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Tuesday, 28 December 2004
 Neo-soul singer and pianist John Legend has been compared to fellow contemporary Soul genius Cody ChesnuTT and picks up the burning torch left by a long missing-in-action 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 age of five. Legend left Ohio at sixteen to go to college in Philadelphia, and it was there that he first found a larger audience. Still in his teens, Legend was featured on 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 recording CDs to sell at shows. In addition, 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 was West who renamed Stephens as "Legend" and signed the young talent to his new label. 2004's Solo Sessions Vol. 1: Live at the Knitting Factory, and his first studio album, Get Lifted, were released later in the year.
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| Last Updated (
Thursday, 06 January 2005 ) |
