NEW PHOTOS: 14th Annual National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund's New York Gala

Christy Teigen and John Legend attend the 14th annual National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund's New York Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on November 5, 2009 in New York City.

Apple.com Article- Eugene “Man-Man” Roberts: Producing John Legend Live with MainStage

By Joe Cellini

The albums of R&B singer-songwriter John Legend - Get Lifted (2004); Once Again (2006); and Evolver (2008) - have yielded 14 Grammy nominations and 6 wins, fast-tracked Legend's induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and incalculably raised expectations among his fans for any future recordings.

Those expectations carry over to Legend's live performances, where his singular baritone and virtuosic keyboard skills transfer brilliantly from the studio to the stage. "My vision is that the show is entertaining from beginning to end, with great energy, soul, and musicianship," says Legend. "I want the crowd to leave feeling inspired and uplifted, like they really connected with me and the band."

For Legend, cinching that connection on the current tour involves working his songs on every level to meet and exceed the high bar set by the massively popular recordings.

"My set list is 95% the same every night because I have a good idea of what songs people definitely want to hear, but I always allow room to be spontaneous to a certain degree," he says. "I don't want the live show to be a replica of the record. I want to take the record to new places with new interpretations, medleys, remixes, and the energy that live performance brings."

To reach those new places, Legend plays with a killer lineup of all-star musicians who can deliver onstage as precisely as they do in the studio. To keep his sets fresh, he features regular guest vocalists like Estelle, Kanye West, Buju Banton, India.Arie and Rick Ross. And to keep the songs balanced - delivering the best sounds from the studio along with the freshest riffs from the stage - Legend's band performs using MainStage, running on several MacBook Pro laptops that look as natural in their live rigs as the keyboards, axes, and amps.

MainStage, the live-performance application in Logic Studio, allows the band to play software instruments and effects through a stage-friendly interface on a MacBook Pro. So while Legend sings and plays piano out front, keyboardist and musical director Eugene "Man-Man" Roberts delivers many of his own sounds through MainStage, which seamlessly complements and infinitely extends what he can generate from his multiple live keyboard setups.

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The People Speak - in theaters soon!

John was apart of a remarkable film called THE PEOPLE SPEAK that will be in theaters this month and on the History Channel closer to the end of the year.

Matt Damon, Marisa Tomei, Morgan Freeman, Josh Brolin, Bruce Springsteen and Kerry Washington are a few other extraordinary people who were apart of the project as well.


THE PEOPLE SPEAK uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries and speeches of everyday Americans, THE PEOPLE SPEAK gives voice to those who spoke up for social change throughout U.S. history, forging a nation from the bottom up with their insistence on equality and justice. Narrated by Howard Zinn and based on his best-selling books, A People's History of the United States and Voices of a People's History, THE PEOPLE SPEAK illustrates the relevance of these passionate historical moments to our society today and reminds us never to take liberty for granted.

Click here to pre-order the DVD that will be released on January 26, 2010.

SOURCE: MANAGEMENT

John Legend 'Wakes Up' on Fourth Album

For his past three releases, R&B singer-songwriter John Legend looked to the past for inspiration on his soul-splattered collections of fresh, original tunes. But instead of taking notes from classic soul records for his upcoming album 'The Wake Up Sessions,' the Ohio native is taking it one step further, narrowing down a handful of his favorite classics and recording his first official cover album.

"It's soulful," he tells The Boombox. "It's a little more retro. It's a collection of cover songs, so that's part of the feel of it, taking us back. We still have a bit of work to do on it, but we'll probably finish by the end of the year and put it out by the middle of next year." Legend has used his downtime between strings of tour dates to link up with The Roots crew, who are serving as the backing band on the project. And while he hasn't entirely ruled out getting a few guest stars to appear on the album, Legend is currently focusing on laying down the track for 'The Wake Up Sessions' with those Philly cats.
"I'm just going to get in my zone and see where it takes me," he said. Recently, his zone has taken him to a place far beyond the limitations of contemporary soul. Legend has collaborated with artists like electronic duo MSTRKRFT on the thumping 'Heartbreaker' and Ana Carolina on the Spanish-English duet 'Entreolhares (The Way You Look at Me),' thwarting the public's expectations of where Legend can comfortably fit. So what other musical territory does he plan on exploring?

"You never know," he states. "I'm always hoping for that and doing things that are outside of what people might expect of me. Just keep your ears open, and like I said, 'I'm always open. I think of music very fluid. I don't see the rigid boundaries that people put on it."

Legend doesn't have any collabos in store for the immediate future, instead putting in studio time to record a few more tracks for his fourth release. And with his tour having recently finished up, he's got tunnel vision about calling it a wrap for 'The Wake Up Sessions.'

"Music has been my primary focus," he says. "I like to go out there and have fun and make music I can be proud of."

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PHOTOS: John Legend performs the National Anthem before Game Two of the 2009 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium on 10/29/09 in the Bronx of NYC

PHOTOS:John Legend attends the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concert at Madison Square Garden on October 29, 2009 in New York City

An Evening with John Legend on 01-01-10 in Atlantic City

John Legend will be playing at The Event Center at Borgata Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City on January 1, 2010.

The JLN fan club pre-sale starts Monday 11/2 at 10AM Eastern - 11/6 at 5PM
The general on sale is 11/7 at 10AM Eastern

Please login to www.JohnLegendNetwork.com for the Pre-sale password (It is free to join www.JohnLegendNetwork.com - John Legend’s official fan club). Just click on “Forum”, then on “John Legend in Atlantic City on 01/01/10”.

In Case You Missed it: John Legend sings the National Anthem at World Series 2009 Yankee Stadium 10-29-2009

Backstage at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert: Live Blog

10:40 - John Legend comes out to join Stevie for "Mercy Mercy Me" and sits to play piano with him on the Michael Jackson song "The Way You Make You Feel." Smokey enters the press room. His advice for those starting out: "You gotta love it... and be able to gut it up when people tell you no." When asked if he's going to see the Michael Jackson movie, he said of course: "He was just great, and this movie will give people a chance to see how involved he was [in the dancing process]."

10:59 - John Legend in the press room. Says he knows he hasn't paid all his dues yet, but honored to be here and play with Stevie, his greatest inspiration as an artist. When asked about his Michael Jackson tribute with Steve, Legend says this is the second time they've done something like this. He remembers Michael passing on a Thursday night and then doing a show with Stevie on Sunday night, and that most of the show was a tribute to Michael. "[Stevie] broke down quite a few times that night," he says. He also says, yes, he did sing the national anthem at Yankee Stadium earlier. When asked what was harder, he replied, singing the national anthem because it's a "fundamentally harder" song to sing than "Mercy Mercy Me" and you're out there "naked" as millions of people watch. He says, "I feel like the luckiest kid in the world... I'm just having a good day."

NIKKI'S NOTES: HE'S SO HUMBLE, STILL. THAT'S SO COOL!

Read the full recap of the night on WSJ's blog

John Legend is honored to sing the National Anthem at the World Series Game

John Legend might be feeling conflicted this week. The R&B star attended college in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania, but he has also lived in New York for 10 years. So when he sings the national anthem Thursday night (October 29) before the second game of the World Series, who will he be rooting for: the New York Yankees or the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies? "Well, I lived in New York for 10 years, so I feel like I'm home here," the Ohio-born Legend told MTV News shortly before his performance. "So I'm going with the Yankees. Until the Phillies won [last year], I definitely identified with the whole Philadelphia curse, the curse of William Penn. I always hoped someone would break it, but now that the Phillies have broke it, they aren't underdogs like they used to be." Legend is part of a marquee bill prior to the game's first pitch that will also feature Jay-Z and Alicia Keys performing "Empire State of Mind." "This is monumental," Legend said. "It's the first World Series played at the new Yankee Stadium, the Yankees versus the Phillies — this is a pretty big stage, and I'm honored to be a part of it. So you gotta bring your A game." Unfortunately for Legend, he won't be able to catch much else after the pregame entertainment.

Shortly after he sings "The Star-Spangled Banner," he'll have to head downtown to Madison Square Garden; he's scheduled to perform alongside Stevie Wonder. "I got a busy night," he said. " 'Cause as soon as I perform, I have to leave for MSG for a song with Stevie Wonder for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I'm looking forward to all if it."

SOURCE: MTV