Geoff Levin
Geoff Levin (born September 14, 1945) is an American rock musician, film/television composer and songwriter. Performing as part of the Black Mountain Boys with Jerry Garcia in the early years of his career, in 1968 his own group, People!, scored a hit record "I Love You" on Capital Records.[1][2] Together with Geoffrey Lewis in 1970, he created Celestial Navigations, a storytelling group, that produced 8 albums, several made the Billboard (New Age) charts. He co-composed and co-produced "The Janitor", an Academy Award-nominated animated short based on a story by Geoffrey Lewis from the album Celestial Navigations.[3][4][5] Levin has scored over 40 full-length films and has created music used in many TV shows including The Sopranos, Chicago Fire, The Good Wife, Friends, Bloodline, SNL, Game of Thrones, Friday Night Lights, CSI, and Weeds. He co-wrote the theme song for Jakers, an Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning PBS animated series. In addition, he composed music for James Cameron's deep sea documentary, Last Mysteries of the Titanic.[6] In 2007, as part of People!, Levin was inducted into San Jose's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[7][8][9]
Geoff Levin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | September 14, 1945 San Francisco, California United States |
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Rock, blues, film score, country, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, songwriter, producer, guitarist |
| Instruments | Guitar, banjo, keyboards |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Website | geofflevin.com |
Biography
Levin was born in San Francisco, California, to Manny Levin and Esther Bloom. Levin grew up in San Jose and attended Willow Glen High School.[10] He began playing the guitar at 16 and started performing at 17.[10] He performed regularly at Offstage, a folk club in San Jose founded by Paul Foster that later hosted artists including the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jorma Kaukonen, Paul Kantner, Jerry Garcia[11][12] David Freiberg and David Crosby, Odetta, Jesse Fuller, The Albin Brothers (members of Janis Joplin's band) and Malvina Reynolds.[10] Levin attended San Jose State University and performed with numerous artists including Jerry Garcia and the Black Mountain Boys and his own band, The Piney Creek Ramblers with his brother Robbie Levin.[10][13]
In 2017, Levin's former band People! decided to come back together to start recording their new album which includes the single Eve of Destruction. Current members include, Gene Mason, Denny Fridkin, Robb Levin, Geoff Levin, and John Tristao.[14][2][15]
Career
Producing
Levin helped produced the album Tusks & Horns for artist Mayuka Thaïs which was released in May 2014.[16][17] Levin and Thaïs performed the single off the album Tusks & Horns at the Global March for Elephants & Rhinos on October 4, 2014.[18]
Collaboration
For her exhibition held at the Carnegie Art Museum, Levin collaborated with artist Bobbie Moline-Kramer by adding auditory experience to complement the art pieces.[19][20][13]
Personal life
In 1975, Levin met Diana Canova and in 1976 they were married. They divorced in 1979. In 1993, Levin married Lisa London and had two children, son Collin, and daughter Savannah. Levin and London divorced in 2006.[10] Levin was a Scientologist for 30 years, even having served in the Sea Org., Scientology's religious order, aboard the Apollo.[21]
Discography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Measure of America | Tom Solari | Solari Communications | — |
| 1987 | Heart | James Lemmo | New World Pictures | — |
| 1999 | Spies and Lovers | Gary Graver | International Investment Holdings Ltd. | — |
| 1989 | Beyond the Stars | David Saperstein | Five Star Entertainment | — |
| 1989 | Dreamers | Robert F. Lyons | Midsummer Productions | — |
| 1990 | Nerds of a Feather | Gary Graver | — | — |
| 1994 | Skins | Wings Hauser | Single Wing Productions | — |
| 1995 | The Janitor | Vanessa Schwartz | National Film Board of Canada | Academy Award-nominated animated short based on a story by Geoffrey Lewis from the album Celestial Navigations. |
| 1997 | I'll Be Home for Christmas | Jerry London | Fremantle Media North America | — |
| 1997 | Mobius | Noel Sterrett | Admit One Pictures | — |
| 1998 | Second Chances | James Fargo | Rhineberger Organization Inc. | — |
| 1999 | Jimmy Zip | Robert McGinley | — | — |
| 1999 | A Kid Called Danger | Eric Hendershot | Speedy Films | — |
| 1999 | Wasted in Babylon | Joshua McGowan | — | — |
| 1999 | The Last Great Ride | Ralph E. Portillo | Mosquito Productions | — |
| 2000 | The Smokers | Kat Slater | International Production Company | — |
| 2000 | The Black Rose | Steven Rush | Handheld Productions | — |
| 2001 | Extreme Honor | Steven Rush | Handheld Productions | — |
| 2002 | Bloody Crisis | Gerald Barclay | Gee-Bee Productions | — |
| 2002 | Hungry Hearts | Rolf Schrader | Ascension 7 Films | — |
| 2002 | Hello | Tom Cadman | — | — |
| 2003 | Moving Alan | Christopher Shelton | Destiny Entertainment | — |
| 2003 | The Ghost Club | Ralph E. Portillo | Hemisphere Entertainment | — |
| 2003 | The Wager | Henry Crum | — | — |
| 2003 | A.N.I. 1240 | Rolf Schrader | American Film Institute | — |
| 2003 | Double Negative | Tue Walin Storm | American Film Institute | — |
| 2003 | Underdog | Scott Leberecht | — | — |
| 2003 | One of Them | Ralph E. Portillo | MTI Home Video | — |
| 2003 | Natural Selection | Scott Leberecht | — | — |
| 2004 | Undercover Kids | Ralph E. Portillo | Hemisphere Entertainment | — |
| 2004 | Quiet Kill | Mark Jones | Esoteric Pictures | — |
| 2004 | Among Thieves | Oscar Daniels | Red Sea Films | — |
| 2004 | Haunted House | Conrad John | — | — |
| 2005 | United | Taron Lexton | TXL Films | — |
| 2005 | Searching for Bobby D | Paul Borghese | Neighborhood Filmworks | — |
| 2008 | Kemper | Rick Bitzelberger | Mainline Releasing | — |
| 2005 | Made for Each Other | Brad White | White Film Production | — |
| 2005 | Last Mysteries of the Titanic | Neil Flagg | Discovery Channel | — |
| 2005 | Confessions of a Pit Fighter | Art Camacho | Alliance Group Entertainment | — |
| 2006 | Strip Poker | Alex D'Lerma | Tostado Productions | — |
| 2006 | House of the Rising Sun | Bill Balas | AYM Films | — |
| 2006 | Who Made the Potatoe Salad? | Coke Daniels | Dos Bros. LLC | — |
| 2006 | Social Security Guard | Jason Cook | — | — |
| 2007 | Agenda | Jonathan de la Luz | Azisa Pictures | — |
| 2007 | The Rat Thing | Kevin Keresey | Relentless Productions | — |
| 2007 | The Tehuacan Project | Andrew Lauer | Reel-Aid | — |
| 2007 | Born | Richard Friedman | Devil's Child Picture Company | — |
| 2007 | From Fire: An Odyssey of Glass | Karen Lavender | LiveTribe Productions | — |
| 2007 | Yours Truly | Tom Wozny | — | — |
| 2008 | The Grift | Ralph E. Portillo | Hemisphere Entertainment | — |
| 2008 | Triloquist | Mark Jones | Sawyers Levine Jones Productions | — |
| 2008 | America's Phoneless | Ted Prescott | Prince / Prescott Productions | — |
| 2008 | Nine Fourteen | Carolyn Bevacqua | — | — |
| 2009 | Set Apart | Ralph E. Portillo | Hemisphere Entertainment | — |
| 2009 | Becoming Jesse Tate | Ralph E. Portillo | GodFilms | — |
| 2009 | Flying By | Jim Amatulli | Arte Films | — |
| 2009 | Spaceman on Earth | Shant Hamassian | — | — |
| 2011 | Dreams Awake | Jerry Alden Deal | Susan Johnston Casting | — |
| 2011 | Midnight Son | Scott Leberecht | Free Lunch Productions | — |
| 2012 | Henry | Collin Mckenzee Levin | — | — |
| 2012 | iVOTE | Rob Adler | — | — |
| 2013 | Avec amour | Collin Mckenzee Levin | — | — |
| 2013 | Halfway to Hell | Richard Friedman | APT. 1B Productions | — |
| 2013 | The Homecoming | Jan Tussing | Blue Boots Entertainment | — |
| 2013 | Noah Hammer | Joao Gabriel Kowalski | — | — |
| 2013 | Flabbergasted | Bruno B. Campelo | — | — |
| 2014 | Finding Harmony | Dagen Merrill | Once Upon A Dream | — |
| 2016 | In Search of Liberty | Norm Novitsky | Blu Nile Films | — |
Television
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour | 1988-1989 | Paul Brownstein Productions |
| Street Sharks | 1994-1996 | DIC Entertainment |
| What if | 1996 | Barraclough Carey Productions |
| Perfect Assassins | 1998 | Promark Entertainment Group |
| Beauty | 1998 | Citadel Entertainment |
| As Time Runs Out | 1999 | Fremantle Media North America |
| Riddle of the Desert Mummies | 1999 | Terra Nova Television |
| Sabrina, the Animated Series | 1999 | Buena Vista Television |
| K2: Surviving the Mountain | 2001 | National Geographic Channel |
| Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks | 2003 | Entara Ltd. |
| UnDetectables | 2005 | Discovery Channel |
| ChalkZone | 2004-2005 | Frederator Studios |
| Last Mysteries of the Titanic | 2005 | Last Mysteries of the Titanic |
| Random! Cartoons | 2007 | Frederator Studios |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Price She Paid | Fred Walton | Sandyhook Productions | — |
| 1997 | I'll Be Home for Christmas | Jerry London | Fremantle Media North America | — |
| 1999 | As Time Runs Out | John de Graaf | — | |
| 2001 | The Valley of the T-Rex | Reuben Aaronson | Discovery Channel | — |
Documentary
| Year | Title | Director | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Answering the Call: Ground Zero's Volunteers | Lou Angeli | Chesca Media Group LLC | — |
| 2007 | Google Me | — | Killeen Films | — |
Videos
| Title | Year | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Boyz | 2002 | Master P | No Limit Films |
| Far on Foot | 2001 | Stephanie R.M. Smith | Sisyphs Productions |
| Dark Wolf | 2003 | Richard Friedman | DarkWolf Picture Company LLC |
| One of Them | 2003 | N/A | N/A |
| Maisie Undercover: Shadow Boxer | 2006 | J.W. McHausen | MRG Entertainment |
| Succubus: Hell-Bent | 2007 | Kim Bass | V1 Cut Productions |
| Kemper | 2008 | Rick Bitzelberger | Mainline Releasing |
Albums
| Title | Artist | Year | Role | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Wheel Spin and Spin | Buffy Sainte-Marie | 1966 | Lead guitar | Vanguard |
| I Love You | People! | 1968 | Lead guitar | Capital Records |
| Both Sides of People | People! | 1969 | Lead guitar | Capital Records |
| Isle of View | Jimmie Spheeris | 1971 | Lead guitar | CBS |
| Original Tap Dancing Kid | Jimmie Spheeris | 1973 | Lead guitar | Epic |
| The Eloquent Elephant | Dick Glass | 1974 | Lead guitar | Moonwatcher |
| Falling into Spring | Rita Coolidge | 1974 | Energy bow, dobro | A&M Records |
| Wings Livinryte | Wings Hauser | 1975 | Elbow, Guitar | RCA Victor |
| The Dragon Is Dancing | Jimmy Spheeris | 1975 | Lead guitar | Epic |
| Port of the Heart | Jimmy Spheeris | 1976 | Lead guitarist | Epic |
| Laverne and Shirley Sing | Laverne and Shirley | 1976 | Songwriter | Oh Gee! |
| Live at McCabes | Larry McNeely, Geoff Levin, and Jack Skinner | 1977 | N/A | Flying Fish |
| Confederation | Larry McNeely, Geoff Levin, and Jack Skinner | 1977 | N/A | Sheffield Labs |
| Celestial Navigations Chapter 1 | Celestial Navigations | 1986 | N/A | K-tel |
| Celestial Navigations Chapter 2 | Celestial Navigations | 1989 | N/A | N/A |
| After Midnight | Larry McNeely, Geoff Levin, and Jack Skinner | 1990 | N/A | Sheffield Labs |
| Celestial Navigations Ice Chapter 3 | Celestial Navigations | 1992 | N/A | N/A |
| Celestial Navigations Road Train Chapter 4 | Celestial Navigations | 1995 | N/A | N/A |
| Celestial Navigations The Connection Chapter 5 | Celestial Navigations | 2005 | N/A | N/A |
| Live at the Matrix | Celestial Navigations | 2006 | N/A | N/A |
| Celestial Navigations Space Racer Chapter 6 | Celestial Navigations | 2008 | N/A | N/A |
| Celestial Navigations War Chapter 7 | Celestial Navigations | 2008 | N/A | N/A |
| Tusks & Horns | Mayuka Thaïs | 2014 | Producer | Independent |
Singles
| Title | Artist | Year | Role | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Love You | People! | 1968 | Lead guitar | Capitol Records |
| I Love You/Somebody Tell Me My Name | People! | 1968 | Lead guitar | Capitol Records |
| Crying Shoes | People! | 1968 | Lead guitar | Capitol Records |
| Apple Cider/Ashes of Me | People! | 1968 | Lead guitar | Capitol Records |
| Ulla/Turnin' Me In | People! | 1968 | Lead guitar | Capitol Records |
Video interviews
- "An interview with Mat Gleason, Coagula Art Journal, Modern Art Blitz, Bobbie Moline-Kramer and Geoff Levin"[22] 2017
- "The Jerry Bovino Show - Rock and Roll Brothers with Robbie Levin, Geoff Levin, and Host Jerry Bovino"[23] 2017
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Action on Film | Best Score - Feature | Half Way to Hell | Nominated |
References
- Harris, Ron. "Split over Scientology, '60's band 'People' Reunites for One Night". Religion News Blog. The Salinas Californian. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
- Levin, Geoff. "People!: The '60s rock hitmakers with the Larry Norman connection". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- Barnes, Mike. "Geoffrey Lewis, Frequent Co-Star of Clint Eastwood, Dies at 79". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- "Celestial Navigations". Celestial Navigations.
- "Haunted House Movie". Haunted House Movie.
- Cameron, James (2012). James Cameron: Interviews. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781617031311.
- "San Jose Rocks". Retrieved June 23, 2007.
- Levin, Geoff. "Geoff Levin". Geoff Levin. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
- "Dreams Awake". Dreams Awake Movie. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
- Levin, Geoff. "About". Geoff Levin. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- "Hear Jerry Garcia Perform Rare 'Deep Elem Blues' From New Garcia Box Set". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- "Round Records Shares 2 Jerry Garcia 'Before The Dead' Singles". Jam Base. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- "APM Music - Composer Geoff Levin Creates Music From Abstract Art". www.apmmusic.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
- "The Jerry Bovino Show". Grassrootstv. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- "The Reinvigoration of a Classic 60s Rock Group". SF GATE. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- "Mayuka Thais About". Mayuka Thais. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- "Beyond the zoo gates". Issh International. The International. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- "Global March For Elephants & Rhinos 2014". Bands in Town. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
- Seiden, Franceasca. "Bobbie Moline-Kramer Our Willingness To Experience Art Through One Thing". LA i creative. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
- "As Above So Below Bobbie Moline-Kramer Artist Reception". zoomdune.com. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
- "Scientology's arbitration contracts are 'unconscionable,' say trafficking victims | The Underground Bunker". tonyortega.org. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- "An interview with Mat Gleason". Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- "The Jerry Bovino Show - "Rock and Roll Brothers" with Robbie Levin, Geoff Levin, and Host Jerry Bovino". Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
External links
