Born in Baltimore, Maryland on September 20, 1945, O’Donel Levy was a jazz, R&B, and funk guitarist. The brother of session drummer Stafford Levy, O’Donel Levy studied music at Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University before moving to New York City. Becoming part of the city’s thriving jazz music scene, he ended up touring as a sideman with guitarist George Benson and organist Jimmy McGriff. Signing with the Groove Merchant label, O’Donel Levy released Black Velvet, his debut album, in 1971. His 1972 album, Breeding of Mind, broadened his musical focus, mixing pop, jazz, and funk together to great effect. Dawn of a New Day was released in 1973, followed by two albums in 1974: Simba and Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky. During this time on the Groove Merchant label, he also recorded several albums with Jimmy McGriff, including Giants of the Organ Come Together (1973) and Concert: Friday the 13th – Cook County Jail (1973). He recorded one more album for Groove Merchant - Windows (1976) – before moving to the Lester Radio Corporation label and releasing the album Time Has Changed (1978). Four years later, he released Through a Song (1982) on the ILM label. He continued to work with other artists including Herbie Mann, Norman Connors, and Eldee Young. In 2004, O’Donel Levy released the album In the Name of Love. O’Donel Levy died on March 14, 2016, at the age of 70.
