Lenny Kravitz is celebrating his birthday today, let's tell you some interesting facts about him:
(Photo: Rich Fury)
1. Lenny Kravitz was born on May 26, 1964, in New York City, New York, United States.
2. His full name is Leonard Albert Kravitz.
3. He is of mixed heritage, with a Russian-Jewish father and an African American mother.
4. Kravitz's mother, Roxie Roker, was an actress known for her role in "The Jeffersons".
5. As a child, he was inspired to pursue music after seeing the Jackson 5 in concert.
6. Kravitz attended Beverly Hills High School, where he was classmates with Nicolas Cage, and Slash.
7. Kravitz is a multi-instrumentalist, proficient in playing the guitar, bass guitar, drums, piano, and various other instruments. He is also a classically trained pianist.
8. Lenny Kravitz's breakthrough came in 1989 with the release of his debut album, "Let Love Rule". An album with a combination of rock and funk with a 1960s vibe.
9. In 1990, Kravitz produced the song "Justify My Love" for Madonna, which he co-wrote with Ingrid Chavez.
10. In 1991 he released his second album "Mama Said", which drew influence from artists like Jimi Hendrix, Prince, "The Beatles", and "Led Zeppelin" on the one hand, and Curtis Mayfield and "Sly Stone" on the other.
11. That same year he produced the self-titled album, Vanessa Paradis. He played most of the instruments and co-wrote most of the songs.
12. In 1993, Kravitz wrote "Line Up" for "Aerosmith", and appeared on Mick Jagger's solo album, Wandering Spirit.
13. That same year he also played guitar on the title track of David Bowie's "The Buddha of Suburbia" album.
14. Kravitz's hit song "Are You Gonna Go My Way" from his third album of the same name released in 1993, further solidified his musical success. Kravitz earned a BRIT Award for best international male artist in 1994.
15. In 1994, Kravitz recorded "Main Squeeze" with Teena Marie from her "Passion Play" album.
16. That same year 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.
17. In 1995, Kravitz released the album "Circus", containing hit singles: "Rock and Roll Is Dead" and "Can't Get You Off My Mind".
18. In 1998 Kravitz released "5", where he used digital technology and samplers for the first time.
19. In 1999, Kravitz won his first Grammy Award for "Best Male Rock Vocal" Performance for the song "Fly Away".
20. He has won four consecutive Grammy Awards in the same category from 1999 to 2002.
21. In 2000, he won the VH1 "Rock Honors" award.
22. In 2001 he co-wrote the song "God Gave Me Everything" with Mick Jagger taken from Jagger's solo album "Goddess in the Doorway".
23. That same year he released his sixth album "Lenny" containing the song "Bank Robber Man" written after the Miami Police Department detained and cuffed him while walking to the gym with his trainer because they stated that he matched the description of a bank robber.
24. In 2004 Kravitz's released his seventh album "Baptism" containing singles such as "Where Are We Runnin'?", "California", "Storm", featuring Jay-Z, and more.
25. Up until 2018 Kravitz released 11 albums selling over 40 million albums worldwide.
26. Kravitz was made an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2011.
27. In 2017 Kravitz was ranked at No. 93 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".
28. Kravitz is also a movie actor. He appeared in films such as "Precious", "The Butler", "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", "Zoolander" and more.
29. His daughter, Zoë Kravitz, is an actress, with her mother being Lisa Bonet.
30. Kravitz has a passion for interior design and started his own design company, "Kravitz Design".