Lenny Kravitz receives Hollywood Walk of Fame star
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Lenny Kravitz honored with Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 12, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - Singer and actor Lenny Kravitz was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday.
"I used to walk these very streets because the action and the grit that I was missing in New York was right here in Hollywood," Kravitz told the crowd gathered for the ceremony in front of the Capitol Records Tower. "As a teenager, I spent a lot of time walking up and down Hollywood Boulevard, seeing the names of all my idols.
Kravitz is credited with reimagining rock n' roll in the 1990s and beyond. He has won four Grammys and received nine nominations overall.
"I never dreamed about having a star. I was usually just looking for a place to crash. But I did dream about making the music I wanted and doing my own thing. To see my name, Lenny Kravitz, permanently engraved on the same street I used to walk is a surreal, indescribable feeling."
Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington and Kravitz's actress daughter Zoë Kravitz joined him in speaking at the ceremony.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Zoë Kravitz (L) and Denzel Washington (R) pose with Lenny Kravitz (C) during his Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony on March 12, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Washington said he has known Kravitz for 30 years.
"God has blessed him with an unbelievable talent, but enve more so with an unbelievable heart," Washington said. "... We are brothers. I love Lenny Kravitz. I love Lenny Kravitz like I've loved no other brother in my life."
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Kravitz was born May 26, 1964, in New York City and named after his father's younger brother, Leonard Kravitz, who was killed in the Korean War in 1951 while suppressing a Chinese attack and saving most of his platoon.
He and his family moved to Southern California when he was 10 years old. He continued his musical aspirations singing with the California Boys Choir.
Kravitz released his debut album, "Let Love Rule," in 1989. It was certified as gold by the industry trade group the Recording Industry Association of America after selling more than 500,000 copies.
He received his first Grammy nominations in 1994 for Best Rock Song for the single "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and Best Rock Vocal Performance Solo for a track from the album of the same name.
Kravitz received another Best Male Rock Vocal Performance Grammy nomination in 1996 for "Rock and Roll is Dead."
He won the first of a record four male rock vocal performance Grammys in 1999 for "Fly Away." He also won each of the next three years for "American Woman," "Again" and "Dig In."
He's among the 2024 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Kravitz's 12th studio album, "Blue Electric Light," is set to be released May 24. It is his first since "Raise Vibration," which was released in 2018.
He is set to begin a 13-nation European concert tour in June 2024 in Hamburg, Germany.
Kravitz's acting credits include "The Hunger Games" and its sequel, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and "The Butler" and "Precious."