Marc Gordon

Marc Gordon (born 8 September 1964; Cleveland, Ohio) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and founding member of the R&B group LeVert.

Early Life

Gordon was born on Cleveland's East Side and began his musical education at Prospect Elementary School, where he learned violin, before picking up viola, trombone and, eventually, piano by junior high, developing much of his keyboard playing by ear.

He met Gerald and Sean Levert as a child, after his mother introduced him to their mother, Martha, a family friend; the three instantly connected over their shared love of music and began rehearsing together daily. Gordon and Gerald Levert began developing their songwriting skills together during this period, eventually catching the ear of Gerald and Sean's father, O'Jays frontman Eddie Levert, who brought the trio into the studio.

Career

Gordon co-founded LeVert with childhood friends Gerald and Sean Levert in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1983. After being turned down by major labels, the group was steered by Eddie Levert toward former Philadelphia International Records executive Harry Coombes, who released the group's debut single, "I'm Still," and debut album, I Get Hot, on his independent Tempre label in 1984, drawing early comparisons to Eddie Levert's own vocal style.

Following an appearance on Soul Train and a string of opening slots for acts including the Temptations, One Way and the O'Jays, the group's live performance at a Washington, D.C. show caught the attention of Atlantic Records vice president Hank Caldwell, leading to a recording contract. As a songwriter and producer, Gordon co-wrote the bulk of the group's catalogue alongside Gerald Levert, including the number one R&B hits "Casanova," "Addicted to You," the latter co-written with Eddie Levert Sr. and featured in the film Coming to America, "Just Coolin'," featuring the late Heavy D, and "Baby I'm Ready," the group's final number one on the R&B chart.

Their catalogue, spanning albums including Bloodline, The Big Throwdown, Just Coolin', Rope a Dope Style, For Real Tho' and The Whole Scenario, also produced hits including "(Pop, Pop, Pop) Goes My Mind," "Pull Over," "My Forever Love," "Sweet Sensation" and "Good Ol' Days," the latter two of which Gordon wrote solely, alongside "Me 'n' You" and "Tribute Song" from For Real Tho'.

Gordon is credited as co-writer, producer and keyboardist throughout the group's catalogue, and, on later material, as a contributing backing vocalist. In 1987, Gordon and Gerald Levert formed Trevel Productions, establishing themselves as a prolific songwriting and production duo beyond LeVert's own recordings.

Through Trevel, they discovered, developed and produced the Rude Boys, whose single "Written All Over Your Face" reached number one, and Men at Large, known for the hit "So Alone." Over more than a decade, the pair also wrote, produced or developed material for a wide roster of R&B artists, including Troop, Miki Howard, Stephanie Mills, the O'Jays, Anita Baker, James Ingram, Christopher Williams, Rhonda Clark, Eugene Wilde and Millie Jackson, establishing Trevel Productions as one of the more prolific behind-the-scenes forces in late-1980s and 1990s R&B.

LeVert released a total of seven group albums, five of which achieved gold or platinum certification. Following the group's hiatus in 1995, Gordon relocated to Los Angeles, continuing to write and produce for artists including IMX, Marques Houston and Musiq Soulchild, and later worked, under the credit Marc "Quiet Storm" Gordon, as a co-writer and producer on tracks including "U Better Be Ready" and "Candy," and as sole writer of "How We Roll," for the group Tha Truth's album Makin' Moves...Everyday.
 

Personal Life

Gordon experienced the loss of both of his LeVert bandmates within two years of one another: Gerald Levert died in 2006 of an accidental prescription medication overdose, and Sean Levert died in 2008 following a medical emergency linked to medication he required while in custody over unpaid child support.

In response to these losses, Gordon founded Saving Our Entertainers Lives (S.O.E.L.), a nonprofit organisation raising awareness of the dangers of prescription drug abuse and misuse among entertainers. As a songwriter and producer, Gordon's work behind the scenes helped shape LeVert's sound and legacy as one of the most influential R&B groups to emerge from Cleveland.
 

Current Activities

Gordon now performs as part of The LeVert Experience, a touring show he describes as a living extension of LeVert's legacy rather than a tribute act, alongside Joe Little III, lead singer of the Rude Boys, and David Tolliver of Men at Large, two vocalists whose own careers were shaped by Gerald Levert and by Trevel Productions.

The trio takes audiences through the catalogues of all three groups, including LeVert's "Casanova" and "Baby I'm Ready," the Rude Boys' "Written All Over Your Face" and Men at Large's "So Alone," with recent tour dates including a run of City Winery shows across New York City, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis and Nashville.