John Legend (born John Stephens on December 28 1978 in Springfield, Ohio) is a Grammy winning American R&B singer, songwriter, and pianist. His debut album, the platinum selling Get Lifted, was released in late 2004. It features collaborations with rapper and producer Kanye West as well as rapper Snoop Dogg and the singles "Used To Love U" (US top 100, UK top 30) and "Ordinary People" (US and UK top 30). He also collaborated with Slum Village on the song "Selfish" (US top 100), also featuring Kanye West. Legend also played the piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything is Everything" and sang background vocals on Jay-Z's "Encore", Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name", and Fort Minor's "High Road."
When Legend was 4, he started playing gospel and classical piano that his grandmother had taught him. And at the age of 5 or 6, he sang with the church choir. Legend attended Springfield North High School, graduating as Salutatorian at 16. He was also prom king.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania. There, he directed Counterparts, a coed a cappella group. At Penn, L...
| Background | solo singer |
| Born | December 28 1978 |
| Origin | Springfield, Ohio |
| Genre | Rhythm and blues |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter, pianist |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| website | JohnLegend.com |
