John Legend Bio
Neo-soul singer and pianist John Legend combined the raw fervor
of contemporaries Cody ChesnuTT and the burning precision of D'Angelo.
Born John Stephens, Legend was a child prodigy who grew up in Ohio,
where he began singing gospel and playing piano at the tender age of
five. Legend left Ohio at 16 to go to college in Philadelphia, and it
was there that he first found a larger audience. Not yet out of his
teens, Legend was tapped to play piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is
Everything" in 1998. After completing college, he moved to New York,
where he began to build a loyal following playing in nightclubs and
releasing CDs that he would sell at shows. He also became an in-demand
session musician, playing and occasionally writing for a wide array of
artists, including Alicia Keys, Twista, Janet Jackson, and Kanye West.
It wasn't until West signed the young talent to his new label that he
adopted the Legend name with 2004's Solo Sessions Vol. 1: Live at the
Knitting Factory. Get Lifted, his first studio album, was released
later in the year. On the strength of enduring single "Ordinary
People," the album reached the Top Five of the Billboard 200. This led
to three Grammy Awards: Best R&B Album, Best R&B Male Vocal
Performance, and Best New Artist. Once Again followed in October 2006.
~ Wade Kergan, All Music Guide
Written by Wade Kergan
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