levi john
THROUGH THE EYES OF MANNIE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Godwin Levi John — known to those who grew up with him as Mannie — was born in Grenada and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, where his voice found him before he understood what to do with it. Over five decades, that voice carried him across the Caribbean, North America, Europe, and Asia as a singer, songwriter, and entertainer, earning him a career few dare to dream of and even fewer manage to sustain. Levi has written more than 2,000 songs, all by ear, all from memory — proof that the truest stories don't need notation to be told. He is the founder of the IslandJon brand and co-founder of IslandJon Vodka, extending his island roots into everything he builds. Through the Eyes of Mannie is his first memoir — the story behind the songs, told at last in his own words. Levi lives in Florida, where he continues to write and pass on his experience of performing and entertaining across three continents to anyone who'll listen.
Who Is Levi John Levi John is a singer, songwriter, entertainer, and producer from the Caribbean who has spent the last forty years making music and performing for audiences around the world — spreading the magic of his music wherever he goes. From a very tender age, Levi loved singing. He grew up surrounded by rhythm — the beat of drums, the ring of steel pan, watching the people of the village celebrate Carnival and answer whatever the trend of the day happened to be. Music came naturally to him, because in his heart of hearts he believed he was born for it. He was always whistling a melody or humming a tune in his head. Living that way, all he wanted to do was make music — and make the world a better place. Everyone in the village asked him to sing, and he was happy to sing for anyone who asked. He remembers being introduced to television when someone recommended he sing on it. The song was the Beatles' "All My Loving." They called him the little big man — Mannie — and he sang on the Hazel Ward Show, a program for children twelve and under, billed as their "little special guest," a little guy from the Trinidad countryside, singing on television. That was when he realized he did not just want to sing — he wanted to sing for the whole world, and not just any song. He wanted to sing the songs he had written himself. All of those dreams came true. He has traveled the world and recorded in the music industry he dreamed about as a boy. He has written over 2,000 songs and recorded more than 300 of them, and he is still recording. These days, friends send him lyrics and words they have written, and he sets them to melody — arranging and producing the music, then sharing what they create together with others, who share it further still. Who is Levi John? My music, my life, my song. Trusting, and a loyalist to the people and places that made me. I love my family with all my heart and soul, and I thank God every day for giving me the understanding to know that I have their love and their goodwill toward me. I love people — helping people. And I know that for generations to come, people will come across the songs I have written, and some may even sing them themselves. That would be a beautiful thing for my soul, because what music is all about is sharing. And I love sharing my music.