Lenny Kravitz was born in New York on May 26, 1964, the only child of television news producer Sy Kravitz and actress Roxie Roker, and later grew up in Los Angeles. In an interview with Kam Williams, he described himself as Black and white and discussed his African American, Bahamian and Russian Jewish family background. His account also describes a change from using the stage name Romeo Blue to working under his own name. His debut album, Let Love Rule, arrived on Virgin Records on September 6, 1989.
Kravitz developed a recording career as a songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. The Hollywood Walk of Fame's account describes a musical approach drawing on rock, funk and other traditions, with writing, playing and producing all part of a single project. The Recording Academy's records make some milestones precise: "Are You Gonna Go My Way," co-written with Craig Ross, received a rock-song nomination in 1994, and Kravitz then won Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in four consecutive ceremonies, for "Fly Away" in 1999, "American Woman" in 2000, "Again" in 2001 and "Dig In" in 2002, the most wins ever recorded in that category.
His touring work also influenced a younger collaborator. In a 2022 Tidal interview, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews recalled joining Kravitz's band at eighteen and described learning professional discipline and seeing a Black musician lead his own rock performance.
Acting created another setting for Kravitz's work. He played Nurse John in Lee Daniels's *Precious*, and his film roles also included Cinna in *The Hunger Games* and its sequel. In 2023, he wrote music for *Rustin*. The Walk of Fame honored him with a star in its recording category on March 12, 2024. The same institutional account records the Let Love Rule Foundation's partnership with GLO Good to provide dental services and health education in the Bahamas.
