 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,
John Legend was a child prodigy who grew up in Ohio, where he began singing
gospel and playing piano at the tender age of five.
John 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,
John 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
John 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. ~ Wade
Kergan, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book
John Legend for your next corporate or private event.
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