Born in Springfield, Ohio, John is a multi-talented musician who later moved to Philadelphia, attending the Univ. of Pennsylvania. Before diving into a full-time career in the music biz, he was music/choir director for nine years at the Philly-area's Bethel A.M.E. Church. His influences stem from classic soul and gospel legends, creating his own style. He learned to play piano at an early age. He has made appearances on many R&B/hip-hop records from the likes of Black Eyed Peas, Eve, Lauryn Hill, Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, and Alicia Keys, among many others. John has been performing for a long time; since 2000, he started performing more amd more. It wasn't until he met Chicago's rising star, Kanye West, when people in the music industry started to take notice.
December 28, 2004 is the U.S. release date of his debut CD for Sony Urban, "Get Lifted", with production from BEP's Will.I.Am, his long-time associates, Dave Tozer & Devo Harris, and, naturally, Kanye West, who is behind the boards for his debut single, "Used To Love U".
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. ~ Wade Kergan, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
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