner. It’s the end of the day and you have your cash earnings in your car. You are on your way to deposit the money in your bank account. 
Several large orders came in and you’re thrilled to have several thousand dollars to deposit. On your way to the bank you are pulled over by local law enforcement. They claim you fit the profile of someone they’ve gotten a tip on.
They see the cash and tell you they believe you have been selling drugs and that the cash represents your drug-dealing profits. You protest. You have no drugs in your car so surely they are mistaken. Surely your property will be returned to you. Right?
After reviewing countless stories of innocent people who have had their legal property seized by law enforcement, I introduced Senate Bill 443. SB 443 mandates that a person be convicted of a crime before their property can be permanently forfeited. While California attempted to reform civil asset forfeiture in the 90’s, local law enforcement began partnering with federal law enforcement officials in a system called “equitable sharing,” to take advantage of the lax evidentiary laws at the federal level. This has proven a profitable way for California law enforcement to circumvent our state law. This has resulted in payouts to state and local agencies that have increased nearly 250% over a 12-year period. By 2014 federal records showed that more property was permanently taken from owners by civil asset forfeiture than by burglary. In California, between 2000 and 2013 696 million dollars worth of private assets were forfeited to law enforcement by this means.
Civil asset forfeiture is a controversial process which allows law enforcement officers to seize and keep assets that they suspect have been involved in criminal activity. Because civil asset forfeiture proceedings target the property itself with involvement in a crime, the normal protections to which a suspect is entitled under criminal law do not apply. While a person needs to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to be convicted of a crime, seized property needs only to be suspected of a crime in order to be permanently forfeited to the accusing state agency. This means that police can take and keep your money, car, or other valuables without ever having to charge you with a crime!
Unsurprisingly, there is ample evidence that this “tool” of law enforcement has not been applied evenly. A recent report conducted by the ACLU finds that most seized assets come from communities of color. Often those who can least afford it are most targeted by law enforcement for these types of seizures. While law enforcement vigorously defends the need to preserve civil asset forfeiture to disrupt organized crime, evidence is mounting that it is being abused. Indeed during lean budget years while rates of arrest for violent crimes went down, seizures under civil asset forfeiture increased. This should be troubling for all of us.
One would think that curbing this practice, which fosters distrust between police and the communities they serve, would be a top priority to law makers -- especially those who represent the communities most vulnerable to this kind of abuse. A recent poll finds that nearly 80% of Californians across party and ethnic lines approve of the reforms contained in SB 443. And yet, local law enforcement entities have continued to swarm the State Capitol and apply heavy pressure on law makers to leave this cash-cow for the milking.
We must pass this critical reform to protect Californians from the unethical practice of seizing property from innocent people. And law makers must be reminded that their most pressing responsibility is protecting the constituencies that elected them into office, not the special interests that directly profit on the backs of innocent citizens.
“America must never forget that when a cop and an inner city kid talk to each other, miracles can happen,” words spoken by Lonnie Ali at the public memorial service for her husband, Muhammad Ali.
The Greatness of Ali began after he had a talk with retired Louisville Police Officer Joe Martin who taught him to box. That was the start of the man known to the world as “The Greatest.”
Ali died on Friday, June 3, 2016 at the age of 74. The world watched as Muhammad Ali’s life was celebrated in his hometown of Louisville, KY June 9-10, 2016. Two services filled to capacity, a procession through the streets of Louisville was a send-off fit for the King he was.
A traditional Muslim service was held on Thursday at Freedom Hall with a capacity crowd of 14,000 attending. The procession and Interfaith Memorial Service were held on Friday.
Although Ali touched the lives of so many throughout the world, the people of Louisville knew what others did not know. The procession route included a stretch of Broadway Street. In the earlier days, after Ali won his fights, he loved to come back to Louisville. He drove a big recreational vehicle west on Broadway, sometimes very fast, fast enough that the police would pull him over. But when they looked inside and saw it was the Champ, they would just smile and tell him to slow down. It is that incident and so many others that are unique to Louisville. Ali was loved by his hometown and he always made it clear that he indeed loved his hometown.
He was known for his bragging, known to many as the “Louisville Lip” He called himself “the greatest.” When others talked about his bragging, he would often say, “It’s not bragging if you can back it up.”
The City of Louisville backed him up in a big way showing the world that he was “the Greatest” when over 100,000 people lined the streets for 20 miles to say their final goodbye to the Champ. As the procession, that originated from A. D. Porter & Sons Funeral Home—Southeast passed, the crowd chanted “Ali, Ali.” Some began throwing flowers on the windshield of the hearse carrying their hometown hero. Children were running alongside the hearse throwing jabs in the air. People were running up to the hearse to kiss the roof.
As the cars traveled down Broadway, Hana Ali, the champ’s daughter, tweeted, “We just left the funeral home and are in the car now following our beautiful father in route to his final resting place, as his reoccurring dream is realized. When he was younger he said, ‘I used to dream that I was running down Broadway in downtown Louisville, Kentucky and all of the people were gathered in the street waving at me and clapping and cheering my name. I waved back, and then all of a sudden I just took off flying. I dreamed that dream all the time. . .’”
When the procession made it to the little pink house on Grand Avenue in west Louisville, the heart of the African American community, those waiting wanted to touch the hearse. Ali’s children lowered the windows of the limos and began shaking hands with the people. The pink house on Grand Avenue is where Ali grew up.
One could only imagine the reaction of Ali’s Children when they saw the many thousands who lined the streets of Louisville to pay their final respects to their father.
The procession made the final leg of the journey when it made the turn into Cave Hill Cemetery where Ali was buried. Thousands of rose petals lay at the entrance as spectators lined the entrance as Ali was taken to his final resting place. It was a scene that Louisville will never see again.
The Public Memorial Service at the KFC YUM Center was filled to capacity with 15,000 people attending. Celebrities came to say their final goodbyes including former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Orrin Hatch, both speakers on the program. Others include director Spike Lee, former NFL great Jim Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Whoopi Goldberg, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, boxing greats Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis and soccer star David Beckham and others. Unable to attend because of his daughter’s graduation, President Barack Obama sent Valerie Jarrett as his representative. Minister Louis Farrakhan, Boxing Promoter Don King and Civil Rights Leader Jesse Jackson were also in attendance.
The three-hour interfaith service featured speakers from various religious denominations. The service began with prayers from the Quran from Ali’s Muslim faith and the moderator was an imam from Memphis. Two rabbis, a catholic priest, the leaders of two Indian tribes and a Baptist minister were all on the program.
The first speaker, Rev. Kevin W. Cosby, senior pastor of St. Stephen Church in Louisville referred to Ali as a “silver-tongued poet” who led African Americans to a new identity. Bring the crowd to the feet, he said, “Before James Brown said I’m Black and I’m proud, Muhammad Ali said, I’m Black and I’m pretty.”
Cosby said Ali “dared to love black people at a time black people had difficulty loving themselves. . .And he loved us all and we loved him because we knew he loved us, whether. . .you lived in the penthouse or the projects. . .or came from Morehouse or no house.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a friend to Ali for 28 years, said Ali was truly the Greatest. “He moved with agility and punched with Herculean strength. He was an extraordinary fighter and a committed Civil Rights leader.” Hatch also called Ali “an effective emissary of Islam.” He said Ali showed us all the path of greatness.
Hatch said Ali was humble. He said Ali told him “God gave me this condition (Parkinson’s) to remind me always that I am human and that only He is the greatest”
Lonnie Ali, also a Louisville native and Ali’s wife for 30 years, gave a moving tribute to her husband. She said, “He wanted us to use his life and his death as a teaching moment for young people and the world.” She said Ali “may have challenged the government, but he never ran from it, or from America.”
Rabbi Michael Lerner, based in Berkeley, said the way to honor Ali was to be Muhammad Ali today. He brought the crowd to their feet as he talked about political reforms. He did not mention the Presidential candidates by name, but referring to former President Bill Clinton as the “First Man” gave the audience a clue, and the got it, judging by the applause and standing ovation.
Louisville’s own John Ramsey, a close friend of Ali for many years, talked about his experiences with the champ. He said he was present with him at an Olympic gold medal boxing match and they stood with the winner hearing the chants of U-S-A. He said Ali leaned down and whispered to him that he wanted to talk to the loser. He said he arranged for Ali to talk to the loser of the match.
“In that locker room, in the lowest of the lows, he walks in and the kid recognizes him immediately, said Ramsey. “He says, in broken English, ‘Muhammad Ali’ And Muhammad starts dancing, saying, ‘Show me what you got, man.’ And he starts throwing out jabs and the kid starts ducking and smiling and Muhammad grabs him in a bear hug, and said, ‘I loved what you did out there. You looked good. You’re going to be a champion, don’t give up.’” Ramsey said it warmed his heart because Ali took the young kid from a very low to a very high in an instant. He said when they were in the car leaving, he told Muhammad Ali that he really was the Greatest. Ramsey said Ali’s response was, “Tell me something I don’t know already.”
Ramsey recalled one of the quotes Ali used to say, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room her on earth.” He then said, “Champ, your rent is paid in full.”
Ambassador Attallah Shabazz, daughter of the late Malcolm X, gave a very tearful tribute to Ali. She has been a resident of Louisville for the past six years. “Having Muhammad Ali in my life somehow sustained my dad’s breath for me just a little while longer; 51 years longer until now,” she said as she fought back tears.
Speaking on behalf of President Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor, said, “Ali was . . .loud and proud, an unabashedly black voice in a Jim Crow world.” She said, “Muhammad Ali was America. Muhammad Ali will always be America.” Jarrett said the world embraced Ali because he was the best of America.
Sports Commentator Bryant Gumbel said Ali “gave us levels of strength and courage we didn’t even know we had.” He said, “The world needs a champion who believes in fairness and inclusion for all... (He said) it doesn’t m
atter which color does the hating, it's just plain wrong.”
Comedian Billy Crystal said Ali always referred to him as his brother. "He was funny, beautiful, the most perfect athlete you ever saw, and those were his own words...He was so much more than a fighter. He made all of our lives a little bit better than they were. He taught us that life is best when you build bridges between us, not walls. He is gone, but he will never die. He was my big brother."
Former President Bill Clinton said Ali was not imprisoned by a disease. He recalled Ali’s carrying of the Olympic Torch. “He was going to make those last steps, no matter what it took. The flame would be lit, no matter what, the fight would be won.”
Clinton said, “In the end, besides being a lot of fun to be around, I will always think of Muhammad as a truly free man of faith. And being a man of faith, he realized he would never be in full control of his life. It is the choices that Muhammad Ali made that brought us all here today, in honor and in love.” He said, “We should honor him by letting our gifts go among the world as his did.”
Rev. Dr. Kevin Cosby, Pastor of St. Stephen Church in Louisville summed it up best. Talking about Ali and him importance to the Black Community, he said, “He dared to love America’s most unloved race. . .While he was the property of all people, let us never forget, he is the product of black people, and their struggle to be free.”
Muhammad Ali’s historic win against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974 was perhaps the greatest of all of his ring victories. Ali dropped Foreman in the eighth round of that heavyweight bout known as “The Rumble in the Jungle.” Foreman was among the first to pay homage to the fallen champion when news of his death spread late Friday evening on June 3. He was 74.
“It’s been said it was ‘rope a dope,’ Ali beat me with,” Foreman tweeted. “No his beauty that beat me. The most beauty I've know loved him.”
Early Saturday morning, Mike Tyson tweeted, “God came for his champion. So long great one. @MuhammadAli #TheGreatest #RIP”
After a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, the world-renowned champion died at a Phoenix, Arizona-area hospital. The iconic sports figure was fighting respiratory issues that were complicated by the Parkinson's that he was diagnosed with in the 1980s, the Associated Press reported. Ali had been hospitalized several times in recent years.
Boxing great and former world champion Sugar Ray Leonard, said that he woke up Saturday morning with a tear streaming down his cheek. His heart ached. In a statement, Ray said that he admired, idolized and loved Muhammad Ali.
“My true feelings have not totally surfaced yet, because no one beats Muhammad Ali. So to continue his journey I will thank God for bringing this incredible man into my life! RIP Champ,” said Ray.
In a press statement, Ali’s family said his funeral would be held in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. In a statement, Ali's family also thanked the public for the outpouring of support.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in Ali’s honor.
“The values of hard work, conviction and compassion that Muhammad Ali developed while growing up in Louisville helped him become a global icon,” Fischer said in statement released on Twitter. “As a boxer, he became ‘The Greatest,’ though his most lasting victories happened outside the ring. Muhammad leveraged his fame as a platform to promote peace, justice and humanitarian efforts around the world, while always keeping strong ties to his hometown.”
Fischer continued: “Today, Muhammad Ali’s fellow Louisvillians join the billions whose lives he touched worldwide in mourning his passing, celebrating his legacy, and committing to continue his fight to spread love and hope. Thank you, Muhammad, for all you’ve given your city, your country and the world.”
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama also paid tribute to Ali.
“Like everyone else on the planet, Michelle and I mourn his passing,” Obama said in a statement. The president said he keeps a pair of Ali’s gloves on display in his White House study. “But, we’re grateful to God for how fortunate we are to have known him, if just for a while; for how fortunate we all area that ‘The Greatest’ chose to grace our time.”
As beautifully chronicled by journalist Maureen Callahan in a 2015 New York Post article, defying the American government, Ali traveled to Iraq, where 15 Americans were being held hostage by Saddam Hussein in the run-up to the Gulf War: “As with much in Ali’s life, his mission was misconstrued and criticized. President George H.W. Bush did not approve.
‘I basically believe these people are playing into the propaganda game that Iraq is holding here,’ said Joseph Wilson, then the top American diplomat in Baghdad. ‘These people traveling to Iraq are making a serious mistake.’”
The New York Times also took jabs at the champ over his efforts to free the hostages.
Philip Shenon wrote in The New York Times: “Surely the strangest hostage-release campaign of recent days has been the ‘good-will tour’ of Muhammad Ali, the former heavyweight boxing champion…he has attended meeting after meeting in Baghdad despite his frequent inability to speak clearly.”
At that point, Ali was 48 years old and had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for six years. One week into his rescue mission in Iraq, Ali ran out of his Parkinson’s medication, the New York Post reported.
According to the New York Post: “’He could barely get out of bed,’ Vernon Nored, [who was Ali’s liaison from the U.S. Embassy], told ‘30 for 30.’ ‘He couldn’t stand up. And he couldn’t talk, because his voice wouldn’t go above a whisper.’”
Against overwhelming odds and outside pressure, Ali secured the release of all 15 American hostages.
“Muhammad Ali was not only a champion in the boxing ring, but he was a champion of human and civil rights,” said G. K. Butterfield, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. “During a difficult time in American history he stood on principle to end racism and bigotry. In doing so, Ali showed the world how a true champion can stand with courage, self-respect, and dignity.
Butterfield added: “Muhammad Ali made a considerable impact on the world and his spirit and his work will live on for generations to come. On behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, we send our deepest condolences to his family, and we mourn the loss of a true American hero.”
The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) also released a statement mourning Ali.
“We extend to the Ali family our heartfelt condolences. Representing the Black Press in America and throughout the world, the NNPA affirms Muhammad Ali’s outstanding world-class achievement, leadership and courage in boxing, human rights and philanthropy,” said NNPA President Dr. Benjamin Chavis.
Chavis continued: “Ali personified power and genius in the ongoing cause and struggle for freedom, justice, equality and empowerment. We now rededicate to keep his audacious voice and powerful legacy alive in all that we say, print, report and distribute. Long live the spirit of Muhammad Ali.”