Levert II singer preps for homecoming

By John Benson

When Roosevelt “Blaq Rose” Griffin, Jr. was 16 years old in 1990, his R&B/hip-hop act had an opportunity to audition for Gerald Levert.

The former singer of hot R&B act Levert and chart-topping solo artist liked what he saw in the Youngstown-based act, but that’s as far as it went. Now nearly 20 years later, Griffin is amazed to find himself in the shadow of the legendary singer, who died in 2008. Griffin, a 1990 South High School graduate, was pegged as the new singer of Levert II, which initially featured original Levert members Marc Gordon and Levert’s younger brother, Sean.

However, Sean’s sudden death last year leaves Griffin and Gordon to pick up the pieces, with Levert II about to release its new album “Dedication.”

“It’s unbelievable,” Griffin said. “It’s still unbelievable, really. We had no idea something like that would happen.”

Looking back over the past three decades, unbelievable is a word often used by Griffin to describe the wild and interesting ride he’s experienced as a professional musician. Griffin’s education in the entertainment industry began early as a member of his family act The Galatian Gospel Singers. In fact, if his parents, Roosevelt Sr. and Hattie, were setting up their young boy for a career in music, this was the perfect beginning.

“To start me off on this whole path was my parents,” said Griffin, who was heavily recruited while attending South High School in both football and basketball. “We had the gospel group, The Galatian Gospel Singers, and I started singing with them at 4 years old. And then I learned to play the guitar at 6 years old. Up until I was about 15 years old, we traveled nationally, singing gospel. That experience really prepared me for this career on the business side and the musical side.”

It was in the halls of South High School where Griffin formed his first group, Frenz. Eventually, he merged a few members of that gospel act into R&B act Whoz Who, which right out of high school scored a publishing deal with Sony Records. While the act stayed busy writing and performing for the better half of the early ’90s, it wasn’t until 1995 when Whoz Who appeared to be on the rise.

Not only was the outfit signed by Dr. Dre to his Aftermath label, but the multiplatinum rapper pegged the Youngstown group to appear on the track “No Second Chance,” which Griffin said he produced. The song appeared on Dre’s 1996 CD “Aftermath.”

“It was a great experience to really be the first time out getting a deal with a legend like Dr. Dre,” Griffin said. “He showed us the ropes as far as being producers and artists. And when I hear the song now, it just makes me … I know what that really could have been, the whole situation. It just gives me chills a little bit and makes me say, ‘What if?’ Like ‘Wow, we really had something.’”

Unfortunately, this would be Whoz Who’s only flirtation with fame, with the act calling it quits in 1998. However, Griffin’s story in many ways was just beginning. He parlayed his Dr. Dre producer experience into working with R&B duo K-Ci and JoJo on their platinum albums, 1999’s “It’s Real” and 2000’s “X,” as well as 2002’s “Emotional.”

“Back then, I worked with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Anthony Hamilton, Sunshine Anderson,” Griffin said. “I toured with Anastasia; she has a lot of overseas fame. After writing and living in California for 14 years, I came back here a few years ago to take a break and visit. That was always therapy for me, too, to be near my son, Roosevelt Griffin III, and my family.

“Then in 2006, I went to a party and Marc Gordon from Levert was there. I had known Marc prior to that. He was working on a Levert reunion. Gerald had passed, but Sean and Marc still wanted to redo the group. They had a member they weren’t happy with. So I went to the studio and everything clicked from there. We started writing songs, and he and Sean both felt like I was the guy to fill Gerald’s shoes, which I’m not really replacing him because you can’t replace a legend, but I’m filling his shoes in the vocal spot.”

Quickly, the band recorded enough material for “Dedication.” However, Sean’s passing left Griffin and Gordon stunned.

“We went back into the studio to do a tribute to him,” Griffin said. “That was like therapy for us when we got back in there. We were mourning, but the music was therapy and we started recording again and came up with three or four more songs and put those songs on the album.”

Now with “Dedication” completed and ready for release, Griffin and Gordon have started promoting the album. Already, they’ve played around the East Coast and in Cleveland, but now comes a homecoming show for Griffin when Levert II performs Sept. 6 at the Lucky Penny Family Reunion at Youngstown’s Federal Plaza.

Having spent the last few years at home, Griffin feels as though his battery has been recharged with the future — whether it be with Levert II or even perhaps a solo project — looking bright.

“I’m very optimistic and positive,” Griffin said. “It’s like a second chapter in my career. It’s another shot.”

The free Lucky Penny Family Reunion takes place at noon Sunday at Federal Plaza in downtown Youngstown.