September 21: John Legend

he is well-known for his popular albums called Get Lifted and Love in the Future.

Who is John Legend?

John Legend is a musician and songwriter. He has worked with artists such as Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson and Kanye West.
His album Get Lifted was made in 2004 and it won 3 Grammy awards.

John Legend also appeared on the TV show called Duets as a coach.
In 2014 he shared an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and a Grammy Award with the well-known rapper Common for their song called Glory from the movie Selma.

he also received an Emmy Award for his performance in 2018 in the musical Jesus Christ superstar Live in Concert.

Early Life and Career

John Legend was born on December 28, 1978, in Springfield Ohio. His real name is John Roger Stevens.
His grandmother taught him how to play the piano and he grew up singing his church choir.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania and directed a coed a capella group.
After he graduated, he worked for a Boston consulting group but also continued to perform in nightclubs in New York City.
He eventually was introduced to Kanye West and the two of them work together on each other’s demo records.

Career and Breakthrough

in 2004 the album Get Lifted went platinum because of the hit single called Ordinary People. He originally wrote it for the group called the Black-Eyed Peas.
He received three Grammy awards for the album: best R&B album, best R&B male vocal performance and best new artist.

in 2006 alone he was asked to perform at Super Bowl XL in Detroit, the NBA All-Star game and the Major League Baseball All-Star game in Pittsburgh.
In 2008 John released the album called Evolver which featured the song called Green Light. He worked on this song with Andre 3000. This album was able to reach the top of the R&B/ Hip-Hop charts.
In 2008 John also starred in a supporting role in the comedy movie called Soul Men which starred Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson.

Wake up and Duets

in 2010 John released the album called Wake Up! He recorded the album with the band called The Roots.
One of the songs called Hard Times was written by Curtis Mayfield. John wrote another song for the album called Shine which earned Him a Grammy award.
In 2011 John and The Roots won a Grammy award for the best R&B album for this album.
One of the songs called Hard Times was written by Curtis Mayfield. John wrote another song for the album called Shine which earned Him a Grammy award.
In 2011 John and The Roots won a Grammy award for the best R&B album for this album.

in 2012 John decided to try out reality television. He worked with Kelly Clarkson, Robin Thicke and Jennifer Nettles and they performed and coached contestants on the show called Duets.

All of Me and Glory

in 2013 John released his next solo album called Love in the Future which contained his number 1 ballad called All of Me.

in 2015 John and the rapper Common won a Golden Globe for best original song for Glory from the movie Selma.
The movie also won a Grammy and an Academy award and both artists used their Oscar acceptance speeches to shine a light on contemporary issues that were connected to the Civil Rights Movement.
In December 2016 he released his 5th solo album called Darkness and Light which featured collaborations with Miguel and Chance the Rapper.

Jesus Christ Superstar and EGOT

in 2018 John starred in NBC’s production of Jesus Christ superstar live in concert as Jesus during his final days. It aired on Easter Sunday. It also included stars like Alice Cooper and Sarah Bareilles.
On September 9, 2018, John made history as the youngest person ever and the first African American man to join the EGOT club. (EGOT stands for Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards.)
In 2020 John was planning to go on tour. But with the pandemic he decided to contribute to Lady Gaga’s massive One World: Together At Home Benefit Concert before getting together with Jennifer Hudson for an excellent rendition of Beauty and The Beast for the Disney family sing-along volume 2.

in late summer of 2018, it was announced that John would be joining the cast of The Voice and he still is on the show.
In the fall of 2018 John was able to assist his contestant to go on to win the voice for season 16.

Bigger Love

Was released on June 19, 2020
John was quoted saying this about the album
during these painful times, some of us may wonder if it’s okay to laugh for dance or be romantic. Lately the images of black people in the media have been showing us with knees on our neck and in mourning or expressing our collective outrage. We feel all these emotions. But it it’s important for us to continue to show the world that fullness of what it is to be black and human. Through our art, we are able to do that. This album is a celebration of love, joy, sensuality, hope and resilience, the things that make our culture so beautiful and influential.

Personal Life and Wife

John is involved in a lot of social and charitable causes. One of the most important ones to him is being in support of the Harlem Village Academies, a New York City organization that runs several charter schools. He serves as a Vice Chairman on the HVA board.
He said, “I came from a city where 40% to 50% of our kids drop out of high school. I did well in high school and then went on to an Ivy League school, but I was the exception. We need to do more to make sure every kid has a quality education.”
He continued his commitment by lending his song Shine to the 2010 documentary called Waiting for Superman. This film takes a critical look at the public school system.
John and his wife Chrissy Teigen got married in September 2013 in Italy. On April 14, 2016, they welcomed their first child named Luna Simone. On May 16, 2018, they announced they had another baby named Miles Theodore Stevens.
Unfortunately, in September 2020 the couple lost their third child a son they named Jack after pregnancy complications