Melvin Sephus

Melvin Sephus grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and is remembered by local media as a Cleveland original. His exact date and place of birth have not been made public. Reports of his death at age 61 in October 2026 place his birth in about 1964 or 1965. Details of his parents and childhood have not been published.

Details of Melvin Sephus's schooling and musical training have not been made public. He emerged from Cleveland's late 1980s music scene as a singer, songwriter and musician.

Sephus was a founding member of The Rude Boys, a Cleveland vocal group formed in the late 1980s with Larry "Bingo" Marcus and brothers Edward Lee "Buddy" Banks and Joe Little III. SoulTracks also names Dwight Thompson among the group's early members. Gerald Levert discovered the group and helped sign it to Atlantic Records.

The 1990 debut album Rude Awakening produced two number one Billboard R&B singles. "Written All Over Your Face," featuring Levert on lead, also reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the 1991 Billboard Music Award for number one R&B single. "Are You Lonely for Me" also topped the R&B chart, and "Heaven" reached number 15. The group toured internationally supporting Levert and The O'Jays, with future soul star Frank McComb as keyboardist and musical director.

The 1992 album Rude House gave the group the number 4 R&B hit "My Kinda Girl" and the single "Go Ahead and Cry." After that album the Atlantic deal ended and the group split. Some members reunited for Rude as Ever in 1997, which produced the single "Nothing to One."

Outside the group, Sephus co-wrote and co-produced "I Got Your Back" and sang backing vocals on Gerald and Eddie Levert's 1995 duet album Father and Son.

Melvin Sephus kept his private life out of the public eye. Information about a spouse, children or other relatives has not been made public. Friends in Cleveland remembered him warmly after his death. In recent years health issues had kept him from performing with the group's surviving and touring members, according to Sam Sylk.

No public statements by Melvin Sephus on religion, politics or other beliefs have been found. His music, built on gospel influenced harmony and romantic ballads, sat in the tradition of Cleveland soul shaped by the Levert family.

The Rude Boys are remembered as one of the defining vocal groups of early 1990s R&B, blending new jack swing energy with quiet storm ballads under Gerald Levert's guidance. "Written All Over Your Face" and "Are You Lonely for Me" remain widely played more than three decades on. Sephus's songwriting and production work with the Leverts tied him to one of Cleveland's most important musical families. With his death, Joe Little III is the last surviving member of the group's best known original lineup.

As a member of The Rude Boys, Sephus shared the 1991 Billboard Music Award for number one R&B single of the year for "Written All Over Your Face." The group earned two number one Billboard R&B singles and was inducted into the National Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in Detroit in 2019.

Albums with The Rude Boys: Rude Awakening (1990), Rude House (1992) and Rude as Ever (1997). Singles include "Come On Let's Do It" (1990), "Written All Over Your Face" (1991), "Are You Lonely for Me" (1991), "Heaven" (1991), "My Kinda Girl" (1992), "Go Ahead and Cry" (1992) and "Nothing to One" (1997). Other credits: co-writer and co-producer of "I Got Your Back"; backing vocals on Gerald and Eddie Levert's Father and Son (1995).

The death of Melvin Sephus, aged 61, was announced on October 29, 2026, by SoulTracks and other outlets. The exact date and place of death and the cause have not been made public. Funeral arrangements and details about his survivors had not been released. Tributes came from Joe Little III, The RnB Talk Show, Cleveland radio host Sam Sylk and friends across Cleveland's music community.