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Our habitually dreadlocked idol has crossed all forms of barriers by fusing the rich, soulful and often rocking sounds of the 60's and 70's to receptive audiences of every class, creed and color. Lenny Kravitz is the epitome of retro and he has firmly established himself as one of the world's great style icons. Born in New York on the 26th of May 1964, Lenny's mother, Roxie Roker, was famous for her role in the popular T.V series The Jeffersons. His father was a television producer. His parents were friends of many musical legends, such as Count Basie, Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, and living in Los Angeles afforded a young Kravitz the chance to frequent the company of great musicians. Lenny grew up singing in the California Boys Choir and later focused his attentions on pop and rock, naming himself "Romeo Blue" as a derivative of the Prince - Purple Rain era. This however failed to get him the recognition he aspired to and sent him back to the drawing board, as he focused away from Prince, and shifted his attention towards the likes of Hendrix, Marley and the Beatles. It was during this time in New York that he met and married Lisa Bonnet, who played Denise in The Cosby Show. His new and refreshing sound got him signed to Virgin Records in 1989, and gave way to the release of his debut album "Let Love Rule," later that year. The title track was quickly picked up and shot to hit-status through radio and TV airplay. At the same time Lenny also wrote the song "Justify my Love," which was a hit-single for Madonna. Kravitz and Bonnet divorced in the early 90's, and he poured all of that emotional energy into his second release "Mama Said," where he collaborated with Gun's & Roses guitarist Slash on the track "Always On The Run." Many feel Lenny Kravitz's best album to date is still the 1993 release, "Are You Gonna Go My Way" - The album responsible for catapulting him to stardom, largely thanks to the title track. In a disappointing twist, 1995's "Circus" was slated by critics and when Kravitz returned with 1998's "5," it seemed as if he'd regained some of the magic he was accused of losing three years earlier. Not an initial hit, "5" proved exceptional fortitude and eventually became the biggest selling Lenny Kravitz album to date. Kravitz released a Greatest Hits album in 2000, sporting 15 of the biggest Lenny Kravitz singles, and the album "Lenny," his 6th studio effort, was released in 2001. The latest Kravitz bomb, "Baptism," dropped in 2004 and is still stepping through the paces of what has, for the most part, become an intense musical journey through the eyes of the demigod, Lenny Kravitz.
Pd Stoman July 2005
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