Rude Boys Singer Melvin Sephus Dead at 61 — Cleveland ’90s R&B Group Loses Third Original Member
Melvin Sephus. (Photo via AllMusic)
Melvin Sephus, a founding member of the Cleveland ’90s R&B group The Rude Boys, has died. He was 61.
The group — Sephus, Larry “Bingo” Marcus, Joe Little III, Edward “Buddy” Banks and Dwight Thompson — came together in Cleveland in the late 1980s and was discovered by R&B legend Gerald Levert. They went on to score two consecutive No. 1 hits on the Billboard R&B chart, led by “Written All Over Your Face.”
Beyond the group, Sephus was a singer, songwriter and musician. He co-wrote and co-produced “I Got Your Back” and sang backing vocals on Gerald and Eddie Levert’s 1995 album “Father & Son.”
He is the third member of the group’s original lineup to die, following earlier losses. Tributes have poured in from R&B fans and Cleveland music figures, including The RnB Talk Show and longtime friend Donny Hood.
Sources: SoulTracks and EntertainmentNow
