Mixed Race Celebrity Mondays: Lenny Kravitz

Lenny Kravitz

Lenny Kravitz has always been one of my favorite celebrities. He's one fine looking man as well as being his own man, himself; never one to fit inside any one definition nor the standard "box" that society wants us to remain inside. I've been to two of his concerts live and both were an experience and a special world, unto themselves. Bro Lenny can perform and work an audience like few in his field. His longevity in the world of entertainment is a testament to his remarkable abilities. Although not a gay man (although I wish he were), he obviously is comfortable with his body and harbors no fears of sharing his nudity with others.

Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz was born on May 26, 1964, in New York City. His mother is Roxie Roker, a woman of African-Carribean descent from The Bahamas. She is well-known for her role as Helen Willis in the hit TV series, The Jeffersons. His father is Sy Kravitz, a Russian Jew who was a NBC television news producer. He was named after his uncle, PFC Leonard Kravitz, who was killed in action during the Korean War.

Lenny with Dreads and Nude

 Kravitz attended P.S. 6 for elementary school and before entering there already was demonstrating his interest and propensity for music. By the age of 3, he was regularly in the kitchen banging on pots and pans, using them as drums. It was during elementary school that he began to play the drums and soon adding the guitar to his repertoire. "My parents were very supportive of the fact that I loved music early on, and they took me to a lot of shows." he is quoted as telling the media.

In 1974, at the age of 10 years old, the family moved to Los Angeles, California, when his mother secured her character in television. While there, for three years he sang with the California Boys Choir where he learned classical music. He also sang with the Metropolitan Opera and also performed in Mahler's Third Symphony at the Hollywood Bowl. It was when living in Los Angeles that Lenny was introduced to rock music, listening to Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Cream and The Who. Other significant influences were Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, Bob Marley and John Lennon. He attended Beverly Hills High School and it was there that he taught himself to play both the piano and bass. He was a mediocre student spending more time with music than his studies. He graduated BHHS in 1982, and convinced his parents to fund a recording session in lieu of college tuition.

From this initial demo, Mr. Kravitz received offers from several record labels. At the time, he was also told to change his style as he wasn't "black enough" for R&B-friendly radio stations nor was was he "white enough" for rock-friendly stations. "I refused," he told the Los Angeles Times in a 1989 interview.

Lenny Shirtless with Nipple Ring

He finally made a record deal with Virgin Records in January, 1989, and his first album, Let Love Rule, was released on September 6, of that same year to mixed reviews. The album was a moderate success in the USA but proved to be an instant hit in Europe and Australia. He was soon signed on as the opening act for rock groups: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan and David Bowie. In 1990, he wrote and produced, along with Ingrid Chavez, "Justify My Love" for the pop artist Madonna for her album, The Immaculate Collection.

In 1991, he released his second album, Mama Said, which soon rocketed to the Top 40, his first album to do so. Two tracks from this production, "It Ain't Over Til It's Over" and "Always On The Run" both landed on Billboard's Top 100. This success marked his official arrival into the rock scene and his astronomical career was now in orbit. From here on out, he was now recognized as both a talent and phenomenon within the music industry. In 1993, his third album was released, Are You Gonna Go My Way, which earned him the BRIT Award for best international male artist in 1994. This disc also won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video in 1993 for the title track.

Now established in his chosen profession, the early awards were soon followed by others. Between 1999 and 2002, he consecutively received The Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, breaking the record for most wins in that category and for most consecutive wins in any category. In addition to the Grammys, he also received The American Music Awards, Radio Music Awards and Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.

2009: Lenny and Ass

Lenny Kravitz is recognized throughout the world as an accomplished singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger. His acclaimed unique style incorporates elements of rock, soul, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads. His latest album, Black and White America is due to be released in the Spring, 2011.

I, and many other mixed-race offspring, can identify with Lenny Kravitz as he shares his experience of not being black enough nor being white enough, early in his career. His achievements are an inspiration to us all.

Mr. Kravitz participated in the benefit auction for the Red Hot Organization, in conjunction with Amazon.com, in their efforts to raise public awareness concerning HIV/AIDS in 2001.