John Legend | Wanna Play Music

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 also
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. Get Lifted,
his first studio album, was released later in the year. On the strength
of enduring single "Ordinary People," the album reached the Top Five of
the Billboard 200. This led to three Grammy Awards: Best R&B Album,
Best R&B Male Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist. Once Again followed in October 2006. – Wade Kergan, All Music Guide