John Legend Tour Overview
John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer and actor. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything", and making uncredited guest appearances on Jay-Z's "Encore" and Alicia Keys's "You Don't Know My Name". He was the first artist signed to Kanye West's GOOD Music, on which he released his debut album Get Lifted (2004), which reached the top ten on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Legend received nine nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, including nominations for the singles "So High" with Lauryn Hill and "Ordinary People", with the latter song winning for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The album also earned him awards for Best New Artist and Best R&B Album. His second studio album Once Again (2006), spawned the single "Save Room", and became his second top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart. The lead single from his third album Evolver (2008), "Green Light" featuring André 3000, reached the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. In June 2008, he released the live album John Legend: Live from Philadelphia.
About John Legend
John Roger Stephens was born on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio. He is the eldest of four children of Phyllis Elaine (née Lloyd), a seamstress, and Ronald Lamar Stephens, a factory worker at International Harvester (which also has a factory in Springfield, Ohio and is now Navistar). His father was a drummer, while "his mother sang and directed the church choir, and his grandmother was the church organist." In 2004, Legend stated that his parents were divorced for 12 years before reuniting. Legend was homeschooled by his mother. He began playing the piano at age 4. At the age of 7, he performed with his church choir. Because of his academic talent, he skipped two grades.
At the age of 12, Legend attended North High School in Springfield, Ohio, from which he graduated as salutatorian of his class four years later. At the age of 15, Legend won a Black History Month essay competition run by McDonald's, following the prompt "How do you intend to make Black history?" with an essay about how he intended to be a successful musician, according to an interview on the Carlos Watson Show. Legend was offered admission to Harvard University and scholarships to Georgetown University and Morehouse College; he ultimately decided to attend the University of Pennsylvania.
John Legend Facts
- Legend loves to pass the time with the company of a good book, Legend especially enjoys nonfiction books, specifically biographies of prolific people throughout history. One of his all-time favorites is Steven B. Oates’ 1982 biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Let the Trumpet Sound.
- Before his music career, John Legend was a business consultant.
- Legend and his wife, Chrissy Teigen, are the proud owners of four dogs named Pebbles, Penny, Pearl, and Petey. They also boast a bearded dragon, hamster, and two birds. The Legend household is a wild one!
- Every great Artist is bitten by the creative bug at some point. For this Voice Coach, wedding singing was the road to success. While being a wedding singer was primarily an adolescent gig, he ended up putting those love ballads to good use at numerous celebrity weddings later in his life.
