L.V. (singer)

Larry Sanders (born November 21, 1957), better known by his stage name L.V. (which stands for "Large Variety"),[1] is an American R&B singer. He is best known for his collaboration with rapper Coolio on the single "Gangsta's Paradise" and has been featured on multiple soundtracks since then. Having released two solo albums to date, he was also a member of the gangsta rap group South Central Cartel since their beginning, usually singing the vocals and chorus.

L.V.
Birth nameLarry Sanders
Born (1957-11-21) November 21, 1957
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active1991–present
Labels
Associated acts

Early life

L.V. grew up with a father who sang gospel music along with the radio every morning, and this helped hook him on singing. He won a high school talent contest by performing L.T.D.'s "Concentrate on You", joined the Los Angeles Trade–Technical College choir. He later joined the Los Angeles Southwest College music department where he studied voice, choir and performed in several stage musicals. He also contributed R&B vocals to a neighborhood rap group, the South Central Cartel.

Later career

Following his success with "Gangsta's Paradise", L.V. landed a contract with Tommy Boy Records, which released his debut album I Am L.V. in 1996. This album spawned the hit single, "Throw Your Hands Up", which featured Treach of Naughty by Nature (produced by Maurice 'DJ Moe' Thompson and Jay 'Supreme' Williams for Barr 9 Productions). The single went on to sell over 400,000 units. The album also features a version of "Gangsta's Paradise" without rap lyrics.

L.V.'s follow-up album was How Long, released on Loud Records in 2000. The record featured guest appearances by the likes of Raekwon and Shari Watson.

In August 2012, L.V. released his fourth solo album, Still L.V., in Japan.

Discography

Studio albums
Title Release Peak chart positions
AUS
[2]		 GER
[3]		 UK
[4]		 US
R&B
[5]
I Am L.V. 96 72 139 100
How Long — — — 59
Hustla 4 Life — — — —
Still L.V.
  • Released: August 22, 2012
  • Label: Octave
 — — — —
The Art of Making Love[6]
  • Released: March 15, 2017
  • Label: ESMG
 — — — —

Collaboration albums
  • The Playground with Prodeje (2002)
  • Hood Affiliated with Prodeje (2008)

Compilation albums
  • The Gangstas In South Central with South Central Cartel (1996)

Singles
Title Release Peak chart positions Album
US
[7]		 US R&B
[7]		 AUS
[2]		 FRA
[8]		 GER
[3]		 NZ
[9]		 UK
[4]
"Throw Your Hands Up" 1995 6342844746524 I Am L.V.
"I Am L.V." 1996 —87———4264
"How Long" 2000 —46————— How Long
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[10]		 AUS
 AUT
 GER
 NL NOR
 NZ
 SWE
 SWI
 UK
[11]
"Gangsta's Paradise"
(Coolio featuring L.V.)		 1995 1111111111
  • RIAA: 3× Platinum
  • ARIA: 3× Platinum[12]
  • BPI: 2× Platinum
  • BVMI: 2× Platinum
  • IFPI AUT: Platinum[13]
  • IFPI NOR: 4× Platinum[14]
  • IFPI SWE: Gold[15]
  • IFPI SWI: 2× Platinum[16]
  • RMNZ: Platinum[17]
 Gangsta's Paradise
and
I Am L.V.

References
  1. Huey, Steve. "L.V. | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  2. Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
  3. German chart peaks:
  4. UK chart peaks:
  5. "L.V. Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  6. The Art of Making Love by L.V., March 15, 2017, retrieved December 4, 2018
  7. "L.V. Chart History". Billboard.
  8. Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Larry Sanders". lescharts.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  9. Hung, Steffen. "charts.nz - Discography L.V." charts.nz. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  10. "Coolio Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  11. "Coolio". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  12. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 28 Jan 1996". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  13. "Austrian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  14. "Norwegian single certifications – Coolio – Gangsta's Paradise" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  15. "(Guld & Platina) ÅR 1987-1998" [(Gold & Platinum) Year 1987-1998] (PDF) (in Swedish). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  16. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Coolio)". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
  17. "Official NZ Music Charts (10 March 1996)". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.