| John Legend(約翰傳奇) | ||
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 //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Johnlegend.jpg |
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| 歌手 | ||
| 本名 | John Stephens | |
| 出生 | 1978年12月28日 (1978-12-28)（33歲） |
|
| 職業 | 唱作人, 鋼琴家 | |
| 音樂類型 |
R&B 靈魂樂 |
|
| 演奏樂器 | 鋼琴 | |
| 出道地點 | Springfield, 俄亥俄州, 美國 |
|
| 活躍年代 | 2000–現在 | |
| 唱片公司 | Sony BMG, GOOD Music | |
| 網站 | [John Legend] | |
約翰傳奇（John Legend，原名John Stephens，1978年12月28日－）是位奪得五次格萊美獎的R&B唱作人和鋼琴家。首張專輯《Get Life》在2004年發行，獲得白金銷量的佳績。其專輯是與著名製作人和說唱(rap)歌手肯伊·威斯特(Kanye West)和Snoop Dogg合作。正因為首張專輯的成功，他事業上得到更多機會與知名的歌手合作。
目录 |
家庭中的音乐氛围，对于約翰傳奇日后走向音乐方面产生了重要的作用。他的家里有一台钢琴，因此約翰在五岁时就开始利用这台钢琴学着练习弹奏歌曲。八九岁时，他就已经开始在当地的一些教堂里为教堂唱诗班進行钢琴伴奏。通过奶奶教授给他的一些福音音乐歌曲，不久之后約翰傳奇已经开始独立的演奏歌曲了。
高中時期，約翰已经开始录制一些小型唱片。他后来开始听一些Jodeci、BoyzIIMen與LL Cool J的音乐，这些音乐对他后来的个人音乐风格也产生一定的影响。16岁以后，他离开家乡進入宾夕法尼亚大学主修英文专业，在这里除了学习之外，他依然活跃于音乐场合，经常在学校的一些才艺演出上表演。在费城外的 Bethel A.M.E.教堂，他成为了教堂唱诗班的导演，他在这所教堂担任唱诗班导演长达九年，直到他发片前的几个月才停止。
1998年，他已经开始在知名黑人女歌手羅倫·希爾（Lauryn Hill）的《Everything Is Everything》中进行钢琴演奏。2002年，約翰傳奇已经广泛的开始与肯伊·威斯特（Kanye West）一起工作，也开始出现在一些大牌明星的专辑中。
2003年，John Legend参加了艾麗西亞·基斯（Alicia Keys）的专辑《Diary Of Alicia Keys》主打单曲《You Don't Know My Name》的录制，又先后参加Jay-Z《The Black Album》、黑眼豆豆《Elephunk》與Twista《Kamikaze》等多张畅销专辑的录制，还出现在珍娜·傑克森與玛丽·布莱姬等人的单曲录制中。
2003年底，肯伊·威斯特把表现出色的約翰傳奇正式签入了自己的唱片公司，并且先后于2003年和2004年初发行了他的现场专辑《Live at SOB's New York City》和《Solo Sessions Vol. 1: Live at the Knitting Factory》。随着威斯特首张个人专辑《College Dropout》的成功，約翰傳奇更是受到了威斯特进一步的发掘。
2004年12月28日，在威斯特的打造下，約翰傳奇的首张录音室专辑《Get Lifted》正式发行。
| 專輯資料 |
|---|
| Get Lifted |
| Once Again |
| Evolver |
| John Legend | |
|---|---|
 John Legend, 2010 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Roger Stephens |
| Born | (1978-12-28) December 28, 1978 (age 33) |
| Origin | Springfield, Ohio, United States |
| Genres | R&B, hip hop soul, soul, neo soul, jazz fusion |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, actor |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, keyboards |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | GOOD, Sony Music |
| Associated acts | Kanye West, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco, The Roots |
| Website | johnlegend.com |
John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He has won nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career gained momentum through a series of successful collaborations with multiple established artists. Stephens added his voice to those of other artists, assisting in them reaching chart-topper hits. He lent his voice to Kanye West's All of the Lights, on Slum Village's "Selfish" and Dilated Peoples' "This Way". Other artists included Jay-Z's "Encore", and he sang backing vocals on Alicia Keys' 2003 song "You Don't Know My Name" and Fort Minor's "High Road." Stephens played piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything."
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Stephens was born on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio. He is the son of Phyllis, a seamstress, and John Mills, a factory worker and former National Guardsman. Throughout his childhood, Stephens was homeschooled on and off by his mother. At the age of four, he began playing the piano and at the age of seven, he performed with his church choir. When he was ten, his parents divorced, causing his mother to suffer a breakdown. At the age of 12, Stephens attended North High School, from which he graduated four years later. He graduated salutatorian.
According to Stephens, he was offered scholarships to Harvard University, Georgetown University and Morehouse College. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied English with an emphasis on African American literature. While in college, he helmed Counterparts, a co-ed jazz and pop a cappella group as president (1997–1998) and musical director (1998–1999). Stephens' lead vocals on the group's recording of Joan Osborne's "One of Us" received critical acclaim landing the song on the track list of the 1998 Best of Collegiate a Cappella compilation CD. Stephens was also a member of the prestigious Sphinx Senior Society while an undergraduate at Penn. While in college, Stephens was introduced to Lauryn Hill by a friend. Hill hired him to play piano on "Everything Is Everything", a song from her album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
During this period, Stephens took time to hold a number of shows around Philadelphia, eventually expanding his audience base to New York, Boston, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C. He finished college in 1999, and thereafter began producing, writing, and recording his own music. He released two albums independently; his self-titled demo (2000) and 'Live at Jimmy's Uptown' (2001), which he sold at his shows.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Stephens began working as a management consultant for the Boston Consulting Group. During this time, he began working on his demo and began sending his work to various record labels. In 2001, Devo Springsteen introduced Stephens to then up-and-coming hip-hop artist Kanye West; Stephens was hired to sing during the hooks of West's music. After signing to West's label, he chose his stage name from a nickname that was given to him by poet J. Ivy, due to Stephens' "old-school sound". Stephens' vocals can be heard on several tracks including Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name", Jay-Z's "Encore", Kanye West's "Never Let Me Down," also featuring Jay-Z and J. Ivy, Dilated Peoples' "This Way" and Slum Village's "Selfish".
Stephens released his debut album, Get Lifted, in December 2004. It debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200, selling 116,000 copies in its first week. It went on to sell 2.1 million copies in the United States and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. It has sold three million copies worldwide. The album produced two singles: "Ordinary People" (US and UK top 30) went straight to number four and "Used to Love U" (US top 100, UK top 30).[citation needed]
The first single from his second album, Once Again, was "Save Room". The album was released October 24, 2006, and boasts production from Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, and will.i.am. In an interview with MTV, he said that this album contained his favorite song that he had written to date, entitled "Again." He said he came up with the idea for the song and wrote some of it while sitting on a subway. He stated that the song was also the inspiration for the album's title[citation needed].
In August 2006 Stephens appeared in an episode of Sesame Street. He performed a song entitled "It Feels Good When You Sing a Song", a duet with Hoots the Owl. He also performed during the pregame show of Super Bowl XL in Detroit and the halftime show at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.
Stephens released his third studio album Evolver, in October 2008. Rapper Andre 3000 of OutKast is featured on the first single of the album on a song titled "Green Light". "It's going to be a surprise for a lot of John Legend fans, because it is a lot more upbeat than John is — than people think John is," Andre insisted. "I was actually happy to hear it. This is a cool John Legend song". The next single from Evolver was confirmed as "Everybody Knows".
Speaking in July 2008 to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning "Blues & Soul", he explained his reasons for titling the album 'Evolver': "Well I think people sometimes come to expect certain things from certain artists. They expect you to kind of stay in the same place you were at when you started out. Whereas I feel I want my career to be defined by the fact that I'm NOT gonna stay in the same place, and that I'm always gonna try new things and experiment. So, as I think this album represents a manifestation of that, I came up with the title 'Evolver'."
In 2009, Stephens performed in The People Speak a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States”.
John Legend and The Roots teamed up to record a collaborative album,Wake Up!, which was released on September 21, 2010. The first single released off the album was "Wake Up Everybody" featuring singer Melanie Fiona and rapper Common; a video for the song has been released. "Hard Times" is the second single.
In February 2011 John won three Grammy Awards (one by himself and two with The Roots) at the 53rd Annual Grammy Music Awards Ceremony. Legend won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for "Shine", and he and The Roots won Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album (Wake Up!) and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for "Hang On In There". In March 2011 Legend and the Roots won two NAACP Image Awards – one for Outstanding Album (Wake Up!) and one for Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration.
Legend is currently on a 50-date tour as a guest for British Soul band Sade. In the San Diego stop, Legend confirmed that he is working on his next studio album, and played a new song called "Dreams". Legend was granted an Honorary Doctorate Degree from <<Howard University>> at the 144th Commencement Exercises on Saturday May 12, 2012.
On July 5, 2011, songwriter Anthony Stokes filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against John Legend in United States District Court, in the District of New Jersey, alleging that Legend's song "Maxine's Interlude" from his 2006 album Once Again derives from Stokes' demo "Where Are You Now." Stokes claims he gave Legend a demo of the song in 2004 following a concert at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Legend has denied the allegations, telling E! Online, "I never heard of his song until he sued me. I would never steal anyone's song. We will fight it in court and we will prevail." Nearly 60,000 people took a TMZ.com poll that compared the two songs and 65% of voters believed that Legend's "Maxine's Interlude" is a rip-off of Stokes' "Where Are You Now."
His cover of Stevie Wonder's 1974 hit song "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" appeared in Will Smith/Eva Mendes' film Hitch and on the soundtrack album of the movie.
The 2007 video for his single, "P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)", features Alexandre Rodrigues and Alice Braga from the critically acclaimed film, City of God.
Songs attributed to John Legend have appeared in feature films, as follows:
He has a supporting, singing-only role in the 2008 movie Soul Men, where he plays the deceased lead singer of a fictitious soul group that includes Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac. Although he has no real dialogue in the film, he only sings a song called "I'm Your Puppet" along with Jackson and Mac.
On July 7, 2007, he participated in the Live Earth concert in London, performing "Ordinary People". On July 8, 2007, he participated in the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, with India.Arie. On July 11, 2007, he participated in the Jazz Open Festival in Stuttgart, Germany, with Amy Winehouse. On September 21, 2008, he also performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK in conjunction with the Peace One Day concert. He sang "Green Light" and "If You're Out There".
The Show Me Campaign google , through which his fans are encouraged to donate funds toward improving the living situations and prospects of victims of extreme poverty in Mbola, Tanzania, is another example of Stephens' charitable involvement. In early 2008, he began touring with Professor Jeff Sachs of Columbia University's Earth Institute to promote sustainable development as an achievable goal.
Stephens returned to his hometown of Springfield, Ohio on Christmas Eve 2007 for a "Coming Home Christmas Benefit Concert" in the auditorium of North High School. The performance featured several local talent from Springfield, including Legend's younger brother Vaughn Anthony Stephens, who helped organize the concert. The performance also featured a tribute to Jason Collier, and proceeds went to a scholarship fund set up in his name for local high schoolers.
After reading Professor Jeffrey Sachs' book, The End of Poverty, Stephens was inspired to visit Ghana to learn more about making life better for the people who live under the poverty line. This is when he started his "Show Me Campaign" in 2007. With this campaign, Stephens called on his fans to help him in his initiative for those who reside in Bossaso Village[where?] and non-profit organizations that the campaign partners with.
In 2007 Stephens was the spokesman for GQ Magazine's "Gentlemen's Fund", an initiative to raise support and awareness for five cornerstones essential to men: opportunity, health, education, environment, and justice.[citation needed]
In May 2007 he partnered with Tide laundry detergent to raise awareness about the need of families in St. Bernard Parish, (Slidell, LA) one of the most devastated areas hit by Hurricane Katrina. He spent a day folding laundry at the Tide "clean start" mobile laundromat and visited homes which Tide is helping to rebuild in that community.
In October 2007 he became involved[clarification needed] with a project sponsored by The Gap, a retail clothing store chain in the United States. Through their "project red campaign" (also called "2 WEEKS"), The Gap's contribution to their global fund from the sale of each (2 WEEKS) t-shirt is equivalent to the average cost of 2 weeks of anti-retroviral medicine in Africa, which enables people living with HIV to lead healthy, normal lives.
In 2009 Stephens gave AIDS Service Center NYC permission to remix his song "If You're Out There" to create a music video promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and testing.
Stephens claims to have contributed a share of the proceeds of some tickets for his August 13, 2009, concert at Madison Square Garden to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Stephens is also the National spokesperson for and has performed benefit concerts for "Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). MLT is a national non-profit organization that has made ground-breaking progress assisting the next generation of African American, Hispanic and Native American leaders in major corporations, non-profit organizations and entrepreneurial ventures.[clarification needed][citation needed]
On January 22, 2010, he performed "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" on the Hope for Haiti Now telethon show.
On September 8, 2010, John Legend joined the national board of Teach For America. Legend also sits on the boards of The Education Equality Project and the Harlem Village Academies, and serves as co-chair (with Rupert Murdoch) of the Harlem Village Academies’ National Leadership Board.
On September 9, 2010, he performed "Coming Home" on the Colbert Report as a tribute song for the end of combat operations in Iraq, and for the active troops and the veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
In 2011, he contributed the track "Love I've Never Known" to the Red Hot Organization's most recent album "Red Hot+Rio 2." The album is a follow-up to the 1996 "Red Hot+Rio." Proceeds from the album sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.
On March 6, 2012, John Legend was appointed by the World Economic Forum to the Forum of Young Global Leaders.
Stephens is currently a spokesperson for the Baileys line of alcoholic beverages. He also spoke on behalf of The Polka Dotz at Milwaukee's 2008 German Fest.
He performed and spoke at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, on behalf of the Barack Obama Presidential campaign in April 2008. He later performed "If You're Out There" from the album Evolver and a duet of Will.i.am's "Yes We Can" at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Also, he performed a half-hour set list in support of Barack Obama in his hometown of Springfield, as well as at The Ohio State University and Wright State University campuses on September 29, 2008.
On July 26, 2007, Stephens hosted a John Legend Network Members Only Party and Concert called "The Kings & Queens Bash" at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. There were 500 participants in attendance and he introduced the acts from his new label, Homeschool Records to his John Legend Network fans: Estelle, his brother, Vaughn Anthony Stephens, Lucy Woodward and The James Gang. Harmonicist Frederic Yonnet performed as a special guest.
On July 25, 2008, at the Highline Ballroom in New York City, John Legend planned another annual private event for his fans who are members of the John Legend Network called "John Legend Unplugged". Legend performed a 21-song set list, including several songs from his Evolver album. This allowed John Legend Network members to be the first to hear the new songs. After the party, Legend greeted each individual on their way out and took pictures with fans.
On February 8, 2011, Legend performed and spoke at Arizona State University's Gammage Auditorium in Tempe, Arizona for a Black History Month event presented by the Undergraduate Student Government of ASU.
On December 27, 2011, Legend's rep announced he was engaged to model Chrissy Teigen while vacationing in the Maldives after dating for 4 years. Teigen has been featured in Deal or No Deal and in Sports Illustrated.
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | Sesame Street | Himself | |
| 2007 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Himself/Performer | Season 6 Finale, 'The Bat Mitzvah' |
| Las Vegas | Himself/Performer | Season 4 Episode 11, 'Wagers of Sin' | |
| 2008 | A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All | Forest Ranger | Christmas Special |
| 2009 | The People Speak | Himself | Documentary |
| 2010 | Dancing with the Stars | Himself/Performer | |
| 2011 | Royal Pains | Himself/Performer | "Listen to the Music" |
| Film | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2008 | Sesame Street: Elmo Loves You! | Himself | |
| Soul Men | Marcus Hooks | ||
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Maroon 5 |
Grammy Award for Best New Artist 2006 |
Succeeded by Carrie Underwood |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Legend, John |
| Alternative names | Stephens, John |
| Short description | Singer–songwriter, pianist |
| Date of birth | December 28, 1978 |
| Place of birth | Springfield, Ohio, United States |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
2006-06-30
從莫名其妙大膽在節目中預言John Legend（他將自己的姓氏換成Legend，以致本地唱片公司直接就將他翻成「約翰傳奇」，這行為恐怕比我大膽很多）肯定要站上葛萊美獎舞台，到他真的入圍年度歌曲等八項，最後拿了最佳..
