Gerardo (musician)

Gerardo Mejía (born April 16, 1965[1]), better known by his mononym Gerardo, is an Ecuadorian-American rapper, singer and actor who later became a recording industry executive, and more recently a pastor. Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, he moved with his family to Glendale, California, when he was 12 years old.

Gerardo
Gerardo performing at Eleva, a conference founded by Jeff Tolle.
Background information
Birth nameGerardo Mejía
Born (1965-04-16) April 16, 1965
Guayaquil, Ecuador
OriginGlendale, California
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • actor
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1987–present
Labels

Based in Los Angeles, California, Gerardo became known for his bandana, skintight jeans, locking, and shirtless torso. He sometimes refers to himself as the "Latin Elvis", the "Latin Frank Sinatra", or the "Latin Tony Zuzio".[2]

Career

Gerardo's first major appearance in show business was as Ricky in the 1987 feature film Can't Buy Me Love.[3] He was later cast as the character Bird in the 1988 film Colors, about South Central Los Angeles gang violence. This was also the first time his dance skills were showcased, in one of the party scenes; however, he did not sing at any point in the film.

His hit single "Rico Suave" appeared on his 1991 debut album, Mo' Ritmo. The album peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard 200 chart in June 1991; the single had peaked at No. 7 in April. This song, as well as some others of Gerardo's, include verses with lines in both English and Spanish. Although his following single "We Want the Funk" (a semi-remake of Parliament's "Give Up the Funk") peaked at No. 16,[4] the popularity of "Rico Suave" has made Gerardo known as a one-hit wonder via sources including MTV, VH1,[5] Synthesis Magazine[6] and even Gerardo himself.[5]

Now an A&R executive at Interscope Records, Gerardo was responsible for bringing Enrique Iglesias to the attention of Interscope Label Executives in early 1999. He also signed rapper Bubba Sparxxx.[2] More recently, in a 2013 appearance on Katie Couric's show Katie, Gerardo discussed his newest life focus as a Christian youth pastor. He was ordained as a pastor at Praise Chapel in Kansas City and now pastors a church House of Grace in Ashland, Kentucky. [7]

Personal life

Gerardo is married to Kathy Eicher, a former beauty queen who was Miss West Virginia USA 1989, and they have three children: Nadia, Bianca and Jaden. Nadia went on to compete in beauty pageants like her mother and won the title of Miss California USA 2016. [8] They also have a granddaughter, Lily. [9]

Discography

Albums
Year Album details Chart Positions
US US
R&B
1991 Mo' Ritmo 36 64
1992 Dos
  • Released: September 15, 1992
  • Label: Interscope Records
 — —
1994 Así Es[10] — —
1995 Derrumbe[10]
  • Released: June 6, 1995
  • Label: EMI Records
 — —
2001 Gerardo: Fame, Sex y Dinero — —
2004 180°
  • Released: September 28, 2004
  • Label: Univision Records
 — —
2007 La Iglesia de la Calle — —
TBA Luces, cámara y unción — —
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or not released

Singles

Filmography
Year Film/Television Role Other notes
1987 Can't Buy Me Love Ricky
1988 Colors Bird
1988 Supercarrier Luis Cruz TV series
1994 A Million to Juan Flaco
Somebody to Love Armando
2003 Pauly Shore Is Dead Rico Suave
Mi Casa, Su Casa Miguel Sanchez this film has the alternate title of Loco Love.
2014 Suave Says Himself TV series

References
  1. Billboard.com – Biography – Gerardo. Retrieved September 22, 2008.
  2. Kaufman, Gil (May 22, 2002). "Gerardo: Back And 'Still Rico' – News Story | MTV News". MTV. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  3. Gerardo Mejía at IMDb
  4. Billboard.com – Artist Chart History – Gerardo. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  5. Gerardo: Back And 'Still Rico' – News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
  6. Synthesis : Music : Gerardo : King Mac Daddy : an Interview with Rico Suave. Archived October 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
  7. "LEADERSHIP – House of Grace". Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  8. "Hija del rapero Gerardo Mejía se convierte en Miss California". People en Español. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  9. "La nieta de Gerardo nació con anticipación". El Universo (in Spanish). January 31, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  10. "Andy Kotz – Producer". AKMusic Productions. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  11. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
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