Lenny Kravitz
For my paper I chose rock musician Lenny Kravitz. I will discuss in detail his rise to critical acclaim as well as show the individual influences towards his works. He is definitely one of my favorite musicians who's work I fondly enjoy.
The only a child of a white TV news producer Sy Kravitz and the late African American actress Roxie Roker (known for her role as Hellen Willis on the TV sitcom The Jeffersons, Kravitz was born May 26, 1964, in Brooklyn New York. It was only upon reaching elementary school did he come to realize that his mother and father were of different races, but in any case the matter was never much of an issue for him. As an infant, Lenny displayed a strong predilection for music, and he often surrounded himself with pots and pans which served as his makeshift drums. His parents encouraged these proclivities. By age ten, Lenny had already been escorted to performances by Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, James Brown, and the Jackson 5.
By 1974, the Kravitz family relocated to Los Angeles, a move necessitated by Roxie Roker's work on The Jeffersons. At his mother's urging, Lenny auditioned for and won a spot on the prestigious California Boys Choir. By 1978, after teaching himself to play a variety of instruments, he was accepted into the music program at Beverly Hills High School. It was there he stumbled upon the work of rhythm and blues artist Prince, and soon after lost interest in all things academic. Christening himself "Romeo Blue" he adopted a flamboyant persona and began to spend lengthy quantities of time away from home. Though he managed to graduate high school in 1982, it was clear by then that music would forever be the primary focus of Kravitz's life. Opting not t...
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... is unquestionably gifted. He can recreate the sound and feeling of countless groups from the past; his music recalls everyone from John Lennon, Jimmie Hendrix, and David Bowie to the Velvet Underground, Curtis Mayfield, and Prince. What Kravitz can't or rather chooses not to do is synthesize these influences into a distinctive style—a multitude of songs on each of his albums sounds like it was recorded by a different artist, However that's what's magical about him. He eschews any kind of categorization of his music. His works can encompass the varied styles of rhythm and blues, gospel, funk, soul, and handwork. In short Lenny Kravitz is a true soul rocker.
Bibliography:
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Okun, Milton.Best of Lenny Kravitz.New York: Cherry LaneMusic Company, 1994
Best of Lenny Kravitz for Guitar. New York:Cherry LaneMusic Company, 1999
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...frican American Musicians as Artists, Critics, and Activists. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 2002. 54-100. EBSCOhost. Web. 8 May 2015.
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Epstein, Joseph. "Is Franz Kafka Overrated?." Atlantic Monthly, The. 01 Jul. 2013: 48. eLibrary. Web. 02 May. 2014.