Grammy Award winner John Legend [ tickets ] (born John Stephens) started singing gospel music and playing piano at the age of five, and his career has been a steady upward trajectory ever since.

After playing with artists including Lauryn Hill while still in his teens, Legend went on to write and perform with the likes of Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys and Kanye West [ tickets ], who later gave him his first record deal. Legend's new album, "Evolver," due out Oct. 28, features contributions from several friends, including West, who also helped produce the final mix.

Road-testing of the new material is scheduled to begin next month in Minneapolis, followed by 13 more stops in cities in and around the eastern United States through mid December.

LiveDaily's Tim Mosenfelder attended John Legend's show last April in Berkeley, CA, and took some photos of the man in action.