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| :1989: [[Brown Mark|Brownmark]]- [[Single: Bang Bang|Bang Bang]] | | :1989: [[Brown Mark|Brownmark]]- [[Single: Bang Bang|Bang Bang]] |
| :1990: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kid_Creole_and_the_Coconuts Kid Creole And The Coconuts]- [[Single: The Sex Of It|The Sex Of It]] | | :1990: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kid_Creole_and_the_Coconuts Kid Creole And The Coconuts]- [[Single: The Sex Of It|The Sex Of It]] |
− | :1990: [[Elisa Fiorillo]]- [[Single: On The Way Up|On The Way Up]] | + | :1990: [[Elisa Fiorillo]] - [[Single: On The Way Up|On The Way Up]] |
− | :1990: [[Elisa Fiorillo]]- [[Single: Oooh This I Need|Oooh This I Need]] | + | :1990: [[Elisa Fiorillo]] - [[Single: Oooh This I Need|Oooh This I Need]] |
| :1991: [[The Time]] - [[Single: Shake!|Shake!]] | | :1991: [[The Time]] - [[Single: Shake!|Shake!]] |
| :1992: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martika Martika] - [[Single: Spirit|Spirit]] | | :1992: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martika Martika] - [[Single: Spirit|Spirit]] |
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| :1987: [[Madhouse]] - [[Album: 16|16]] | | :1987: [[Madhouse]] - [[Album: 16|16]] |
| :1989: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mavis_Staples Mavis Staples] - [[Album: Time Waits For No One|Time Waits For No One]] | | :1989: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mavis_Staples Mavis Staples] - [[Album: Time Waits For No One|Time Waits For No One]] |
− | :1989: [[Brown Mark|Brownmark]]- [[Album: Good Feeling|Good Feeling]] | + | :1989: [[Brown Mark|Brownmark]] - [[Album: Good Feeling|Good Feeling]] |
| :1989: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahoru_Kohiruimaki Kahoru Kohiruimaki] - [[Album: Time The Motion|Time The Motion]] | | :1989: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahoru_Kohiruimaki Kahoru Kohiruimaki] - [[Album: Time The Motion|Time The Motion]] |
| :1990: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kid_Creole_and_the_Coconuts Kid Creole And The Coconuts] - [[Album: Private Waters In The Great Divide|Private Waters In The Great Divide]] | | :1990: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kid_Creole_and_the_Coconuts Kid Creole And The Coconuts] - [[Album: Private Waters In The Great Divide|Private Waters In The Great Divide]] |
− | :1990: [[Elisa Fiorillo]]- [[Album: I Am|I Am]] | + | :1990: [[Elisa Fiorillo]] - [[Album: I Am|I Am]] |
| :1991: [[Eric Leeds]] - [[Album: Times Squared|Times Squared]] | | :1991: [[Eric Leeds]] - [[Album: Times Squared|Times Squared]] |
− | :1991: [[Jevetta Steele]] [[Album: Here It Is|Here It Is]] (1991 French release) | + | :1991: [[Jevetta Steele]] - [[Album: Here It Is|Here It Is]] (1991 French release) |
| :1991: [[T.C. Ellis]] - [[Album: True Confessions|True Confessions]] | | :1991: [[T.C. Ellis]] - [[Album: True Confessions|True Confessions]] |
| :1991: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martika Martika] - [[Album: Martika's Kitchen|Martika's Kitchen]] | | :1991: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martika Martika] - [[Album: Martika's Kitchen|Martika's Kitchen]] |
| :1991: [[Ingrid Chavez]] - [[Album: May 19 1992|May 19 1992]] | | :1991: [[Ingrid Chavez]] - [[Album: May 19 1992|May 19 1992]] |
− | :1993: [[Jevetta Steele]] [[Album: Here It Is|Here It Is]] (1993 Worlwide release) | + | :1993: [[Jevetta Steele]] - [[Album: Here It Is|Here It Is]] (1993 Worlwide release) |
| :1993: [[Carmen Electra]] - [[Album: Carmen Electra|Carmen Electra]] | | :1993: [[Carmen Electra]] - [[Album: Carmen Electra|Carmen Electra]] |
| :1993: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Louie_(musician) Louie Louie] - [[Album: Let's Get Started|Let's Get Started]] | | :1993: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louie_Louie_(musician) Louie Louie] - [[Album: Let's Get Started|Let's Get Started]] |
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| :1993: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mavis_Staples Mavis Staples] - [[Album: The Voice|The Voice]] | | :1993: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mavis_Staples Mavis Staples] - [[Album: The Voice|The Voice]] |
| :1994: Various artists - [[Album:_1-800_New_Funk|1-800 New Funk]] | | :1994: Various artists - [[Album:_1-800_New_Funk|1-800 New Funk]] |
− | :1995: [[Rosie Gaines]] – [[Album: Closer Than Close|Closer Than Close]] | + | :1995: [[Rosie Gaines]] - [[Album: Closer Than Close|Closer Than Close]] |
| :1995: [[Mayte]] - [[Album: Child Of The Sun|Child Of The Sun]] | | :1995: [[Mayte]] - [[Album: Child Of The Sun|Child Of The Sun]] |
| :2010: [[Rosie Gaines]] - [[Album: Concrete Jungle|Concrete Jungle]] | | :2010: [[Rosie Gaines]] - [[Album: Concrete Jungle|Concrete Jungle]] |
Levi Seacer, Jr. is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He joined Prince in the mid-80’s after playing with Sheila E..
He became Prince’s bassist and guitarist and was a member of the original line-up of The New Power Generation formed in 1991.
Apart from being a band member Seacer also collaborated in the studio with Prince co-writing songs and co-producing records for associated artists. He played a significant role on the records released by Paisley Park Records in the 90’s and was appointed President of NPG Records.
He continued to write songs and produce records after leaving Prince’s camp. In the 2010’s he became the guitarist of the bands touring with Shalamar and Tony! Toni! Toné!.
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Musical Career
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Early Life
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Originally from Richmond, California, Levi started to play guitar, bass and other instruments at the age of six in his grandmother’s church. He met Sheila E. in his teen and together they played around Bay-Area clubs.
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Early Musical Career
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When Sheila E. left to play with major acts, Levi joined Curtis Ohlson’s band and met Don Cornelius. Together, they worked and Rosie Gaines’ first album (who was also on Curtis Ohlson’s band), Caring in 1985.
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Work With Prince
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Levi teamed-up again with Sheila E. in 1985 after the Purple Rain Tour (she was the support act) when she needed a bassist to replace Benny Rietveld who has left. His earliest known recording with Prince occurred later that year when he is invited to jam with Sheila E. and Eric Leeds at the Sunset Sound. These sessions, from which an album would be assembled in January 1986 and tentatively planned to be released under the name The Flesh, were the forerunner to Madhouse, a band in which Levi would play a prominent role in the studio (for the second album 16) and on stage.
Before the Japan-leg of the Parade Tour, Sheila E.’s live band is reconstructed after her own Romance 1600 Tour, when she added her childhood friend Boni Boyer on keyboards and future members of Tony! Toni! Toné! (Timothy Riley on drums, Rafael Wiggins, Jr on bass and Carl Wheeler on keyboards) on Levi‘s advices who became the musical director and the band’s guitarist. Along with Prince and David Z., they all contributed to Sheila E’s Sheila E.'s third album which would be released the following year (with Levi co-writing three of the songs).
Joining Prince's band
After the Parade Tour, Sheila E., Boni Boyer and Levi Seacer, Jr joined Prince’s group after the disbandment of The Revolution. With Eric Leeds and Dr Fink, Levi is also the bassist of the live line-up of Madhouse. After the Sign O’ The Times Tour, Levi, Sheila E., Eric Leeds and Prince recorded Ten, Ten And ½, Eleven, Twelve, Fifteen, for the second Madhouse album (16 and four instrumentals that would later appear on Eric Leeds’ Times Squared album (Night Owl, Overnight, Every Night, Andorra and Kenya ).
Between the Lovesexy Tour and the Nude Tour, Levi role as a sideman became more and more important in the studio as he wrote and produced many songs with Prince for him (Sex)or related artists : Bliss and Mind Bells for Kahoru Kohiruimaki, Shall We Dance and Bang Bang for BrownMark, Shake and Release It for The Time) and albums for Elisa Fiorillo (I Am) , Ingrid Chavez (May 19 1992) and T.C. Ellis (True Confessions).
Paisley Park‘s producer-for-hire
With the successes of Prince, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis productions in the eighties, many artists wanted to have a touch of the Minneapolis Sound on their albums. With David Z., Levi became one of Paisley Park‘s "producers-for-hire". In December 1989, while working on the Pointer Sisters' Right Rhythm album at Paisley Park, Levi called Rosie Gaines to put her voice on a title written by Prince for the group: I Want U. This song was not retained for Right Rhythm, released in 1990, half-produced by Levi but Prince, having attended the session, was overwhelmed by Rosie’s voice. He invited her to join her group for the upcoming Nude Tour as a replacement for Boni Boyer, whom left the band.
Levi Seacer, Jr also contributed to albums for other artists like Gerard Alston Deon Estus, Bobby Z. and Ricky Peterson.
The man with the blue guitar
Levi Seacer Jr became Prince’s guitarist after Miko Weaver’s departure, leaving the bass duties to Sonny T. in the new band, now called The New Power Generation. Levi Seacer, Jr is Prince's only musician who held two different positions in his band. Interestingly, in 1991, Levi wore a tie-hat costume to look like the blues legend Robert Johnson (Prince planned to do a movie based around him called The Robert Johnson Story).
In between tours and recordings with Prince, he continued to write songs and produce albums for other artists for Paisley Park Records (Carmen Electra, Mavis Staples), related artists (Martika, Monie Love, Jevetta Steele, The Steeles) and artists recording at Paisley Park Studios like (Terri Nunn).
Between the Act I and Act II tours, Levi joins Prince, Michael B., Sonny T. and Eric Leeds for a five-hour session to record an album for Madhouse (that remains unreleased).
NPG Records
After the Act II tour, The NPG is reduced to Michael B. on drums, Sonny T. on bass, Tommy Barbarella and Morris Hayes on keyboards. Prince asked Levi to take the reins of the new label he created to replace Paisley Park Records: NPG Records. Karen Lee, his girlfriend, was in charge of the advertising for the label. But a year later, in November 1994, Levi and Karen Lee resigned while Prince was overseas. No reason was given for their sudden departure but it was said at Levi Seacer Jr had little interest in running a record label, particularly one so plagued with problems as NPG Records.
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After Working With Prince
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In 1998, Levi and Tony M. filed a lawsuit against Prince. They claimed that he hadn’t shared royalties he owed them for the songs they wrote with him like Sexy M.F. and My Name Is Prince. They won their case, but on the $800,000 they were claiming, they received only $40,000 each which did not cover their legal expenses.
Levi teamed-up again with former NPG members Tommy Barbarella and Morris Hayes to write and produce songs for Derick Hughes'"All For Love" album released in 2000. After actively contributing to the album "Soul Symphony" by the Sounds of Blackness and touring with them, Levi released in 2010 his first album under his own name with saxophonist Ric Alexander : 2wo 4our 1one. It contains 12 tracks including a remake of Get Blue, a song he wrote with Prince twenty years earlier and offered to Louie Louie. The other 11 instrumentals are composed by the duo. The opening track is entitled “25 (Bopp!)” as an echo to Madhouse, and contains musical similarities with "It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Night".
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Current Work
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Levi Seacer Jr joined the live line-up of Tony! Toni! Toné!’s in the early years of 2010, accompanying them on their occasional tours and concerts in the United States. He is also playing with a revised version of Shalamar with Jody Watley and continues to record in studio with these artists.
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