Lenny Kravitz
Encyclopedia
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter
, multi-instrumentalist
, record producer and arranger
, whose "retro
" style incorporates elements of rock, soul
, R&B, funk
, reggae
, hard rock
, psychedelic
, folk
and ballads. In addition to singing lead and backing vocals, Kravitz often plays all the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and percussion himself when recording. He is known for his elaborate stage performances and music videos.
Kravitz has had multiple number 1 hits on the US Top Singles Charts, though none by himself on the Hot 100, and many more worldwide. He won the Grammy Award
for "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
" four years in a row from 1999 to 2002, breaking the record for most wins in that category and most consecutive wins in one category for a male. He has been nominated and won other awards, including American Music Awards
, MTV Video Music Awards
, Radio Music Awards, BRIT Awards
and Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. On December 1, 2011, Kravitz was made an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
. Kravitz is playing Cinna in the film The Hunger Games
.
, an actress known for her character Helen Willis in the 1970s hit television sitcom The Jeffersons
, and Sy Kravitz
, an NBC television news producer. Kravitz's father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was of Bahamian
and African-American descent. Kravitz was named after his uncle, PFC
Leonard Kravitz, who was killed in action in the Korean War at age 20 while defending against a Chinese attack and saving most of his platoon; he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
.
Kravitz grew up spending weekdays on the Upper East Side
of Manhattan
with his parents, attending P.S.6 for elementary school and weekends at his grandmother Bessie Roker's house in the Bedford-Stuyvesant
neighborhood of Brooklyn
. Kravitz began banging on pots and pans in the kitchen, playing them as drums at the age of three. At the age of five, he wanted to be a musician. He began playing the drums and soon added guitar. Kravitz grew up listening to the music his parents listened to: R&B
, jazz
, classical
, opera, gospel
, and blues
. "My parents were very supportive of the fact that I loved music early on, and they took me to a lot of shows," Kravitz said. Around the age of 7, he saw The Jackson 5
perform at Madison Square Garden
, which became his favorite group. His father, who was also a jazz promoter, was friends with Duke Ellington
, Sarah Vaughan
, Count Basie
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Bobby Short
, Miles Davis
and other jazz greats. Ellington even played "Happy Birthday
" for him one year when he was about 5. He was exposed to the soul music
of Motown
, Stax
, James Brown
, Aretha Franklin
, Al Green
, Stevie Wonder
, Curtis Mayfield
, Gladys Knight
, The Isley Brothers
and Gamble and Huff
growing up, key influences on his musical style. Kravitz often went to see New York theater, where his mother worked. His mother encouraged his dreams of pursuing music.
In 1974, the Kravitz family relocated to Los Angeles when Kravitz's mother landed her role on The Jeffersons. At his mother's urging, Kravitz joined the California Boys Choir for three years, where he performed a classical repertoire, and sang with the Metropolitan Opera
. He performed in Mahler's
Third Symphony
at the Hollywood Bowl
. It was in Los Angeles that Kravitz was first introduced to rock music, listening to Led Zeppelin
, Kiss
, Aerosmith
, Jimi Hendrix
, Pink Floyd
, Cream
, and The Who
. "I was attracted to the cool style, the girls, the rock 'n' roll lifestyle," Kravitz said. Kravitz's other musical influences at the time included Fela Kuti
, Bill Withers
, Marvin Gaye
and Miles Davis
; John Lennon
and Bob Marley
proved later to be influential as well. Kravitz attended Beverly Hills High School
. Maria McKee
and guitarist Saul Hudson (better known as Slash
) were his classmates. In 1978, Kravitz was accepted into the school's well-respected music program. He taught himself to play piano and bass, and made friends with Zoro
who would later become his long-time collaborator. Kravitz wanted to be a session musician
. He also appeared as an actor in television commercials during this time.
recording studio. The two shared an interest in using real instruments and vintage recording equipment, as well as a love of R&B, jazz, and rock. Kravitz would go on to collaborate with Hirsch on most of his albums. Kravitz began working on his debut album with Hirsch over the next year and a half, with Kravitz's father paying for the studio time. Kravitz met saxophonist Karl Denson
and invited him to play on the song, "Let Love Rule". Kravitz was so impressed with his playing that Denson played on much of the album. Denson toured with Kravitz for the next 5 years. In October 1988, after completing most of the recording, Kravitz approached friend Stephen Elvis Smith who had served as the Music Supervisor on Lisa Bonet
's spin-off of The Cosby Show
, "A Different World". Smith had also worked with Kravitz' mother Roxie Roker
, on the hit sitcom "The Jeffersons
". Kravitz urged Smith to manage his career and assist him in finding a record deal. In less than a month of shopping the recordings, five labels (Warner Bros, Elektra, Geffen, Capitol and Virgin) were in a bidding war for Kravitz. Eventually a deal was made with Virgin Records in January 1989, and signed by Virgin A & R executive Nancy Jeffries. The label was excited about the music he was making, music inspired by his relationship with wife Bonet and their new daughter. On Smith's urging, Kravitz dropped the name Romeo Blue and reclaimed the Lenny Kravitz moniker. About his time as Romeo Blue, Kravitz said, "Ultimately, it got me back to myself. And when I finally did accept myself for myself, music started flowing out of me."
Kravitz released his debut album Let Love Rule
on September 6, 1989, a combination of rock and funk with a general 1960s vibe. Music critics were mixed: some felt Kravitz was a gifted new artist, others felt he was overpowered by his musical influences. The album was a moderate success in the United States, but became an instant hit outside of the US, especially in Europe. Lisa Bonet directed the debut music video for the title track, "Let Love Rule". Stephen Smith signed Kravitz with talent booking agency CAA, who soon were fielding offers for Kravitz, first on a club tour, and then in opening slots for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan and David Bowie. Having played essentially all of the instruments on the album, Kravitz had to quickly assemble a touring band to support the Let Love Rule release. They included a childhood friend, Zoro
on drums (formerly of Bobby Brown's band), Adam Widoff (guitar), Lebron Scott (bass guitar, recruited out of Curtis Mayfield's band after seeing them perform in a NYC club), Kenneth Crouch (keyboards) and Karl Denson
on saxophone.
In May 2009, a 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of "Let Love Rule" was released worldwide by Virgin. The double disk includes a booklet with rare photos, and 18 additional demos, bonus tracks and live recordings. Kravitz launched a LLR(20) tour of Europe and the United States in support of the re-release.
" for Madonna
. The song, which appeared on her greatest hits album The Immaculate Collection
and created controversy because of its explicit video, went to #1 for two consecutive weeks. When MTV banned the video, the video was quickly made available for sale at record stores, and immediately sold over 500,000 copies. Kravitz separated from Lisa Bonet in 1991, amid rumors of an affair between him and Madonna. Kravitz has denied any infidelity. Kravitz and Bonet divorced in 1993.
In 1991, Kravitz produced the self-titled album Vanessa Paradis
for French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis
. He played most of the instruments and co-wrote most of the songs on the album. He also released his second album, Mama Said, which was his first album to reach the Top 40. The songs on the album were about Bonet and dedicated to her, documenting his depression over their breakup. Kravitz's biggest single yet, "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over
", went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The single "Always on the Run
", a tribute to his mother, featured Slash
on guitar. "Stand By My Woman" and "What Goes Around Comes Around" followed. Sean Lennon
co-wrote and played piano on the song, "All I Ever Wanted". In 2001, Kravitz participated in a benefit auction for the Red Hot Organization
, in conjunction with Amazon.com
to increase public AIDS awareness, which ran from February 28 until April 11, 2001. The event featured rare RHO memorabilia and the work of Rolling Stone
photographer Mark Seliger
.
In 1993, Kravitz wrote "Line Up" for Aerosmith's
Steven Tyler
, and appeared on Mick Jagger
's solo album, Wandering Spirit
, in a cover of the Bill Withers
' soul classic, "Use Me". That year Kravitz also got to work with idols Al Green
and Curtis Mayfield
.
In 1993, Are You Gonna Go My Way
was released, reaching #12 on the Billboard 200 and Kravitz earned a BRIT Award
for best international male artist in 1994. The title track
won a MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video
for the video produced by Mark Romanek
, in which Kravitz slung his dreadlocks and wore high-heeled platform boots. During the presentation of the MTV Video Music Awards
, he performed the song with John Paul Jones
of Led Zeppelin
on bass. Several singles from the album would follow including, "Believe", "Is There Any Love In Your Heart", and "Heaven Help/Spinning Around Over You". This album was the first to feature guitarist Craig Ross
, who has also played on all his subsequent albums. One song, "Eleutheria", was influenced by the island Eleuthera
in The Bahamas where Kravitz built a house and recording studio at that time. In 1993, he also released the EP, Spinning Around Over You, which included four live tracks from his "Universal Love Tour". A feature documentary about his 1994 tour entitled "Alive From Planet Earth" was directed by Doug Nichol
and released.
In 1994, Kravitz recorded a funk-rock version of the song "Deuce
", for the KISS
cover album KISS My Ass: Classic KISS Regrooved
. The track featured Stevie Wonder
on harmonica and background vocals. This song was one of three radio singles from the album, and was also the album's lead-off track.
Roxie Roker, Kravitz's mother, died in California on December 2, 1995 of breast cancer at the age of 66.
In 1995, Lenny Kravitz released the album Circus, which went to number 10 on the Billboard chart on the back of his past achievement. However, the album only had two hit singles: "Rock and Roll Is Dead
" and "Can't Get You Off My Mind".
With 5
(1998), Kravitz embraced digital technology such as Pro Tools
and sampler
s for the first time. 5 introduced his music to an even wider audience thanks to the hit single "Fly Away
" being featured prominently in both car manufacturer and airline commercials. 5 would reach #28 on the Billboard 200, with "Fly Away" reaching #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in the United Kingdom
. He would win the first of his four consecutive Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
at the Grammy Awards of 1999
. Other hits from the album included "If You Can't Say No", that was also remixed by dance producer Brian Transeau, and "I Belong to You
". For the I Belong to You
video Lenny can be seen without his signature dreadlocks
. In 1999 he produced and sang with Cree Summer
on her solo album Street Faerie
.
His cover version
of The Guess Who's
hit "American Woman
" won him another Grammy at the Grammy Awards of 2000
and helped The Guess Who's song reach a new audience. Kravitz's version of the song originally came from the soundtrack of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
and was added to 5 as a bonus track in 1999.
Lenny worked on two songs for Michael Jackson
's Invincible album released in 2001; a snippet of "Another Day
" has leaked, and the full version was officially released on the album Michael in 2010 .
Kravitz released a Greatest Hits
album in 2000. It proved to be his most successful album, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200 and selling nearly 11 million copies worldwide and ultimately becoming one of the most commercially successful albums of the decade. The single "Again
" earned him his third consecutive Grammy for the Best Male Rock Vocal in the Grammy Awards of 2001
and peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Kravitz also co-wrote the song "God Gave Me Everything" with Mick Jagger
in this period, appearing on Jagger's 2001 solo album Goddess in the Doorway
and in the film Being Mick
.
in October 2001. The album was recorded in Miami. Kravitz wrote the song "Bank Robber Man" after the Miami Police Department
detained and cuffed him while walking to the gym with his trainer because police stated that he matched the description of a bank robber. Kravitz did not have any identification with him at the time and the police on the scene did not believe that he was indeed Lenny Kravitz. The bank teller who was robbed was then brought to the scene and said Kravitz was not the bank robber. Miami Police later sent officers to Kravitz's home to apologize for the detention. When asked if he thought the incident was a case of racial profiling
, Kravitz said he wasn’t sure although some of the lyrics in the song suggest otherwise. The first single from the album, "Dig In
", went to number 1 in Argentina and the top 10 in Italy and Portugal. The video for "Dig In" was originally supposed to be shot at the top of the Empire State Building
on September 12, 2001 but the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center
on September 11, 2001 caused the location to be moved. The video was later shot off the coast Miami. He won his fourth Grammy in 2002
. "Stillness of Heart", "Believe in Me", and "If I Could Fall In Love" were subsequent singles from the album.
Kravitz was the subject of a photo book by former chief photographer for Rolling Stone, Mark Seliger
. Published in November 2001, Seliger captures Kravitz on tour, with family, with friends and in posed portraits.
Jay-Z
invited Kravitz to appear on the track "Guns and Roses" on his 2002 The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse. Kravitz would also join P. Diddy
, Pharrell and Loon
on the track "Show Me Your Soul" from the Bad Boys II Soundtrack
.
In September 2002, Kravitz appeared alongside other rock stars in the episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation
" of The Simpsons
.
In early 2003, Kravitz released the track "We Want Peace" as a download-only track as a protest against the 2003 invasion of Iraq
, he performed this alongside famous Iraq
i singer Kazem Al Saher at Rock The Vote
. The track reached #1 on the world internet download charts and MP3.com
download chart. Kravitz also appeared on Unity, the official album of the 2004 Athens Olympics
, and performed a cover of "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)
" on the album Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
.
In late 2004, Kravitz dated actress Nicole Kidman
and reportedly dedicated his hit song "Lady
" to her. They split in 2005.
Kravitz's seventh album Baptism
was released in May 2004. The first single was "Where Are We Runnin'?
". The single "California" failed to be commercially successful, but "Storm", featuring Jay-Z
, reached the charts. "Calling All Angels" was successful in various countries and a huge hit in Brazil, however it was "Lady" that became the album's surprise hit, making the US Top 30 and propelling Baptism to gold status. Also in 2004, he appeared on N.E.R.D's album Fly or Die
. From March 2005, Kravitz toured all over the world with the tour Electric Church, which ended at the Brixton Academy, London in July 2005. Kravitz served as the opening act for Aerosmith
who are long term friends of Kravitz on their fall 2005 tour. The tour began on October 30 at the Mohegan Sun Arena
in Uncasville, Connecticut
. The night before that tour started, October 29, 2005, Lenny's father TV Producer Sy Kravitz
died. During that first show, Lenny broke the news to the stunned crowd and stated it was not a time to be sad but rather a time to celebrate because he is now in Heaven. Lenny then dedicated Let Love Rule
to his father. That tour was so successful that it was extended through February 25, 2006 and ended in Anaheim, California.
. This song was re-mixed by ten musical producers and distributed via the internet.
Kravitz appeared in the audience of Madonna's Confessions Tour
(2006) during numerous shows. He would later join Madonna live on stage to play guitar on the song, "I Love New York," at the last of four Paris shows.
Lately, Kravitz has founded a design firm named Kravitz Design
, stating if he hadn't been a musician he would have been a designer. Kravitz Design, focused on interior and furniture design, has designed residential spaces, as well as a chandelier for the crystal company Swarovski
, named "Casino Royale."
On July 7, 2007, Kravitz performed at the Brazilian leg
of Live Earth
in Rio de Janeiro, making him one of three major international rock stars to perform two huge free concerts at the world-famous Copacabana Beach along with Macy Gray and the Rolling Stones. Kravitz had already played there on March 21, 2005, drawing 300,000 people on a concert of his own. The Live Earth
concert, with eight other acts on the bill, including Pharrell and Macy Gray
, took 400,000 to the beach.
Also in 2007, Kravitz released a version of "Cold Turkey
" by John Lennon
on the charity CD Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
. Kravitz also spent time recording his latest album, It Is Time for a Love Revolution
, released February 5, 2008.
On September 25, 2007, the Fats Domino
tribute album "Goin' Home ; A Tribute To Fats Domino" was released. Kravitz was on the song "Whole Lotta Lovin'" along with Rebirth Brass Band
, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews
, Fred Wesley
, Pee Wee Ellis
and Maceo Parker
.
Kravitz performed at the Grey Cup
halftime show in Toronto at the Rogers Centre
on November 25, 2007, where the Saskatchewan Roughriders
beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
23-19.
The original video for "I'll Be Waiting
" was shot in Central Park
in New York City with Marc Webb
directing but that video was later shelved and a new version, which Kravitz co-directed with Philip Andelman, was filmed in Lenny's New York City recording studio. The video premiered on VH1's Top 20 Countdown at number 3.
On January 17, 2008, Kravitz embarked on a 9 city mini-tour to promote his new album It Is Time for a Love Revolution. The tour started in Santa Monica
, California and ended in New York City on February 1. The tour was done in association with Myspace and called the "Get on the Bus" tour. At each stop on the tour, they would pick up one contest winner and their guest and they rode on the "Love Revolution" bus until the end of the tour. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, a close friend of Lenny's would appear at The Orpheum Theater in Boston. The New York City winner, Tyrone Good was presented a train ticket from Penn Station to travel to Philadelphia and rode with the tour the rest of the way starting in Philadelphia (The Electric Factory), Boston (The Orpheum Theater), and finally New York City (The Hammerstein Ballroom). The winners were featured in the YRB February Edition alongside Lenny Kravitz in a magazine pull-out. The photo shoot took place at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia on stage. The winner's pull out was featured in another issue of YRB which had Lil' Wayne on the cover.
On February 11, 2008, Kravitz was admitted to Miami Hospital suffering from severe bronchitis
. He had been suffering from a series of severe respiratory tract infections since mid-January, and the illness developed into bronchitis.
Kravitz's illness had forced him to postpone Canadian dates and his trip to Europe to promote his album It Is Time for a Love Revolution. On March 19, 2008 he canceled the South American part of his tour due to the same illness. The decision affected planned concerts in Colombia
, Mexico, Brazil
and Argentina
. In Argentina Kravitz had a performance in the biggest rock festival there, Quilmes Rock Fest.
On July 15, 2008, Lenny was honored in Milan
, Italy with the key to the city in a special toast ceremony for his work with the United Nations Millennium Campaign to end world poverty
.
Kravitz made his feature film acting debut in Precious
which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009.
During the Italian leg of his 53 date Let Love Rule (20)09 European tour, Kravitz had been instructed to cancel some shows due to a bad bout of bronchitis
. Under strict orders from his doctor, the singer was told to rest so that he could make a quick recovery and return to the stage for the rest of his tour. Shows scheduled for Rome on June 5 and Brescia on June 6 were postponed to late July.
's studio while taking a break for several months from recording in New York City. A video on Kravitz's Twitter page shows him working on one of the songs for the album, called "Super Love", in his GTS studios in the Bahamas. Another video shows him working on another track titled "Life Ain't Never Been Better Than It Is Now" in his GTS Studios. On his Twitter page, Kravitz said that the album title was Negrophilia but then "felt like something else". Eventually the album was later named Black and White America. The album is set for August 22, 2011 in Europe and August 30, 2011 in the U.S.
On February 20, 2011 the first single "Come on Get It" was released. On June 6, 2011 the second single "Stand
" was released.
It was announced that Kravitz would be supporting U2
on their highly successful 360 Tour on the second North American leg in 2010. Kravitz agreed to support them for four shows. Though the shows were postponed until 2011, Kravitz remains committed for four of the shows.
In June 2010 it was announced that Kravitz would guest star on an episode of the upcoming season of Entourage
.
On May 23, 2011, Lionsgate announced that Kravitz will be joining the cast and crew of The Hunger Games as Katniss' creative stylist, Cinna.
On December 1, 2011, Kravitz was honored with one of the highest cultural awards in France when he was made an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
by French cultural minister Frederic Mitterrand in Paris. Kravitz stated he was "particularly touched" to receive the award in France as his success in the country pre-dated his success in the United States and still enjoys great record sales in the country today. Kravitz joins other American recipients such as Martin Socrsese, George Clooney, and Bob Dylan.
backstage at a New Edition
concert. Bonet worked on The Cosby Show
, the number one rated show on television. They were close friends for two years before falling in love. Kravitz moved back to New York City where The Cosby Show was produced in 1987, moving in with then girlfriend Bonet. Kravitz and Bonet elope
d on November 16, 1987, her 20th birthday, in a Las Vegas
ceremony. Kravitz, still known as Romeo Blue at the time, suddenly found himself in the headlines of tabloid
newspapers. They had a daughter, Zoë Isabella Kravitz
, born on December 1, 1988. Kravitz and Bonet divorced in 1993. In 2002, Adriana Lima
claimed she was engaged to Kravitz sporting a diamond ring, although he denied that.
Kravitz identifies himself as a Christian, "through choice but I'm also a Jew, it's all the same to me". During another interview Kravitz stated, "I'm half Jewish, I'm half black, I look in-between." He also notes that spirituality "has been an important issue in my growth", given his upbringing by parents of different faiths. Such spirituality is prominently featured on many of his songs, such as the lyrics on his album Baptism, and having his back inscribed with a tattoo stating, "My Heart Belongs to Jesus Christ."
|-
! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Grammy Award
|-
|-
! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | MTV Video Music Awards
|-
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, record producer and arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, whose "retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
" style incorporates elements of rock, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, R&B, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, psychedelic
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and ballads. In addition to singing lead and backing vocals, Kravitz often plays all the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and percussion himself when recording. He is known for his elaborate stage performances and music videos.
Kravitz has had multiple number 1 hits on the US Top Singles Charts, though none by himself on the Hot 100, and many more worldwide. He won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to male recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre...
" four years in a row from 1999 to 2002, breaking the record for most wins in that category and most consecutive wins in one category for a male. He has been nominated and won other awards, including American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
, MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
, Radio Music Awards, BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
and Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. On December 1, 2011, Kravitz was made an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
. Kravitz is playing Cinna in the film The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games (film)
The Hunger Games is an upcoming science fiction action drama film directed by Gary Ross and is based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth...
.
Early life
Kravitz was born in New York City on May 26, 1964, the son of Roxie RokerRoxie Roker
Roxie Albertha Roker was an American actress, best known for her groundbreaking role as Helen Willis on the sitcom The Jeffersons, half of the first interracial couple to be shown on regular prime time television...
, an actress known for her character Helen Willis in the 1970s hit television sitcom The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
, and Sy Kravitz
Sy Kravitz
Seymour "Sy" Kravitz was an American filmmaker and NBC TV news producer.Kravitz was of Russian Jewish descent. He was married to actress Roxie Roker from 1962 to 1985. Kravitz and Roker were the parents of the rock musician Lenny Kravitz...
, an NBC television news producer. Kravitz's father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was of Bahamian
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
and African-American descent. Kravitz was named after his uncle, PFC
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
Leonard Kravitz, who was killed in action in the Korean War at age 20 while defending against a Chinese attack and saving most of his platoon; he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
.
Kravitz grew up spending weekdays on the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
with his parents, attending P.S.6 for elementary school and weekends at his grandmother Bessie Roker's house in the Bedford-Stuyvesant
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Bedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 79th and 81st...
neighborhood of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Kravitz began banging on pots and pans in the kitchen, playing them as drums at the age of three. At the age of five, he wanted to be a musician. He began playing the drums and soon added guitar. Kravitz grew up listening to the music his parents listened to: R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, opera, gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
. "My parents were very supportive of the fact that I loved music early on, and they took me to a lot of shows," Kravitz said. Around the age of 7, he saw The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
perform at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
, which became his favorite group. His father, who was also a jazz promoter, was friends with Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
, Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Bobby Short
Bobby Short
Robert Waltrip "Bobby" Short was an American cabaret singer and pianist, best known for his interpretations of songs by popular composers of the first half of the 20th century such as Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Noel Coward and George and Ira Gershwin.He...
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
and other jazz greats. Ellington even played "Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to You
"Happy Birthday to You", also known more simply as "Happy Birthday", is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth...
" for him one year when he was about 5. He was exposed to the soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
of Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
, Stax
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
, Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
, The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
and Gamble and Huff
Gamble and Huff
Kenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff are an American songwriting and record production team who have written and produced over 170 gold and platinum records. They were pioneers of Philadelphia soul and the in-house creative team for the Philadelphia International record label...
growing up, key influences on his musical style. Kravitz often went to see New York theater, where his mother worked. His mother encouraged his dreams of pursuing music.
In 1974, the Kravitz family relocated to Los Angeles when Kravitz's mother landed her role on The Jeffersons. At his mother's urging, Kravitz joined the California Boys Choir for three years, where he performed a classical repertoire, and sang with the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
. He performed in Mahler's
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
Third Symphony
Symphony No. 3 (Mahler)
The Symphony No. 3 by Gustav Mahler was written between 1893 and 1896. It is his longest piece and is the longest symphony in the standard repertoire, with a typical performance lasting around ninety to one hundred minutes.- Structure :...
at the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
. It was in Los Angeles that Kravitz was first introduced to rock music, listening to Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. "I was attracted to the cool style, the girls, the rock 'n' roll lifestyle," Kravitz said. Kravitz's other musical influences at the time included Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
, Bill Withers
Bill Withers
William Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
; John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
proved later to be influential as well. Kravitz attended Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. Beverly is part of the Beverly Hills Unified School District and located on on the west side of Beverly Hills, at the...
. Maria McKee
Maria McKee
Maria Luisa McKee is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her work with Lone Justice and her 1990 UK solo chart-topping hit, "Show Me Heaven".-Music:...
and guitarist Saul Hudson (better known as Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
) were his classmates. In 1978, Kravitz was accepted into the school's well-respected music program. He taught himself to play piano and bass, and made friends with Zoro
Zoro (drummer)
Zoro is an American drummer, mainly in the styles of rock, R&B, and hip hop. Zoro is known as 'The Minister of Groove'. His outstanding feel, drive, syncopation and deep philosophies towards drumming have made him one of the most well-known and respected drummers in the world today.An interesting...
who would later become his long-time collaborator. Kravitz wanted to be a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
. He also appeared as an actor in television commercials during this time.
1989–1990: Virgin Records and the career debut
With record labels still telling him his music wasn't "black enough" or "white enough," Kravitz decided to record an album on his own. Kravitz had met recording engineer/keyboardist/bassist Henry Hirsch in 1985 when recording a demo at his Hoboken, New JerseyHoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
recording studio. The two shared an interest in using real instruments and vintage recording equipment, as well as a love of R&B, jazz, and rock. Kravitz would go on to collaborate with Hirsch on most of his albums. Kravitz began working on his debut album with Hirsch over the next year and a half, with Kravitz's father paying for the studio time. Kravitz met saxophonist Karl Denson
Karl Denson
Karl Denson is a funk and jazz saxophonist, flutist and vocalist from San Diego, California. He was a member of Lenny Kravitz's band and has co-founded and led The Greyboy Allstars. Denson has recorded with artists including Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Blind Boys of Alabama, Blackalicious,...
and invited him to play on the song, "Let Love Rule". Kravitz was so impressed with his playing that Denson played on much of the album. Denson toured with Kravitz for the next 5 years. In October 1988, after completing most of the recording, Kravitz approached friend Stephen Elvis Smith who had served as the Music Supervisor on Lisa Bonet
Lisa Bonet
Lisa Bonet , also known as Lilakoi Moon, is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Denise Huxtable Kendall on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and originally starring in its spinoff A Different World.-Early life:Bonet was born in San Francisco, California...
's spin-off of The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, "A Different World". Smith had also worked with Kravitz' mother Roxie Roker
Roxie Roker
Roxie Albertha Roker was an American actress, best known for her groundbreaking role as Helen Willis on the sitcom The Jeffersons, half of the first interracial couple to be shown on regular prime time television...
, on the hit sitcom "The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons
The Jeffersons is an American sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, through June 25, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. The show was produced by the T.A.T. Communications Company from 1975–1982 and by Embassy Television from 1982-1985...
". Kravitz urged Smith to manage his career and assist him in finding a record deal. In less than a month of shopping the recordings, five labels (Warner Bros, Elektra, Geffen, Capitol and Virgin) were in a bidding war for Kravitz. Eventually a deal was made with Virgin Records in January 1989, and signed by Virgin A & R executive Nancy Jeffries. The label was excited about the music he was making, music inspired by his relationship with wife Bonet and their new daughter. On Smith's urging, Kravitz dropped the name Romeo Blue and reclaimed the Lenny Kravitz moniker. About his time as Romeo Blue, Kravitz said, "Ultimately, it got me back to myself. And when I finally did accept myself for myself, music started flowing out of me."
Kravitz released his debut album Let Love Rule
Let Love Rule
Let Love Rule is the debut album of American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on September 19, 1989 by Virgin Records America. Then-wife Lisa Bonet wrote the lyrics to "Fear" and co-wrote the lyrics on the song, "Rosemary"....
on September 6, 1989, a combination of rock and funk with a general 1960s vibe. Music critics were mixed: some felt Kravitz was a gifted new artist, others felt he was overpowered by his musical influences. The album was a moderate success in the United States, but became an instant hit outside of the US, especially in Europe. Lisa Bonet directed the debut music video for the title track, "Let Love Rule". Stephen Smith signed Kravitz with talent booking agency CAA, who soon were fielding offers for Kravitz, first on a club tour, and then in opening slots for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan and David Bowie. Having played essentially all of the instruments on the album, Kravitz had to quickly assemble a touring band to support the Let Love Rule release. They included a childhood friend, Zoro
Zoro (drummer)
Zoro is an American drummer, mainly in the styles of rock, R&B, and hip hop. Zoro is known as 'The Minister of Groove'. His outstanding feel, drive, syncopation and deep philosophies towards drumming have made him one of the most well-known and respected drummers in the world today.An interesting...
on drums (formerly of Bobby Brown's band), Adam Widoff (guitar), Lebron Scott (bass guitar, recruited out of Curtis Mayfield's band after seeing them perform in a NYC club), Kenneth Crouch (keyboards) and Karl Denson
Karl Denson
Karl Denson is a funk and jazz saxophonist, flutist and vocalist from San Diego, California. He was a member of Lenny Kravitz's band and has co-founded and led The Greyboy Allstars. Denson has recorded with artists including Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Blind Boys of Alabama, Blackalicious,...
on saxophone.
In May 2009, a 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of "Let Love Rule" was released worldwide by Virgin. The double disk includes a booklet with rare photos, and 18 additional demos, bonus tracks and live recordings. Kravitz launched a LLR(20) tour of Europe and the United States in support of the re-release.
1991–2001: Popularity established
In 1990, Kravitz co-wrote with Ingrid Chavez and produced the song "Justify My LoveJustify My Love
"Justify My Love" is the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 1990 greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection and was released on November 6, 1990, by Sire Records. It caused international controversy due to the accompanying music video which was sexually explicit...
" for Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
. The song, which appeared on her greatest hits album The Immaculate Collection
The Immaculate Collection
The Immaculate Collection is the first greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on November 9, 1990 by Sire Records. It contains fifteen of her hit singles from 1982 to 1990, as well as two new tracks "Justify My Love" and "Rescue Me"...
and created controversy because of its explicit video, went to #1 for two consecutive weeks. When MTV banned the video, the video was quickly made available for sale at record stores, and immediately sold over 500,000 copies. Kravitz separated from Lisa Bonet in 1991, amid rumors of an affair between him and Madonna. Kravitz has denied any infidelity. Kravitz and Bonet divorced in 1993.
In 1991, Kravitz produced the self-titled album Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Paradis (album)
Vanessa Paradis is the self-titled third album and English debut by popular French singer Vanessa Paradis. It was released in 1992 and contains the singles "Be My Baby" and "Sunday Mondays".-Background and writing:...
for French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Chantal Paradis is a French singer, model and actress. She became a child star at 14 with the worldwide success of her single "Joe le taxi"...
. He played most of the instruments and co-wrote most of the songs on the album. He also released his second album, Mama Said, which was his first album to reach the Top 40. The songs on the album were about Bonet and dedicated to her, documenting his depression over their breakup. Kravitz's biggest single yet, "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over
It Ain't Over 'til It's Over
"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" is a song recorded, written, and produced by American musician Lenny Kravitz for his second studio album, Mama Said . Released as the album's second single in May 1991, the song is a mid-tempo ballad, musically inspired by Motown, Philly soul, and Earth, Wind & Fire...
", went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The single "Always on the Run
Always on the Run
"Always on the Run" is the first single released from Mama Said by Lenny Kravitz. It features a notable collaboration by former Guns N' Roses guitarist, Slash...
", a tribute to his mother, featured Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
on guitar. "Stand By My Woman" and "What Goes Around Comes Around" followed. Sean Lennon
Sean Lennon
is an American singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist and actor. He is the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. His godfather is Sir Elton John.-Early life and education:...
co-wrote and played piano on the song, "All I Ever Wanted". In 2001, Kravitz participated in a benefit auction for the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
, in conjunction with Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
to increase public AIDS awareness, which ran from February 28 until April 11, 2001. The event featured rare RHO memorabilia and the work of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
photographer Mark Seliger
Mark Seliger
Mark Seliger is an American photographer noted for his portraiture.Seliger was born in Amarillo, Texas and attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, and Texas A&M University–Commerce. Seliger served as the chief photographer for Rolling Stone from 1992 to 2002 and...
.
In 1993, Kravitz wrote "Line Up" for Aerosmith's
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
, and appeared on Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
's solo album, Wandering Spirit
Wandering Spirit (album)
Wandering Spirit is the third solo album by Mick Jagger. Released in 1993, it was his only solo album release of the 1990s.Following the The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels , Jagger began writing new material for what would become Wandering Spirit...
, in a cover of the Bill Withers
Bill Withers
William Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...
' soul classic, "Use Me". That year Kravitz also got to work with idols Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
and Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
.
In 1993, Are You Gonna Go My Way
Are You Gonna Go My Way
Are You Gonna Go My Way is the third studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on March 9, 1993 by Virgin Records America. It was recorded at Waterfront Recording Studios, Hoboken, New Jersey...
was released, reaching #12 on the Billboard 200 and Kravitz earned a BRIT Award
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
for best international male artist in 1994. The title track
Are You Gonna Go My Way (song)
"Are You Gonna Go My Way" is the first single to be released by Lenny Kravitz from the album of the same name. It was released in March 1993. It was written by Lenny Kravitz and Craig Ross...
won a MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video is one of the four original general awards that have been handed out every year since the very first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, though, the award was briefly renamed Male Artist of the Year, and it awarded the artist's whole body of work...
for the video produced by Mark Romanek
Mark Romanek
Mark Romanek is an American filmmaker, whose directing work includes feature films, music videos and commercials.He wrote and directed the critically acclaimed 2002 film One Hour Photo starring Robin Williams...
, in which Kravitz slung his dreadlocks and wore high-heeled platform boots. During the presentation of the MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
, he performed the song with John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
on bass. Several singles from the album would follow including, "Believe", "Is There Any Love In Your Heart", and "Heaven Help/Spinning Around Over You". This album was the first to feature guitarist Craig Ross
Craig Ross
Craig David Ross is an American guitarist best known for performing and recording with Lenny Kravitz.-Biography:Ross was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Craig Ross picked up the guitar at age 8, following a path that he hasn't deviated from since...
, who has also played on all his subsequent albums. One song, "Eleutheria", was influenced by the island Eleuthera
Eleuthera
Eleuthera is an island in The Bahamas, lying 50 miles east of Nassau. It is very long and thin—110 miles long and in places little more than a mile wide. According to the 2000 Census, the population of Eleuthera is approximately 8,000...
in The Bahamas where Kravitz built a house and recording studio at that time. In 1993, he also released the EP, Spinning Around Over You, which included four live tracks from his "Universal Love Tour". A feature documentary about his 1994 tour entitled "Alive From Planet Earth" was directed by Doug Nichol
Doug Nichol
Doug Nichol is an American filmmaker and commercials/music video director.He won a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video for Sting’s Ten Summoner's Tales and also received two other Grammy nominations for work with Aerosmith and NKOTB. He has won several MTV awards including Best Rock Video...
and released.
In 1994, Kravitz recorded a funk-rock version of the song "Deuce
Deuce (song)
"Deuce" is a song written by Kiss bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons that first appeared on Kiss' eponymous 1974 debut album. In addition to being one of the band's most popular and most-covered songs, "Deuce" is a traditional concert opener...
", for the KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
cover album KISS My Ass: Classic KISS Regrooved
KISS My Ass: Classic KISS Regrooved
-Charts:Album - Billboard Singles - Billboard -External links:*...
. The track featured Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
on harmonica and background vocals. This song was one of three radio singles from the album, and was also the album's lead-off track.
Roxie Roker, Kravitz's mother, died in California on December 2, 1995 of breast cancer at the age of 66.
In 1995, Lenny Kravitz released the album Circus, which went to number 10 on the Billboard chart on the back of his past achievement. However, the album only had two hit singles: "Rock and Roll Is Dead
Rock and Roll Is Dead
"Rock and Roll Is Dead" is the first single released from the 1995 Lenny Kravitz album Circus.-Song information:"Rock and Roll Is Dead" is an uptempo rock song....
" and "Can't Get You Off My Mind".
With 5
5 (Lenny Kravitz album)
5 is the fifth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on May 12, 1998 by Virgin Records America.The album contained hits such as "Fly Away," and "I Belong to You", which helped Kravitz to expand his success in Europe...
(1998), Kravitz embraced digital technology such as Pro Tools
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
and sampler
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
s for the first time. 5 introduced his music to an even wider audience thanks to the hit single "Fly Away
Fly Away (Lenny Kravitz song)
"Fly Away" is a song by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, the fourth single from his 1998 album 5.-Chart performance:"Fly Away" is one of Kravitz's most successful songs to date. The song was a hit in both the United Kingdom and United States...
" being featured prominently in both car manufacturer and airline commercials. 5 would reach #28 on the Billboard 200, with "Fly Away" reaching #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He would win the first of his four consecutive Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to male recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre...
at the Grammy Awards of 1999
Grammy Awards of 1999
The 41st Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill was the nights big winner winning a total of 5 awards including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Madonna won three awards while country musicians the Dixie...
. Other hits from the album included "If You Can't Say No", that was also remixed by dance producer Brian Transeau, and "I Belong to You
I Belong to You (Lenny Kravitz song)
"I Belong to You" is the third single by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz from his 1998 album 5. It was released on September 22, 1998 by Virgin Records America...
". For the I Belong to You
I Belong to You (Lenny Kravitz song)
"I Belong to You" is the third single by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz from his 1998 album 5. It was released on September 22, 1998 by Virgin Records America...
video Lenny can be seen without his signature dreadlocks
Dreadlocks
Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...
. In 1999 he produced and sang with Cree Summer
Cree Summer
Cree Summer Francks , best known as Cree Summer, is a Canadian actress, musician and voice actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as college student Winifred "Freddie" Brooks on the NBC sitcom A Different World...
on her solo album Street Faerie
Street Faërie
Street Faërie was the first full-length album recorded by Cree Summer. It was released in 1999 on the Work Group, a now-defunct imprint of Sony Music. Summer, who is Neo-Pagan and a political and human rights activist, wove themes of racism, romantic liaisons, and spirituality into the lyrics of...
.
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Guess Who's
The Guess Who
The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Initially gaining recognition in Canada, they also found international success from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s with numerous hit singles, including "American Woman", "These Eyes" and "Share the Land"...
hit "American Woman
American Woman (song)
"American Woman" is a song by Canadian rock band The Guess Who, first released in January 1970 on the album of the same name and later in March as a single, which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been covered by many rock artists, including Lenny Kravitz, Krokus, and The Butthole...
" won him another Grammy at the Grammy Awards of 2000
Grammy Awards of 2000
The 42nd Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 2000. During the show, Santana won 8 Grammys, tying Michael Jackson's record for most awards won in a single night. Santana's album Supernatural was awarded a total of nine awards....
and helped The Guess Who's song reach a new audience. Kravitz's version of the song originally came from the soundtrack of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in 1999, is the second film in the Austin Powers series that began with 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and continued with Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film was directed by Jay Roach, co-written by Mike Myers and screenwriter...
and was added to 5 as a bonus track in 1999.
Lenny worked on two songs for Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Invincible album released in 2001; a snippet of "Another Day
Another Day (Michael Jackson song)
" Another Day" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson, released onto the posthumous album Michael which as of April 2011 has sold 3 million globally. Initially leaked as a 90-second snippet, it was referred to as "Another Day"...
" has leaked, and the full version was officially released on the album Michael in 2010 .
Kravitz released a Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Lenny Kravitz album)
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on October 24, 2000 . The album featured an unreleased track for promotion called "Again" which became a huge hit, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, following a very successful string of hits from the...
album in 2000. It proved to be his most successful album, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200 and selling nearly 11 million copies worldwide and ultimately becoming one of the most commercially successful albums of the decade. The single "Again
Again (Lenny Kravitz song)
"Again" is a single by rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on his 2000 Greatest Hits album. The song is a mid-tempo rock ballad song and won Kravitz a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 2001, a feat he had already achieved twice consecutively, with "Fly Away" and "American Woman"...
" earned him his third consecutive Grammy for the Best Male Rock Vocal in the Grammy Awards of 2001
Grammy Awards of 2001
The 43rd Grammy Awards were held on February 21, 2001. Steely Dan was the biggest winner winning three awards including Album of the Year for Two Against Nature. U2 was also a big winner winning three awards as well; including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Beautiful Day. Dr...
and peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Kravitz also co-wrote the song "God Gave Me Everything" with Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
in this period, appearing on Jagger's 2001 solo album Goddess in the Doorway
Goddess in the Doorway
Goddess in the Doorway is the fourth solo album by Mick Jagger, released in 2001. The most recent offering from Jagger as a solo artist, it marked his first release with Virgin Records, whom he has been contracted with as a member of The Rolling Stones since 1991.Following 1993's Wandering Spirit...
and in the film Being Mick
Being Mick
Being Mick is a 2001 television film which chronicles the life of Mick Jagger for one year. Much of the film was filmed by Mick using a handheld camera. The film documents his recording of the Goddess in the Doorway album, as well as daily life including his family and friends...
.
2001–05: Lenny and Baptism
Kravitz released his sixth album LennyLenny (album)
Lenny is the sixth album and seventh recording by Lenny Kravitz, released in October 2001 through Virgin Records America. It reached #12 on the Billboard 200 and #55 on the UK Album Chart...
in October 2001. The album was recorded in Miami. Kravitz wrote the song "Bank Robber Man" after the Miami Police Department
Miami Police Department
The Miami Police Department or MPD, often referred to as the City of Miami Police, is the chief police department of the U.S. city of Miami, Florida. Their jurisdiction lies within the actual city limits of Miami, but have mutual aid agreements with neighboring police departments. The current...
detained and cuffed him while walking to the gym with his trainer because police stated that he matched the description of a bank robber. Kravitz did not have any identification with him at the time and the police on the scene did not believe that he was indeed Lenny Kravitz. The bank teller who was robbed was then brought to the scene and said Kravitz was not the bank robber. Miami Police later sent officers to Kravitz's home to apologize for the detention. When asked if he thought the incident was a case of racial profiling
Racial profiling
Racial profiling refers to the use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding whether to engage in enforcement...
, Kravitz said he wasn’t sure although some of the lyrics in the song suggest otherwise. The first single from the album, "Dig In
Dig In
"Dig In" is the lead-single by Lenny Kravitz from his sixth studio album, Lenny. It was released in October 2001. It was used in promos by the National Basketball Association for the 2002 NBA Playoffs, as well as the ending theme for the film Returner....
", went to number 1 in Argentina and the top 10 in Italy and Portugal. The video for "Dig In" was originally supposed to be shot at the top of the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
on September 12, 2001 but the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
on September 11, 2001 caused the location to be moved. The video was later shot off the coast Miami. He won his fourth Grammy in 2002
Grammy Awards of 2002
The 44th Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 2002. The biggest was Alicia Keys, winning 5 Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'". U2 won 4 awards including Record of the Year and Best Rock Album.-Award winners:...
. "Stillness of Heart", "Believe in Me", and "If I Could Fall In Love" were subsequent singles from the album.
Kravitz was the subject of a photo book by former chief photographer for Rolling Stone, Mark Seliger
Mark Seliger
Mark Seliger is an American photographer noted for his portraiture.Seliger was born in Amarillo, Texas and attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, and Texas A&M University–Commerce. Seliger served as the chief photographer for Rolling Stone from 1992 to 2002 and...
. Published in November 2001, Seliger captures Kravitz on tour, with family, with friends and in posed portraits.
Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
invited Kravitz to appear on the track "Guns and Roses" on his 2002 The Blueprint²: The Gift & the Curse. Kravitz would also join P. Diddy
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
, Pharrell and Loon
Loon (rapper)
Amir Junaid Muhadith best known by his stage name Loon, is an African-American rapper that was formerly part of P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records, where he released his self-titled debut album, Loon. He has also made many guest appearances on songs of the R&B and hip hop genres. He is best known for his...
on the track "Show Me Your Soul" from the Bad Boys II Soundtrack
Bad Boys II (soundtrack)
Bad Boys II is the soundtrack to the 2003 action-comedy film Bad Boys II, released on July 15, 2003 through Bad Boy and Universal Records. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 324,000 units in the first week, becoming one of few soundtracks to reach the position...
.
In September 2002, Kravitz appeared alongside other rock stars in the episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation
How I Spent My Strummer Vacation
"How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" is the second episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season. The episode was first broadcast on November 10, 2002. It was intended to be the season premiere, but "Treehouse of Horror XIII" was moved ahead for Halloween. This episode was heavily promoted due to its...
" of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
.
In early 2003, Kravitz released the track "We Want Peace" as a download-only track as a protest against the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, he performed this alongside famous Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i singer Kazem Al Saher at Rock The Vote
Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote is a non-profit organization in the United States of America whose mission is to engage and build the political power of young people....
. The track reached #1 on the world internet download charts and MP3.com
MP3.com
MP3.com is a web site operated by CNET Networks providing information about digital music and artists, songs, services, community, and technologies. It is probably better known for its original incarnation, as a legal, free music-sharing service, popular with independent musicians for promoting...
download chart. Kravitz also appeared on Unity, the official album of the 2004 Athens Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, and performed a cover of "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)
Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)
"Have You Ever Been " is a song by psychedelic rock band The Jimi Hendrix Experience, featured on their 1968 third studio album Electric Ladyland...
" on the album Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix is a 2004 tribute album featuring various artists performing the music of Jimi Hendrix.-Track listing:...
.
In late 2004, Kravitz dated actress Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
and reportedly dedicated his hit song "Lady
Lady (Lenny Kravitz song)
"Lady" is the final single from the 2004 album Baptism by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz. It was released on November 23, 2004. The song is believed to be written about Kravitz's then-girlfriend, Nicole Kidman. The track was used heavily in the GAP ads...
" to her. They split in 2005.
Kravitz's seventh album Baptism
Baptism (Lenny Kravitz album)
Baptism is the seventh studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on May 17, 2004, by Virgin Records America. It reached #14 on the Billboard 200 and #74 on the UK Albums Chart...
was released in May 2004. The first single was "Where Are We Runnin'?
Where Are We Runnin'?
"Where Are We Runnin'?" is the lead single by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz from his 2004 album Baptism, released on May 10, 2004. The lyrics were written by Kravitz, and the music also by Kravitz in collaboration with Craig Ross....
". The single "California" failed to be commercially successful, but "Storm", featuring Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, reached the charts. "Calling All Angels" was successful in various countries and a huge hit in Brazil, however it was "Lady" that became the album's surprise hit, making the US Top 30 and propelling Baptism to gold status. Also in 2004, he appeared on N.E.R.D's album Fly or Die
Fly or Die
Fly or Die is the second album for rock band N*E*R*D consisting of Pharrell and Chad Hugo of production team the Neptunes and Shay Haley released on March 23, 2004.-Production:...
. From March 2005, Kravitz toured all over the world with the tour Electric Church, which ended at the Brixton Academy, London in July 2005. Kravitz served as the opening act for Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
who are long term friends of Kravitz on their fall 2005 tour. The tour began on October 30 at the Mohegan Sun Arena
Mohegan Sun Arena
The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut located inside Mohegan Sun. The arena facility features of configurable exhibition space and a clear span...
in Uncasville, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. The night before that tour started, October 29, 2005, Lenny's father TV Producer Sy Kravitz
Sy Kravitz
Seymour "Sy" Kravitz was an American filmmaker and NBC TV news producer.Kravitz was of Russian Jewish descent. He was married to actress Roxie Roker from 1962 to 1985. Kravitz and Roker were the parents of the rock musician Lenny Kravitz...
died. During that first show, Lenny broke the news to the stunned crowd and stated it was not a time to be sad but rather a time to celebrate because he is now in Heaven. Lenny then dedicated Let Love Rule
Let Love Rule
Let Love Rule is the debut album of American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on September 19, 1989 by Virgin Records America. Then-wife Lisa Bonet wrote the lyrics to "Fear" and co-wrote the lyrics on the song, "Rosemary"....
to his father. That tour was so successful that it was extended through February 25, 2006 and ended in Anaheim, California.
2006–2009: Live Earth, charity work, and It Is Time for a Love Revolution
In January 2006, Kravitz contributed "Breathe" to absoluttracks, a project sponsored by Absolut VodkaAbsolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, Skåne, in southern Sweden. Since July 2008 the company has been owned by the French firm Pernod Ricard who bought V&S Group from the Swedish government....
. This song was re-mixed by ten musical producers and distributed via the internet.
Kravitz appeared in the audience of Madonna's Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour
Confessions Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It supported her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. Madonna confirmed the possibility of going out on a tour as early as November 2005. Jamie King, Madonna's longtime collaborator, was then hired on...
(2006) during numerous shows. He would later join Madonna live on stage to play guitar on the song, "I Love New York," at the last of four Paris shows.
Lately, Kravitz has founded a design firm named Kravitz Design
Kravitz Design
Kravitz Design Inc. is a New York City-based company founded by musician Lenny Kravitz in 2003. Kravitz Design Inc. is a firm focusing on commercial, residential and product creative direction and design. Amongst its clients are the Morgans Hotel Group, Swarovski Crystal, and The Setai Group. In...
, stating if he hadn't been a musician he would have been a designer. Kravitz Design, focused on interior and furniture design, has designed residential spaces, as well as a chandelier for the crystal company Swarovski
Swarovski
Swarovski is the brand name for a range of precisely-cut crystal and related luxury products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria...
, named "Casino Royale."
On July 7, 2007, Kravitz performed at the Brazilian leg
Live Earth concert, Rio de Janeiro
The Live Earth concert for South America was held at Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 7, 2007. It is one of two free Live Earth concerts, the other being held in Washington, D.C. It was the last concert to start during the day-long event. However, that didn't make it the last to...
of Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
in Rio de Janeiro, making him one of three major international rock stars to perform two huge free concerts at the world-famous Copacabana Beach along with Macy Gray and the Rolling Stones. Kravitz had already played there on March 21, 2005, drawing 300,000 people on a concert of his own. The Live Earth
Live Earth
-Background:Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Live Earth was built upon the belief that entertainment has the power to transcend social and cultural barriers to move the world community to action...
concert, with eight other acts on the bill, including Pharrell and Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
, took 400,000 to the beach.
Also in 2007, Kravitz released a version of "Cold Turkey
Cold Turkey
Cold Turkey is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apples 1001 in the United Kingdom, Apple 1813 in the United States. It is the second solo single issued by Lennon, and it peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on...
" by John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
on the charity CD Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur is a compilation album of various artists covering songs of John Lennon to benefit Amnesty International's campaign to alleviate the crisis in Darfur...
. Kravitz also spent time recording his latest album, It Is Time for a Love Revolution
It Is Time for a Love Revolution
It Is Time for a Love Revolution is the eighth studio album by American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and arranger Lenny Kravitz, released on February 5, 2008....
, released February 5, 2008.
On September 25, 2007, the Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
tribute album "Goin' Home ; A Tribute To Fats Domino" was released. Kravitz was on the song "Whole Lotta Lovin'" along with Rebirth Brass Band
Rebirth Brass Band
The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans brass band. The group was founded in 1982 by tuba/sousaphone player Philip Frazier, his brother, bass drummer, Keith Frazier and trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, and other school marching band members from Joseph S. Clark Senior High School in New Orleans’ Tremé...
, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews
Troy Andrews
Troy Andrews , also known by the stage name Trombone Shorty is a trombone and trumpet player from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. He has worked in jazz, funk and rap music. Andrews is the younger brother of trumpeter and bandleader James Andrews as well as the grandson of singer and...
, Fred Wesley
Fred Wesley
Fred Wesley is an American jazz and funk trombonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...
, Pee Wee Ellis
Pee Wee Ellis
Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis is an American saxophonist, composer and arranger. He was an important member of James Brown's band in the 1960s and appeared on many of Brown's most notable recordings...
and Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker
Maceo Parker is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many of Brown's hit recordings, and a key part of his band, playing alto, tenor and baritone saxophones...
.
Kravitz performed at the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
halftime show in Toronto at the Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...
on November 25, 2007, where the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
23-19.
The original video for "I'll Be Waiting
I'll Be Waiting (Lenny Kravitz song)
"I'll Be Waiting" is a rock song written by Lenny Kravitz and Craig Ross for Kravitz's eighth studio album, It Is Time for a Love Revolution . It was released as the album's lead single on December 6, 2007...
" was shot in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
in New York City with Marc Webb
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb is an American music video, short film and major motion picture director. He directed the 2009 romantic comedy-drama Days of Summer and is currently directing the 2012 Spider-Man reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.-Life and career:Webb was born in Bloomington, Indiana, the son of...
directing but that video was later shelved and a new version, which Kravitz co-directed with Philip Andelman, was filmed in Lenny's New York City recording studio. The video premiered on VH1's Top 20 Countdown at number 3.
On January 17, 2008, Kravitz embarked on a 9 city mini-tour to promote his new album It Is Time for a Love Revolution. The tour started in Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
, California and ended in New York City on February 1. The tour was done in association with Myspace and called the "Get on the Bus" tour. At each stop on the tour, they would pick up one contest winner and their guest and they rode on the "Love Revolution" bus until the end of the tour. Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, a close friend of Lenny's would appear at The Orpheum Theater in Boston. The New York City winner, Tyrone Good was presented a train ticket from Penn Station to travel to Philadelphia and rode with the tour the rest of the way starting in Philadelphia (The Electric Factory), Boston (The Orpheum Theater), and finally New York City (The Hammerstein Ballroom). The winners were featured in the YRB February Edition alongside Lenny Kravitz in a magazine pull-out. The photo shoot took place at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia on stage. The winner's pull out was featured in another issue of YRB which had Lil' Wayne on the cover.
On February 11, 2008, Kravitz was admitted to Miami Hospital suffering from severe bronchitis
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
. He had been suffering from a series of severe respiratory tract infections since mid-January, and the illness developed into bronchitis.
Kravitz's illness had forced him to postpone Canadian dates and his trip to Europe to promote his album It Is Time for a Love Revolution. On March 19, 2008 he canceled the South American part of his tour due to the same illness. The decision affected planned concerts in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Mexico, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. In Argentina Kravitz had a performance in the biggest rock festival there, Quilmes Rock Fest.
On July 15, 2008, Lenny was honored in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy with the key to the city in a special toast ceremony for his work with the United Nations Millennium Campaign to end world poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
.
Kravitz made his feature film acting debut in Precious
Precious (film)
Precious , is a 2009 American drama film directed by Lee Daniels. Precious is an adaptation by Geoffrey S. Fletcher of the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire. The film stars Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, and Paula Patton...
which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009.
During the Italian leg of his 53 date Let Love Rule (20)09 European tour, Kravitz had been instructed to cancel some shows due to a bad bout of bronchitis
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is an inflammation of the large bronchi in the lungs that is usually caused by viruses or bacteria and may last several days or weeks. Characteristic symptoms include cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath and wheezing related to the obstruction of the inflamed airways...
. Under strict orders from his doctor, the singer was told to rest so that he could make a quick recovery and return to the stage for the rest of his tour. Shows scheduled for Rome on June 5 and Brescia on June 6 were postponed to late July.
2009–present: U2 tour and Black and White America
Kravitz's next album, tentatively titled Funk, was tentatively re-titled Negrophilia and was due out sometime in 2010. This is believed to be a project that Kravitz has been working on since 1997. Some of the original tracks for Funk were recorded while he was in New Orleans at Allen ToussaintAllen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
's studio while taking a break for several months from recording in New York City. A video on Kravitz's Twitter page shows him working on one of the songs for the album, called "Super Love", in his GTS studios in the Bahamas. Another video shows him working on another track titled "Life Ain't Never Been Better Than It Is Now" in his GTS Studios. On his Twitter page, Kravitz said that the album title was Negrophilia but then "felt like something else". Eventually the album was later named Black and White America. The album is set for August 22, 2011 in Europe and August 30, 2011 in the U.S.
On February 20, 2011 the first single "Come on Get It" was released. On June 6, 2011 the second single "Stand
Stand
Stand may refer to:*Stand, Greater Manchester, a residential area in the Metropolitan Borough of Manchester, England*A partnership in cricket*STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition...
" was released.
It was announced that Kravitz would be supporting U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
on their highly successful 360 Tour on the second North American leg in 2010. Kravitz agreed to support them for four shows. Though the shows were postponed until 2011, Kravitz remains committed for four of the shows.
In June 2010 it was announced that Kravitz would guest star on an episode of the upcoming season of Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
.
On May 23, 2011, Lionsgate announced that Kravitz will be joining the cast and crew of The Hunger Games as Katniss' creative stylist, Cinna.
On December 1, 2011, Kravitz was honored with one of the highest cultural awards in France when he was made an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
by French cultural minister Frederic Mitterrand in Paris. Kravitz stated he was "particularly touched" to receive the award in France as his success in the country pre-dated his success in the United States and still enjoys great record sales in the country today. Kravitz joins other American recipients such as Martin Socrsese, George Clooney, and Bob Dylan.
Personal life
In 1985, Kravitz's parents divorced, which had a profound impact on him. His relationship with his father became extremely strained. Kravitz focused on his music to help him get through this period. That year, Kravitz met actress Lisa BonetLisa Bonet
Lisa Bonet , also known as Lilakoi Moon, is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Denise Huxtable Kendall on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and originally starring in its spinoff A Different World.-Early life:Bonet was born in San Francisco, California...
backstage at a New Edition
New Edition
New Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
concert. Bonet worked on The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, the number one rated show on television. They were close friends for two years before falling in love. Kravitz moved back to New York City where The Cosby Show was produced in 1987, moving in with then girlfriend Bonet. Kravitz and Bonet elope
Elope
To elope, most literally, merely means to run away with a girl and to not come back to the point of origination. More specifically, elopement is often used to refer to a marriage conducted in sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving hurried flight away from one's place of residence together...
d on November 16, 1987, her 20th birthday, in a Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
ceremony. Kravitz, still known as Romeo Blue at the time, suddenly found himself in the headlines of tabloid
Tabloid journalism
Tabloid journalism tends to emphasize topics such as sensational crime stories, astrology, gossip columns about the personal lives of celebrities and sports stars, and junk food news...
newspapers. They had a daughter, Zoë Isabella Kravitz
Zoe Kravitz
Zoë Isabella Kravitz is an American actress, singer and model. She is the daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet. She has appeared in the films The Brave One with Jodie Foster, and No Reservations with Catherine Zeta-Jones...
, born on December 1, 1988. Kravitz and Bonet divorced in 1993. In 2002, Adriana Lima
Adriana Lima
Adriana Lima is a Brazilian model, best known as a Victoria's Secret Angel since 2000, and as a spokesmodel for Maybelline cosmetics from 2003 to 2009...
claimed she was engaged to Kravitz sporting a diamond ring, although he denied that.
Kravitz identifies himself as a Christian, "through choice but I'm also a Jew, it's all the same to me". During another interview Kravitz stated, "I'm half Jewish, I'm half black, I look in-between." He also notes that spirituality "has been an important issue in my growth", given his upbringing by parents of different faiths. Such spirituality is prominently featured on many of his songs, such as the lyrics on his album Baptism, and having his back inscribed with a tattoo stating, "My Heart Belongs to Jesus Christ."
Discography
- Let Love RuleLet Love RuleLet Love Rule is the debut album of American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on September 19, 1989 by Virgin Records America. Then-wife Lisa Bonet wrote the lyrics to "Fear" and co-wrote the lyrics on the song, "Rosemary"....
(1989) - Mama SaidMama Said (Lenny Kravitz album)Mama Said is the second studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released in April 1991 by Virgin Records. Then Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash co-wrote and played on the song "Always On The Run." He also played on the song "Fields of Joy." The song "All I Ever Wanted" was co-written by...
(1991) - Are You Gonna Go My WayAre You Gonna Go My WayAre You Gonna Go My Way is the third studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on March 9, 1993 by Virgin Records America. It was recorded at Waterfront Recording Studios, Hoboken, New Jersey...
(1993) - Circus (1995)
- 55 (Lenny Kravitz album)5 is the fifth studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on May 12, 1998 by Virgin Records America.The album contained hits such as "Fly Away," and "I Belong to You", which helped Kravitz to expand his success in Europe...
(1998) - LennyLenny (album)Lenny is the sixth album and seventh recording by Lenny Kravitz, released in October 2001 through Virgin Records America. It reached #12 on the Billboard 200 and #55 on the UK Album Chart...
(2001) - BaptismBaptism (Lenny Kravitz album)Baptism is the seventh studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on May 17, 2004, by Virgin Records America. It reached #14 on the Billboard 200 and #74 on the UK Albums Chart...
(2004) - It Is Time for a Love RevolutionIt Is Time for a Love RevolutionIt Is Time for a Love Revolution is the eighth studio album by American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and arranger Lenny Kravitz, released on February 5, 2008....
(2008) - Black and White America (2011)
Filmography
| 1998 | The Rugrats Movie The Rugrats Movie The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 American animated film, produced by Klasky Csupo and Nickelodeon Movies. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and first released in theaters in the United States on November 20, 1998.... |
Newborn baby | Voice role, minor |
| 2001 | Zoolander Zoolander Zoolander is a 2001 American satirical comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller for the VH1 Fashion Awards television specials in 1996 and 1997. The short films and the... |
Himself | Cameo role |
| 2001 | Being Mick Being Mick Being Mick is a 2001 television film which chronicles the life of Mick Jagger for one year. Much of the film was filmed by Mick using a handheld camera. The film documents his recording of the Goddess in the Doorway album, as well as daily life including his family and friends... |
Himself | Supporting role |
| 2004 | Rebelde Rebelde Rebelde was a Mexican telenovela produced by Televisa and created by Cris Morena. It is a remake of a famous Argentine series Rebelde Way adapted for the Mexican audience therefore leading to differences in characters' backgrounds. The series ran for three seasons, the final episode airing in... |
Himself | Guest Star |
| 2007 | The Diving Bell and the Butterfly The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (film) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a 2007 biographical drama film based on Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir of the same name. The film depicts Bauby's life after suffering a massive stroke, on December 8, 1995, at the age of 42, which left him with a condition known as locked-in syndrome. The... |
Himself | Cameo role |
| 2009 | Precious | Nurse John | Supporting role Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture:Performers that earned or won Academy Award nominations:*1. Denzel Washington- Glory*2. Djimon Hounsou- In America*3. Morgan Freeman- Million Dollar Baby... |
| 2011 | Selma | Himself | Cameo role |
| 2012 | The Hunger Games The Hunger Games (film) The Hunger Games is an upcoming science fiction action drama film directed by Gary Ross and is based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth... |
Cinna |
Tours
- H.O.R.D.E.H.O.R.D.E.Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere or H.O.R.D.E. Festival was a touring summer rock music festival originated by the musical group Blues Traveler in 1992. In addition to travelling headliners, the festival gave exposure to bands, charities, and organizations from the local area of the...
(1995) - Universal Love Tour (1993)
- Circus Tour
- The Freedom Tour
- Lenny Tour
- The Baptism Tour
- Celebration Tour
- Electric Church Tour: One Night Only
- Get On The Bus Mini-Tour
- Love Revolution Tour
- LLR 20(09) TourLLR 20(09) TourLLR 20 is the ninth tour by Lenny Kravitz. Through more than forty shows through different countries in Europe, the singer plays his last studio album, It Is Time For A Love Revolution at the same time he commemorated his twentieth year as an artist, since the release of his first album Let Love...
- Black and White Europe Tour 2011
Awards
- MTV Video Music Awards
- 1993 – Best Male VideoMTV Video Music Award for Best Male VideoThe MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video is one of the four original general awards that have been handed out every year since the very first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, though, the award was briefly renamed Male Artist of the Year, and it awarded the artist's whole body of work...
("Are You Gonna Go My Way?")
- 1993 – Best Male Video
- Brit Awards
- 1994 – International male
- VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards
- 1998 – Most Fashionable Artist, Male Award
- Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s- 1993 – Best Rock Vocal Solo PerformanceGrammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, SoloThe Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre...
("Are You Gonna Go My WayAre You Gonna Go My Way (song)"Are You Gonna Go My Way" is the first single to be released by Lenny Kravitz from the album of the same name. It was released in March 1993. It was written by Lenny Kravitz and Craig Ross...
" – Nominee only.) - 1995 – Best Male Rock Vocal PerformanceGrammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal PerformanceThe Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to male recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre...
("Rock and Roll Is DeadRock and Roll Is Dead"Rock and Roll Is Dead" is the first single released from the 1995 Lenny Kravitz album Circus.-Song information:"Rock and Roll Is Dead" is an uptempo rock song....
" – Nominee only.) - 1999 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("Fly AwayFly Away (Lenny Kravitz song)"Fly Away" is a song by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, the fourth single from his 1998 album 5.-Chart performance:"Fly Away" is one of Kravitz's most successful songs to date. The song was a hit in both the United Kingdom and United States...
") - 2000 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("American WomanAmerican Woman (song)"American Woman" is a song by Canadian rock band The Guess Who, first released in January 1970 on the album of the same name and later in March as a single, which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been covered by many rock artists, including Lenny Kravitz, Krokus, and The Butthole...
") - 2001 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("AgainAgain (Lenny Kravitz song)"Again" is a single by rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on his 2000 Greatest Hits album. The song is a mid-tempo rock ballad song and won Kravitz a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 2001, a feat he had already achieved twice consecutively, with "Fly Away" and "American Woman"...
") - 2002 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("Dig InDig In"Dig In" is the lead-single by Lenny Kravitz from his sixth studio album, Lenny. It was released in October 2001. It was used in promos by the National Basketball Association for the 2002 NBA Playoffs, as well as the ending theme for the film Returner....
") - 2003 – Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("If I Could Fall In LoveLenny (album)Lenny is the sixth album and seventh recording by Lenny Kravitz, released in October 2001 through Virgin Records America. It reached #12 on the Billboard 200 and #55 on the UK Album Chart...
" – Nominee only.)
- 1993 – Best Rock Vocal Solo Performance
- Radio Music AwardRadio Music AwardThe Radio Music Awards was an annual U.S. award show that honors the year's most successful songs on mainstream radio. Nominations were based on the amount of airplay recording artists receive on radio stations in various formats using chart information compiled by Mediabase.Originally conceived as...
s- 2001 – Artist of the Year/Pop Alternative Radio
- My VH1 Awards
- 2001 – Favorite Male Artist
- Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
- 2001 – Favorite Male Artist – Rock
- American Music Awards
- 2002 – Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist
- Microsoft Windows Media Innovation Awards
- 2002 – Microsoft Windows Media Innovation Award
- 2009 – Nominated – Screen Actors' Guild Award for Best Ensemble Cast (Precious)
- Ordre des Arts et des LettresOrdre des Arts et des LettresThe Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
- 2011 – Officer
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Modern Rock chart
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart
- List of blues musicians
- List of Gibson players
- List of Number 1 albums from the 1990s (UK)
- List of Number 1 singles from the 1990s (UK)
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of Saturday Night Live hosts and musical guests
Sources
- Blanc, Michael la (Ed.). Contemporary musicians, Vol. 5, Gale Research, 1991.
- Gregory, Hugh. 1000 Great Guitarists. Rock, Jazz, Country, Funk ..., Balafon Books, 1994.
- Larkin, Colin. The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Guinness Publishing, 1992.
- Martino, Dave di. Singer-songwriters, pop music's performer-composers, from A to Zevon, Billboard Books, 1994.
- Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard book of top 40 hits, 5th edition, Watson-Guptill Publications, 1992.
Further reading
- Anderson, Ashely (November 9, 2000). "Brown eyes blue". The SilhouetteThe SilhouetteThe Silhouette is a student newspaper at McMaster University, located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is published every Thursday during the academic year, and once during each summer month. The circulation is 10,000 copies per week...
. Volume 71, Number 12. Retrieved on March 11, 2007. - Cooper, Carol (1990). "Let love rule – Lisa Bonet and husband Lenny Kravitz". Essence Magazine. Retrieved on March 11, 2007.
- Halbersberg, Elianne (November 1, 2004). "Flying (Almost) Solo". Mix. Retrieved on March 13, 2007.
- "Behind The Music: Lenny Kravitz". Harper, William & Williams, Paulina (Directors). Behind The MusicBehind the MusicBehind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
. VH1. June 27, 1999. No. 35, season 2. - Henderson, Ashyia N. (2002). Contemporary Black Biography: Profiles from the International Black Community. Gale Group. ISBN 9780787660499
- Pepper, Tracey (July, 1998). "Deep joy – musical artist Lenny Kravitz – Interview". Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
- "Artist Profile – Lenny Kravitz". EMI Music Publishing. Retrieved on March 11, 2007.
- "HELLO! Profiles – Lenny Kravitz". Hello!Hello!Hello is a weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news and human-interest stories, published in the United Kingdom since 1988. Hello is sister magazine to ¡Hola!, the Spanish weekly magazine launched in Spain in 1944...
. Retrieved on March 11, 2007. - "Lenny Kravitz". Allmusic. Retrieved on September 19, 2007.
- "Romeo Blue Discography, Biography and Links". Mr. Bill's I.R.S. Records Corner. Retrieved on March 11, 2007.
- Scarlett MacDougal's book series: "Have A Nice Life", refers to the main girl's "intergalactic angel/fairy godmother" as a Lenny Kravitz look-a-like, though his actual name is Clarence Terence. ISBN 0141310200
External links
- Lenny Kravitz official site
- Lenny Kravitz official blog
- Lenny Kravitz Sitio Oficial Argentino
- Lenny Kravitz's French Board (Official French fans club)
- Lenny Kravitz – The Artists Organization – Management
- Lenny Kravitz interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' July 2009
- Photos of the final concert of the latest tour
|-
! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
|-
|-
! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
|-