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Lenny Kravitz music biography continued...

at all. Born in New York on May 26, 1964 (his mother was actress Roxie Roker, best-known for the TV series The Jeffersons, and his father was a TV producer), Kravitz was raised in Los Angeles, where he found himself surrounded by his parents' friends—musical icons like Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Short, and Miles Davis. Kravitz was a member of the California Boys Choir until his teenage years, when he decided to pursue rock & roll while in high school. In the late 80's he moved back to New York City, broadened his musical influences to include rockers of the 60s and 70s, and eventually signed a deal with Virgin Records. His debut release, 1989's Let Love, Rule was a surprise hit due to the success of the title track, which became a hit single and oft-aired video. It wasn't until his third release, 1993's Are You Gonna Go My Way, however, that Kravitz became a superstar with numerous hit singles, including the up-tempo anthemic title track, which turned out to be one of MTV's most played videos for that year.



The next few albums were a bit disappointing commercially, but there were still hints of greatness, like the "Fly Away," which turned out to be the biggest hit of Kravitz's career, and a remake of the Guess Who's "American Woman" (which was used in the hit 1999 comedy movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me). Kravitz's first best-of set, the 15-track Greatest Hits, was issued as a stopgap release in 2000, while his sixth studio release overall, Lenny, was issued a year later. Baptism followed in 2004. Afterward, the retro rocker took some time off to open a commercial design company, but came back to musical fold with 2008's It Is Time for a Love Revolution. There may have been other retro acts before him and there will know doubt be more in the future, but Kravitz has carved out a special niche for himself by experimenting with different genres and always making his fans hunger for more.