John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), better known by his stage nameJohn Legend, is an Americansinger-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] It is rumoured that in 2001 Legend got his stage name from Grammy Award winning poet Carlyle, after hearing his music in a Kanye West studio session at Record Plant Studios in Hollywood, California. 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".