Lyfe Jennings | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Chester Jermaine Jennings |
Born | June 3, 1978 |
Origin | Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | |
Spouse(s) | Gwendolyn Scharkowski (m. 2016;div. 2016) |
Chester Jermaine "Lyfe" Jennings (born June 3, 1978) [1] is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. He plays the guitar, bass, and piano which he integrates into his music. The New York Times referred to him as a "socially minded R&B singer". [2]
Lyfe Jennings was born on June 3, 1978 in Toledo, Ohio to a working-class family and was the middle of five kids. When he was a teenager, Jennings started to perform with his brother and two cousins. In the beginning of the 1990s the group disbanded. During this time, Jennings began to get into legal trouble and his musical career came to a halt when he was sent to prison at the age of 14 for firebombing a house, killing a woman. [3] [4]
In October 2013, Jennings released Lucid . Tree of Lyfe, recorded primarily in his home studio, followed in June 2015. [5] [6] [7] When asked about his current musical mindset, Jennings stated: "Everybody feels like they have to reinvent themselves. I don’t think you can reinvent the truth. It is what it is. I’m not focused on reinvention. I want to go deeper. This album reaffirms the reasons why people started loving this music in the first place." [8] [9]
Jennings was previously engaged to Joy Bounds, the mother of his two oldest children. In October 2008, Jennings, after arguing with Bounds, followed her to her family's house in Smyrna, Georgia. At the residence, he destroyed the door, fired shots in the street, and led police on a high-speed chase that ended when he crashed his 2005 Chevrolet Corvette. In September 2010, he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison after he pleaded guilty to multiple charges arising from the incident. [10] [11] On February 2, 2016, he married Gwendolyn Scharkowski, a German model. They have a son. On March 15, 2017, Gwendolyn filed for divorce. [12]
Robert Sylvester Kelly is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is credited with prolific commercial success in R&B, hip hop, and pop music recordings, earning nicknames such as "the King of R&B", "the King of Pop-Soul", and "the Pied Piper of R&B". Kelly's career ended in 2019 following his arrest and subsequent convictions on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges involving sexual abuse of minors, for which he is currently serving a 31-year prison sentence.
William Edward "Little Willie" John was an American R&B singer who performed in the 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his successes on the record charts, with songs such as "All Around the World" (1955), "Need Your Love So Bad" (1956), "Talk to Me, Talk to Me" (1958), "Leave My Kitten Alone" (1960), "Sleep" (1960), and his number-one R&B hit "Fever" (1956). An important figure in R&B music of the 1950s, he faded into obscurity in the 1960s and died while serving a prison sentence for manslaughter.
Elgin Baylor Lumpkin, better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American R&B singer. He began his career as a member of the musical collective Swing Mob in the early 1990s. As a solo act, he signed with Epic Records to release his 1996 debut single, "Pony". The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of his debut studio album Ginuwine...The Bachelor (1996), which saw moderate but steady commercial success and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second and third albums, 100% Ginuwine (1999) and The Life (2003) both peaked within the top five on the Billboard 200 while the latter spawned the single "Differences", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his highest charting song.
Ronald Isley is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers.
Lyfe 268‒192 is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Lyfe Jennings. It was released on August 17, 2004, by Columbia Records. The album's title contains the numbers "268–192", the identification number of which he was given, while he was incarcerated. To date, the album has sold at least one million copies in the United States.
The Phoenix is the second studio album from American singer and songwriter Lyfe Jennings. It was released on August 15, 2006, by Sony Records. Predominantly an R&B and soul record, it also incorporates elements of rock and gospel music, while it discusses themes, including street life, relationships, abstinence, and fame. The album includes guest appearances from Three 6 Mafia and LaLa Brown. The album's lead single, "S.E.X.", also attained commercial success, peaking within the top 10 of the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
"S.E.X." is the first single by Lyfe Jennings from his second album The Phoenix and features guest vocals from LaLa Brown. The song is about young teens losing their virginity from pressure.
"Let's Stay Together" was the second single released from Lyfe Jennings' second album The Phoenix. It peaked at #32 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in February 2007. Jennings has performed both his own "Let’s Stay Together" and Al Green's classic of the same name together in concert.
Lyfe Change is the third studio album by Lyfe Jennings, released on April 29, 2008.
"The album is called Lyfe Change because I'm changing it up a bit," explains Lyfe. "In the past I didn't work with different producers, I produced and wrote most of my albums by myself. But on this project I actually worked with different producers and a few writers."
Brutha was an American R&B and soul group consisted of five brothers: Anthony Harrell, Cheyenne Harrell, Grady Harrell III, Jacob Harrell and Jared Overton. The group was formed in 2002 and Brian McKnight first introduced them on the 2003 Soul Train Holiday Special. The brothers were subsequently signed to Def Jam Records. The group's first album Brutha was released in December 2008. Their reality show, Brothers to Brutha, documented their rise to fame. In 2011, the three eldest brothers Grady, Anthony and Jared left the group to pursue solo careers, leaving the remaining two brothers Jacob and Cheyenne to form the duo Jake & Papa.
Costadinos Contostavlos, better known by his stage name Dappy, is a British rapper and singer. He is the lead singer of the Camden-based hip hop and grime trio N-Dubz, with his cousin Tulisa and Fazer. He was known for his lack of dress sense and his love for what he describes as "eye-catching headwear". His trademark was wearing a selection of woolly chullos, turning up one or both of the ear-flaps of the hat.
I Still Believe is the fourth studio album by American R&B artist Lyfe Jennings, released on August 31, 2010 on Asylum Records and Warner Bros. Records.
Uni5: The World's Enemy is the eighth studio album by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony released on May 4, 2010 on BTNH Worldwide, Asylum Records, Reprise Records and Warner Bros. Records. The mixtape, The Fixtape Vol. 3: Special Delivery features cuts from this album.
"Statistics" is an R&B/soul song performed and released by Chester Lyfe Jennings who also co-wrote the song with Tyler Williams. Released in 2010, it was the first track on the artists, self-proclaimed, fourth and final album,I Still Believe. On June 22, 2010, “Statistics,” was released as a single where it reached 19 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop songs list on September 4, 2010.
Ronald Joseph Radke is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, musician and record producer, best known as the current lead singer of rock band Falling in Reverse and the former lead singer of band Escape the Fate.
Calvin Leavy was an American soul-blues and electric blues singer and guitarist. He had a hit single in 1970, when "Cummins Prison Farm" peaked at number 40 on the US Billboard R&B chart and stayed on the chart for five weeks. Locally, it was number one on the chart of radio station WDIA, based in Memphis, Tennessee.
Yolanda Rose "LaLa" Brown was an American R&B singer best known for being featured on the track "S.E.X." with Lyfe Jennings, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2006. Brown and her record producer JeTannue "Kool Aid" Clayborn were murdered on October 19, 2007, at a recording studio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The case remains unsolved.
Lucid is the fifth studio album by American R&B singer Lyfe Jennings. The album was released on October 8, 2013, by Mass Appeal Entertainment. On May 8, 2013, the album's first single "Boomerang" was released. On July 25, 2013, the music video was released for "Boomerang".
Christopher Chrishan Dotson, better known by his stage name Prince Chrishan, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his songwriting and production work for fellow R&B singer Chris Brown, having been credited on each of his studio albums since Royalty in 2015. For other artists, he has co-written or produced the Billboard Hot 100-top 40 songs "Look Back at It" by A Boogie wit da Hoodie, "Fuk Sumn" and "Burn" by Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign, and "Dangerous" by Meek Mill. Prior, he first gained recognition for his work on Adrian Marcel's 2014 single "2AM", which received gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Nate Jones, professionally known as "Nate Jones On Bass" or simply “NJOB,” is an American bassist, songwriter, and producer. He has worked with many recognized names in the music industry, sharing the stage with iconic established acts including Stevie Wonder, Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, Usher, J.Lo, Chris Brown, and Trey Songz. Jones has also graced the big screen by playing bass in the 2008 film Cadillac Records, which featured Beyoncé, Gabrielle Union, and Cedric the Entertainer, among other Hollywood talent. In addition to playing bass, he has also scored for film and television. His professional performances include television appearances on BET, Jimmy Kimmel Live, VH1’s Save The Music, The Wendy Williams Show, Billboard Music Awards, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, and the ESPN Sports Humanitarian Awards. He's produced live shows as well as studio recordings for artists and served as musical director for various bands ranging from straight ahead jazz to R&B, soul, gospel and hip-hop. Nate is credited as bassist and additional producer of “Let Nas Down” by J. Cole on the 2013 album Born Sinner. Jones' work can also be heard on recordings like "In the Morning," "Apparently", "Runaway", "January 28th" by J. Cole. Nate recorded with Swiss Beatz for the Epix series Godfather of Harlem; "Tequila" by Earth Gang; and "Static" by Ari Lennox. On August 4, 2022, Nate Jones performed at Carnegie Hall with D-Nice for Club Quarantine Live alongside guests Jadakiss, Styles P, The Lox, Ashanti, Slick Rick, Hezekiah Walker and Queen Latifah. In 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 shutdown, Nate launched the clothing line “Musicians Are Essential” to raise awareness on the necessary creative healing that musicians bring to the world, especially during history’s darkest moments.