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John Legend
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Neo-soul singer and pianist John Legend (real name John Stephens) 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 ... 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.
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John Legend (born John Stephens, 28 December 1978, Columbus, Ohio) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and pianist. His debut studio album, the platinum-selling Get Lifted, was released in late 2004, and features collaborations with rap artist and producer Kanye West as well as rapper Snoop Dogg. Get Lifted produced two singles: "Used to Love U" (US top 100, UK top 30) and "Ordinary People" (US and UK top 30). Legend has won five Grammy Awards. Prior to the release of his debut album, Legend's career gained momentum through a series of successful collaborations with multiple established artists. Notably, Legend sang the hooks for hits by Slum Village ("Selfish"... featuring Kanye West), Jay-Z ("Encore"), and Dilated Peoples ("This Way"); played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything is Everything"; and sang background vocals on Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name" and Fort Minor's "High Road."
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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 ... 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.
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Contemporary urban stars Nelly, John Legend and Jamie Foxx will appear alongside a host of Motown legends at Motown Music Fest, to be held Feb. 4 at Detroit's Masonic Temple, the day before the National Football League's Super Bowl XL. Among the Motown acts set to perform at the event are the Four Tops, the Miracles, the Contours, the Dramatics, the Former Ladies of the Supremes, Freda Payne, Brenda Holloway, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, the Velvelettes and Paul Hill. The house band will feature members of Motown's legendary Funk Brothers. Two separate shows will be held on Feb. 4; tickets range from $93 to $1,000 and are available through Ticketmaster. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Detroit's Kronk Recreation Center. The night before, Masonic Temple will host the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, featuring Patti LaBelle, the Clark Sisters, Mary Mary and Hezekiah Walker.
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John Legend was born on December 28, 1978 in Springfield, Ohio. Legend is a 3-time Grammy Award winning R&B singer, songwriter, and pianist. His debut album is entitled. It features collaborations with rapper and producer Kanye West as well as rapper Snoop Dogg and the singles "Used To Love U" and "Ordinary People".
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Philly-bred singer, songwriter and pianist John Legend was born into a musical family in 1979, the grandson of a minister who spent much of his childhood singing and playing in church. His family moved from Ohio to Pennsylvania when he was a child, and he was playing the piano and singing in the church choir from an early age.
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