Maxine is a feminine given name which may refer to:

People[link]

• Maxine Waters
• Maxine Hong Kingston
• Maxine Kumin
• Maxine Elliott
• Maxine Sullivan
• Maxine Nightingale
• Maxine Peake
• Maxine McKew
• Maxine Audley
• Karlee Pérez, a professional wrestler who competes for World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Maxine

Characters[link]

• Maxine Peacock a character in Coronation Street
• Max and Maxine, are cousins in Letterland
• Maxine, a character found in a line of Hallmark Cards

See also[link]

• Max
• Maximillian
• Maximus (disambiguation)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2010)

Sharon Lea O'Neill^[1] (born 23 November 1952, Nelson, New Zealand) is a singer-songwriter and pianist from New Zealand, who had an Australasian hit single in 1983 with "Maxine" which reached #16 on both the Australian Kent Music Report and Recording Industry Association of New Zealand charts.^[2][3][4]

Biography[link]

O'Neill began her career in the 1970s in her home country, then gained moderate success in Australia with the hit "Words" (AUS #56) and the subsequent singles "How Do You Talk to Boys?" (AUS #25, 1980), "Maybe" (AUS #38, 1981), "Losing You" (AUS #26, 1983), and "Power" (AUS #36, 1984).^[3][4]

The early 1980s proved her most commercially successful period, composing and performing the soundtrack to the 1981 film "Smash Palace", and with the Foreign Affairs album in 1983 spawning her biggest hit "Maxine" (AUS #16, 1983)^[3] a song which chronicled the life of a Kings Cross prostitute.^[5] A legal battle with her then record company Sony caused a delay in her career. During the enforced hiatus, O'Neill wrote songs for ABC TV series Sweet and Sour (1984) including the title song performed by Deborah Conway (later recorded by O'Neill as "In Control") and "Glam to Wham".^[1] O'Neill met American keyboardist and songwriter, Alan Mansfield on Dragon's Body And The Beat Tour of New Zealand in 1984—they later became domestic and professional partners.^[6]

In 1987 O'Neill returned with arguably her best album (if under-rated at the time) Danced in the Fire on Polygram which featured some biographical songs about the legal wrangles with Sony.

O'Neill's last album of new material, Edge of Winter, was released in 1990. A mature work, two singles were taken from this album, "Satin Sheets" and "Poster Girl", both of which failed to find chart success.

In 1991, O'Neill collaborated with Robert Palmer and they wrote "True Love" together for Palmer's Don't Explain. She also contributed vocals on that release. In 1994, O'Neill and Palmer joined forces once again, writing "Love Takes Time" for Palmer's Honey. She contributed vocals to that release, as well as to Palmer's 1999 Rhythm and Blues and 2003's Drive.

In 2001 she toured as a guest artist with a New Zealand female act, When The Cat's Away. In 2005 she toured Australia as a support act for Leo Sayer and a comprehensive collection of her greatest hits was released on CD. In 2006 and early 2007 O'Neill again toured Australia supporting Leo Sayer.

In August / September 2007 O'Neill toured as part of the 'Countdown Spectacular 2' concert series Australia-wide^[7] and toured Australia and New Zealand on The Let It Be Tour (The Beatles tribute show) in November / December 2007.^[8]

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Albums[link]

• 1979 - This Heart This Song
• 1980 - Sharon O'Neill
• 1980 - Words
• 1981 - Maybe
• 1983 - Foreign Affairs
• 1983 - Smash Palace (soundtrack)
• 1984 - So Far - The Best 14 ('best of' compilation)
• 1984 - How Do You Do? (2CD 'best of' compilation)
• 1987 - Danced In The Fire
• 1988 - Four Play EP
• 1990 - Edge of Winter
• 1991 - The Very Best Of Sharon O'Neill and Collette (with Collette)
• 2001 - Live In Paradise (with When The Cats Away)
• 2005 - The Best Of Sharon O'Neill

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sharon O'Neill MySpace
• The Official Sharon O'Neill Website
• The unofficial Sharon O'Neill website
• The essential Sharon O'Neill fan site
• The Let It Be Tour
• / The Australian Sharon O'Neill Website^{[dead link]}
• Yahoo group sharononeilldownunder

This article may be written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view. Please clean it up to conform to a higher standard of quality, and to make it neutral in tone. (September 2009)

Donald Fagen
Donald Fagen, right, in concert with Steely Dan in Luzerne, Switzerland, 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Donald Jay Fagen
Born	(1948-01-10) January 10, 1948 (age 64)
Origin	Passaic, New Jersey
Genres	Rock, pop rock, jazz rock
Instruments	piano, organ, various keyboard instruments, melodica,[1] vocals, saxophone
Years active	1971–present
Labels	ABC, MCA, Reprise
Associated acts	Jay & the Americans, Steely Dan
Website	Official Site

Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948^[2]) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, lead singer, and the principal songwriter of the rock band Steely Dan (along with partner Walter Becker).

Fagen is known for his use of jazz harmonies, elaborate arrangements, and attention to detail. Following the breakup of Steely Dan in 1981, he launched a long-running, if sporadic, solo career in 1982, spawning three albums to date, with a fourth album in progress.^[3] Fagen has toured with Becker since Steely Dan reunited in 1993.^[4]

Early life[link]

Fagen was born in Passaic, New Jersey, on January 10, 1948 to Joseph "Jerry" Fagen, an accountant and his wife Elinor.^[5] From the age of 12 to 17, Elinor sang in a hotel band in upstate New York's Catskill Mountains until bouts of stage fright (a condition her son would later be afflicted with) forced her to discontinue performing live.^[5] Fagen would later recall: "I can't ever remember when there was silence around the house. She was either playing records or singing."^[5]

Around 1958, the Fagen family moved from Passaic first to the suburb of Fair Lawn, and then quickly moved and settled into a ranch-style house in Kendall Park, New Jersey.^[6] The transition greatly upset Donald: he detested living in the suburbs. He would later recall to an interviewer that it "was like a prison. I think I lost faith in [my parents'] judgment… It was probably the first time I realised I had my own view of life." His life in Kendall Park would later inspire tracks on his album The Nightfly.^[5]

In the late 1950s, Fagen became interested in rock and R&B music; his first record purchase being Chuck Berry's "Reelin' and Rockin'".^[5] Around age 11, after receiving musical recommendations from a cousin and attending the Newport Jazz Festival, he quickly became a self-declared "jazz snob. I lost interest in rock n' roll and started developing an anti-social personality."^[7] Fagen would regularly take the bus to Manhattan to see Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis perform.^[7] Soon afterwards, he learned to play the piano, and also played baritone horn in the in high school marching band.^[7] Fagen also began a life-long fondness for table tennis during his teenage years.^[8]

After graduating from South Brunswick High School in 1965, Fagen enrolled at Bard College to study English literature, having been inspired by Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Allen Ginsberg, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.^[9] While at Bard, Fagen met musician Walter Becker. The duo, along with a revolving assortment of musicians which included future actor Chevy Chase, formed various groups called The Leather Canary, The Don Fagen Jazz Trio, and the Bad Rock Band.^[10] Fagen would later describe his college bands as sounding like "The Kingsmen performing Frank Zappa material".^[11] None of the groups lasted long, but the partnership between Fagen and Becker would continue for decades. The duo's early career included a stint with Jay and the Americans (where they went by pseudonyms), and in the early 1970s, as pop songwriters for ABC/Dunhill Records, which would go on to release all of Steely Dan's 1970s output.

Career[link]

Steely Dan[link]

Responding to an ad in The Village Voice in the summer of 1970, Fagen and Becker met guitarist Denny Dias and started a musical partnership that formed the basis of what would eventually become Steely Dan. However, the original group's line up would only be assembled in full around December 1971 in Los Angeles, California, to where Becker and Fagen had relocated, initially to work as staff song writers for ABC/Dunhill. Fagen and Becker formed the core of the band and co-wrote all the group's music; on tour and record, Becker played bass (and later lead guitar) and Fagen played keyboards, as well as performing almost all of the lead vocals on their recordings.

After releasing their third LP in 1974, the other members gradually left (or were fired from) the band, which gradually evolved into a studio project headed by Becker and Fagen. From the mid-1970s onwards, Steely Dan recorded their albums exclusively with top-notch jazz and rock session musicians. They scored their biggest success in 1977 with the platinum-selling album Aja.

After a lengthy period of inactivity as a band which began in the early 1980s, the duo of Becker and Fagen revived Steely Dan in the mid 1990s, and have since produced two more Steely Dan studio albums: 2000s Two Against Nature which won several Grammys, Everything Must Go (2003), as well as the live CD Alive in America (1995) and a live concert DVD entitled Two Against Nature, which included material spanning much of the band's history.

Solo career[link]

After Steely Dan's breakup in 1981, Fagen released his critically acclaimed solo debut album, The Nightfly, in October 1982. It reached #11 on the Billboard album chart and was certified Platinum for sales of over a million copies in the United States alone. Its premiere single was "I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)". The song hit the Adult Contemporary Top 10 and peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100. The follow-up single, "New Frontier" peaked at #34 AC and #70 Pop and was aided by a popular MTV music video. The Nightfly was nominated for several Grammy Awards including Album Of The Year. It was significantly more jazz-based than Fagen's Steely Dan work. Rhino Records released a special DVD Audio version of The Nightfly in honor of the album's 20th anniversary in 2002.

Fagen's second solo album, 1993's Kamakiriad, was produced by Becker. It climbed into Billboard's Top 10 but sold fewer copies than The Nightfly, topping off at 900,000 in sales. Kamakiriad was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Album Of The Year.

Recording sessions for Fagen's third solo album, Morph the Cat, began in August 2004 and the album was released March 14, 2006. Performing on the album are Wayne Krantz (guitar), Jon Herington (guitar), Keith Carlock (drums), Freddy Washington (bass), Ted Baker (piano), and Walt Weiskopf (sax). Upon its release, Morph the Cat received universal acclaim^{[citation needed]} and was later named Album of the Year by Mix magazine. Fagen was also given 'Producer of the Year' award.^{[citation needed]}The 5.1 mix of Morph the Cat won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album.^[12]

All three of Fagen's albums previously released on the DVDA format have now been released in Warner's latest format MVI (Music Video Interactive) as a boxed set. Each album features a DTS 5.1, Dolby 5.1 and PCM Stereo mix but no MLP encoded track, along with bonus audio and video content. Customers will also be able to select any track or any portion of a track and use it as their mobile phone ringtone.

In March 2006, Fagen embarked on his first-ever solo tour to support Morph the Cat. This theater tour of the Northeast (including one Canadian date in Toronto), the Midwest, and the West Coast played to sold-out houses and excellent reviews.^{[citation needed]} Fagen's management also sold VIP packages for the tour, which included a pre-show party, premium seats, and access to the band's sound checks. This was mocked on his song-writing partner Walter Becker's website.^[13] Fagen joined Becker for a Steely Dan/Michael McDonald tour the following summer of 2007.

He also toured with the New York Rock and Soul Revue. The 1986 debut album by Rosie Vela, Zazu, inspired the first collaboration between Fagen and Becker following the disbanding of Steely Dan.^[14] This led to their reunion as a writing team and the creation of a new touring version of Steely Dan. The following year Fagen co-produced Becker's solo debut, 11 Tracks of Whack.

Fagen has stated in a recent interview that he plans to record his fourth solo album in spring of 2010 that will be lighter in tone and not an extension of his Nightfly/Kamikiriad/Morph The Cat trilogy.^[15] It is expected to be released in 2012^[16]

Musical style[link]

Fagen has classified himself as both a self-taught pianist and self-taught vocalist. He is said to have taken some vocal lessons in the mid 1970s as a precaution after feeling the straining effects of years of touring. Although he learned to become a consummate entertainer, early on Fagen suffered from severe stage fright which originally prompted Steely Dan producer Gary Katz to hire David Palmer to sing two songs on Steely Dan's debut album "Can't Buy a Thrill". This also lead to the hiring of Royce Jones and Michael McDonald as additional singers in the band's early 1970s' tours. Eventually, Becker, Katz, and the rest of the band convinced Fagen that he was the only one capable of delivering Steely Dan songs with the attitude they needed and by the mid 1970s his confidence in his voice had grown immensely. Jeff Baxter once went on to call Fagen one of the greatest rock voices of all time. Fagen's name routinely appears on all time underrated lists when talking about rock singers and his influence and phrasing can be heard in artists such as Joe Jackson, Ben Folds, and Elvis Costello who have all paid tribute to him with Steely Dan covers. Fagen sings almost exclusively in a nasally tenor, usually with a thick North Jersey accent and many of his songs feature lead vocals sung in 3 or 4 part harmony with himself. Fagen plays keyboards on many of his own songs. He predominantly features the Fender Rhodes Electric Piano and Wurlitzer Electric Piano driving the chord progressions. He's often a featured soloist as well contributing piano (Fire in the Hole), organ (Do it Again, My Rival, etc.), synthesizer (Home at Last, Lunch with Gina, I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World), etc.), and even saxophone (East St. Louis Toodle-oo).

Work for, and with, other artists[link]

In 1977, he played synthesizer on Poco's Indian Summer album.

In 1978, he coproduced, with Walter Becker, "Apogee,"^[17] an album of straight-ahead jazz featuring Warne Marsh and Pete Christlieb, both on Tenor, and Lou Levy on piano. Also co-wrote, with Walter Becker, "Rapunzel", the third track on the album.

In 1983, he played synthesizer for the track "Love Will Make It Right", which he also wrote, on Diana Ross's solo album Ross.^[18]

Fagen wrote and co-arranged the track "Lazy Nina" on Greg Phillinganes' 1984 album Pulse.

In 1986, he wrote the title track to the Yellowjackets' album Shades.^[19]

Also in 1986, Fagen and Becker contributed to Rosie Vela's album Zazu

In 1991, The Manhattan Transfer recorded Fagen's song "Confide in Me" on their album The Offbeat of Avenues.^[18]

In 1992, Jennifer Warnes recorded "Big Noise New York" (co-written by Fagen and Marcelle Clements) on her solo album The Hunter.^[20]

Fagen's own versions of both "Confide in Me" and "Big Noise New York" were released as 'B' sides for the CD singles of the Kamakiriad tracks "Tomorrow's Girls" and "Snowbound," respectively. They were subsequently made available on the Bonus CD of The Nightfly Trilogy boxed set in 2007.^[21]

In 2008, Fagen played synthesizer on the album I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too by folk singer Martha Wainwright.^[22]

Since 2008, Fagen has made regular appearances with the Levon Helm Band, performing at Levon's Midnight Ramble concerts in Woodstock, New York. He plays keyboards and sings with his stepdaughter, Amy Helm (Amy's mother is Fagen's wife, Libby Titus).

Soundtrack contributions[link]

In 1978 Steely Dan recorded "FM (No Static at All)" (sometimes referred to as "FM"). It is the title theme to the film FM. The soundtrack to the film won the 1979 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, with engineers Roger Nichols and Al Schmitt taking the honors. This was the first single Steely Dan released on MCA Records (which had released the soundtrack), predating MCA's acquisition of ABC Records by one year.

He recorded "True Companion" for the 1981 animated cult film Heavy Metal.^[23]

He wrote "The Finer Things", which appeared on the soundtrack to the Martin Scorsese 1983 film The King of Comedy, as well as sang background vocals on the song. David Sanborn is given credit for the main part of the song.^[24]

He recorded "Century's End" for 1988's Bright Lights, Big City.^[25]

He recorded "Reflections", a Thelonious Monk cover, along with guitarist Steve Khan, for the film 1988 Arthur 2: On the Rocks.^[18]

He recorded "Blue Lou" an instrumental piece, for the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross.^[26]

Other works[link]

Fagen wrote briefly in the 1980s for Premiere magazine, including a few witty pieces on Henry Mancini and Ennio Morricone. These are available online from his website.^[27] His website also features other articles he has written, such as ones for Slate.com.

In 1988, Fagen was a co-producer of the Broadway soundtrack album The Gospel at Colonus.^[28]

In the late 2000s, he appeared as the "Wise Man" in a promotional video for the Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai digital delay/looper. This short promo video was directed by frequent Steely Dan trumpet player Michael Leonhart.^[29]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Other releases[link]

• 2007 The Nightfly Trilogy (3-MVI DVD + 4-CD Box Set)

Awards[link]

In 1984, Fagen was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree by his alma mater, Bard College.

In 2001, both Fagen and Becker received Honorary Doctor of Music degrees from Berklee College of Music. They both accepted their degrees in person.^[37]

In 2001, Steely Dan (Fagen and Becker) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[38]

Personal life[link]

In 1993, Fagen married fellow songwriter Libby Titus.^[39] Although the two of them had attended Bard College at around the same time, they did not become friends until 1987 when they were both going backstage after a Dr. John concert.^[40] Libby Titus co-wrote the song "Florida Room", which appears on 1993's album Kamakiriad.^[41]

Fagen is Jewish;^[5] his writings and interviews show a close identification with Jewish culture,^[42] but indicate skepticism about all religion.^[43] Donald celebrated his bar mitzvah at Kendall Park's Congregation Beth Shalom in 1961, a synagogue his father helped found.^[44]

References[link]

External links[link]

• donaldfagen.com

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.^[1]

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."

Career and life[link]

1978–2003: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Stephens was born on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio.^[2] He is the son of Phyllis, a seamstress, and John Mills, a factory worker and former National Guardsman.^[3][4] Throughout his childhood, Stephens was homeschooled on and off by his mother.^[5] 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.^[4] At the age of 12, Stephens attended North High School, from which he graduated four years later.^[6] He graduated salutatorian.

According to Stephens, he was offered scholarships to Harvard University, Georgetown University and Morehouse College.^[7] He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied English with an emphasis on African American literature.^[8] 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^[9] 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.^[7]

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.^[6] During this time, he began working on his demo and began sending his work to various record labels.^[5][10] 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".^[7][11] 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".

[edit] 2004–2005: Get Lifted

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.^[12] It went on to sell 2.1 million copies in the United States and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.^[13][14] It has sold three million copies worldwide.^[7] 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]}

[edit] 2006–2007: Once Again

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.^[15] He also performed during the pregame show of Super Bowl XL in Detroit and the halftime show at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.^[16][17]

[edit] 2008–2010: Evolver

John Legend interviewed on the Red Carpet during the Toronto International Film Festival, 2008.

Stephens released his third studio album Evolver, in October 2008.^[18] 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".^[19] The next single from Evolver was confirmed as "Everybody Knows".^[20]

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'."^[21]

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”.^[22]

[edit] 2010: Wake Up!

John Legend and The Roots teamed up to record a collaborative album,^[23] Wake Up!, which was released on September 21, 2010.^[24] 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.^[25][26] "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.

2011–Present: Tour, Duets TV Show and working on new album[link]

Summer 2011, Legend completed 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".^[27]. Legend was granted an Honorary Doctorate Degree from <<Howard University>> at the 144th Commencement Exercises on Saturday May 12, 2012.^[28]

Legend is currently a judge on the ABC music show Duets along with Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thicke. Legend's spot was originally for Lionel Richie but Richie had to leave the show due to a scheduling conflict. Duets debuted on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 8/7c.^[29].

Plagiarism lawsuit[link]

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."^[30] Stokes claims he gave Legend a demo of the song in 2004 following a concert at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.^[31] 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."^[32] 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."^[33]

Collaborations[link]

• In 2005 he was featured in the Fort Minor song "High Road".
• In 2006 he was featured in Sérgio Mendes's collaboration album, Timeless, singing "Please Baby Don't".
• In 2006 collaborated with Jay-Z on the album Kingdom Come on the song "Do U Wanna Ride".
• Collaborated with Japanese R&B duo CHEMISTRY on their 2006 single "Tōkage".
• Collaborated with Mary J. Blige on "King & Queen".
• In 2007 lent his vocals for the Rich Boy track "Ghetto Rich".
• In 2008 collaborated with Colombian Rock artist Juanes at the Latin Grammys, singing in Spanish along with Juanes, on the bilingual version of the song "Si tu estas ahi" also known as "If You Are Out There".
• Featured in The Black Eyed Peas song, "Like That". The song "Ordinary People" was originally meant to be for a Black Eyed Peas project, but they agreed the song fitted better sung by J.Legend and recorded the song after he had been signed to Columbia Records.
• Tentatively worked with Michael Jackson on a future album. In a Dutch interview with singer and host Tommy Parker, he was asked about this collaboration. His response was that he had written one song for the upcoming album, but was unsure about whether Jackson would be using it.^[34]
• Sang "The Girl is Mine" and the national anthem along with Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report.
• Featured on the sixth track ("Heartbreaker") of MSTRKRFT's second album Fist of God.

• He collaborated with Fergie for her song "Finally" on her 2006 debut album "The Dutchess".
• Featured in T.I.'s song "Slide Show" on his album Paper Trail. A music video for "Slide Show" was released on August 10, 2009, featuring a video collage; it is unknown as of yet, however, if it is an official single.^[35]
• He is also featured in the song "Magnificent" by Rick Ross. The music video has cameo appearances from DJ Khaled saying and wearing "We the Best!!", Birdman, Ace Hood, Triple C's, and Special Ed. It was released on March 3, 2009, and it was directed by music video director Gil Green. It was filmed at Gulfstream Park Racetrack in Hallandale Beach, Florida. The two later collaborated on the songs "Sweet Life" and "Free Mason," the former of which failed to make the cut for the follow-up album, Teflon Don, and the latter of which featured rapper Jay-Z as well.
• Co-wrote (and played piano on) "Move on Me" by British singer-songwriter Fin Greenall (a.k.a. Fink) from the album "Sort of Revolution" (2009)
• Collaborated with Reggae legend Buju Banton on the track "Can't Be My Lover". The track is one of the biggest mixes of R&B and Reggae/Dancehall in years.
• In 2009 recorded a duet with Brazilian singer Ana Carolina called "pt:Entreolhares (The Way You’re Looking at Me)". He sings in English, and she sings in Portuguese.
• In the summer of 2009 he recorded a duet with ex-member of Sin Bandera, Noel Schajris, called "No Importa" (It Doesn't Matter). He sings in English and Spanish.
• In 2009 a duet version "Save Room" featuring German band, Monrose, was released under the title "Save Room (Let's Get Strictly Physical)".
• Has plans to collaborate with British born talent, Stefan Vitalis, to produce a soulful and dynamic record.
• Recorded a cover of the U2 song "Pride (in the name of love)"
• Collaborated with Nas for the title track on DJ Khaled's 2010 album Victory.
• In 2010 collaborated with Pink and Herbie Hancock for a recording of Peter Gabriel's song "Don't Give Up", which featured on Hancock's album The Imagine Project.
• Collaborated with Lupe Fiasco on the track "Never Forget You."
• Collaborated with Kanye West on the song "Blame Game" on West's album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
• In September 2010 collaborated with British dubstep trio, Magnetic Man, on a track entitled "Getting Nowhere".
• Collaborated with Lil Wayne on the track "So Special." On Wayne's album Tha Carter IV.
• Sang a duet with jazz singer Cassandra Wilson "Watch the Sunrise" co-written by Legend on her 2010 album Silver Pony.
• Collaborated with Mariah Carey in 2011 on a duet version of her holiday track "When Christmas Comes" from her 2010 album, Merry Christmas II You.
• Collaborated with Tiziano Ferro on the track "Karma" from Tiziano Ferro album, L'amore è una cosa semplice.

Music videos and acting career[link]

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:

• "Refuge" appears on the soundtrack to the 2006 film The Second Chance.
• "Dare to Dream" is in the 2007 movie Pride.
• "Someday" is part of the soundtrack to the 2007 film August Rush.
• "Shine" was written for the end credits of the 2010 film Waiting for Superman.

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.

Endeavors[link]

Television appearances and commercials[link]

• Performed "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch at the 2006 Major League Baseball All Star Game in Pittsburgh, PA.^[36]

• Appeared on the season finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm, singing a cover of "You Don't Know Me". He also appeared on an episode of the television series "Las Vegas" in February 2007, performing his single "Save Room" solo at the end of the episode.

• In 2007 performed with John Mayer and Corinne Bailey Rae at the Grammy Awards. He later appeared with Bailey Rae in several live performances.

• Appeared in a recent commercial for a Lexus SUV, in which Legend is shown listening to Nina Simone's "Backlash Blues" (recorded live in Paris, 1968, on The Great Show LP) and describing his experience with the music. He is also notable for performing closing music in many of Apple Inc CEO Steve Jobs' keynote presentations.

• In January 2008 sang in a video for Barack Obama, produced by Will.I.Am called "Yes We Can".^[37]

• Performed "America The Beautiful" at WrestleMania XXIV on Sunday March 30, 2008 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.^[38]

• In a 2008 Target commercial performed a piece of his song "Slow Dance" to pitch his new album "available exclusively at Target." The commercial was shown during online streaming episodes of NBC programs.

• In 2008 performed several numbers live in front of tens of thousands of fans during the "Welcome to America" July 4 celebration on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in Philadelphia, PA.

• Performed at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver in September 2008.

• Appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher on October 31, 2008. He was a member of the panel and performed "If You're Out There" at the end of the show.

• Appeared on CNN Heroes 2008, which was taped November 22, 2008, and was televised November 27, 2008.

• Appeared to perform the song in duet with Colombian rock singer Juanes during the 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on November 13, 2008. The version they performed was sung mostly in Spanish by both singers, with only a few lines in English.

• On Sunday, January 18, 2009, performed at the We Are One:The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, singing James Taylor's "Shower the People" with James Taylor and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland.

• On Friday, February 13, 2009, he was a guest and performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. John performed his song, "Everybody Knows" from his album, Evolver.
• Performed at the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition Launch party at LAX in Las Vegas on February 12, 2009.
• Performed at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game halftime show on February 15, 2009.
• Performed at the 81st Academy Awards on February 22, 2009, singing "Down to Earth" nominated for Best Original Song.^[39][40]
• On an episode of The Colbert Report which aired March 7, 2008, performed "The Girl Is Mine" with Stephen Colbert. It was a remake of the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney hit. Returned to The Colbert Report on April 14, 2008, performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" with Stephen Colbert, opening the show's week in Philadelphia. He later appeared in Colbert's Christmas special A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All, where he performed an ode to nutmeg. His fourth appearance aired September 9, 2010, when he performed a tribute to returning American troops in the second half of the two-part special Been There, Won That: The Returnification of the Ameri-Can-Do Troopscape. He sung "Coming Home" from his 2006 album Once Again.

• On Sunday, May 17, 2009, served as commencement speaker for the University of Pennsylvania's 2009 graduation ceremonies. Amy Goodman happened to be in the audience, and she televised the speech the following Tuesday, May 19, 2009 on Democracy Now!.^[41]

• On June 12, 2009, co-hosted ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning on the ESPN2/ESPN Radio simulcast with Mike Greenberg. He sat in for Mike Golic.

• On August 23, 2010, performed at the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant, Evening Gown segment, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

• On October 27, 2010, performed the American National Anthem for the 2010 World Series opener.

• On October 30, 2010, performed at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear with The Roots.

• On February 24, 2011, Legend appeared on the season 2 finale of Royal Pains.

• Interviewed by host John Jacobsen as the third guest on the first season of PBS television's The Artist Toolbox.

• On May 20, 2012, Legend and Jordin Sparks performed a tribute to Whitney Houston at the Billboard Music Award 2012

Charitable endeavors and philanthropy[link]

Legend performs during the first night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

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 ,^[42] 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.^[43]

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.^[44]

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.^[45]

On September 8, 2010, John Legend joined the national board of Teach For America.^[46] 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.^[47]

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.^[48]

Endorsements[link]

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.^[49] 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.

"Fan Appreciation" events[link]

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,^[50] 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.^[51]

Discography[link]

• Get Lifted (2004)
• Once Again (2006)
• Evolver (2008)
• TBA (2012)

Collaborations

• Wake Up! (with The Roots) (2010)
• Cruel Summer (with G.O.O.D. Music) (2012)

Personal life[link]

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.^[52][53]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

• List of awards and nominations received by John Legend

References[link]