Chester Jermaine "Lyfe" Jennings (born June 3, 1978) is an American
R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. He plays the guitar,
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Wood
* Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
, and piano which he integrates into his music. The ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' referred to him as a "socially minded R&B singer".
Biography
Lyfe Jennings was born on June 3, 1978, in
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...
, 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.
Career
In October 2013, Jennings released ''
Lucid''. ''Tree of Lyfe'', recorded primarily in his home studio, followed in June 2015. 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."
Personal life
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
Smyrna is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is located northwest of Atlanta, and is in the inner ring of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. It is included in the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta MSA, which is included in the Atla ...
. 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. On February 2, 2016, he married Gwendolyn Scharkowski, a German model. They have a son. On March 15, 2017, Gwendolyn filed for divorce.
Discography
;Studio albums
* ''
Lyfe 268‒192
''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 gi ...
'' (2004)
* ''
The Phoenix'' (2006)
* ''
Lyfe Change'' (2008)
* ''
I Still Believe'' (2010)
* ''
Lucid'' (2013)
* ''Tree of Lyfe'' (2015)
* ''777'' (2019)
References
External links
Official siteLyfe's ''Yahoo! Music'' profileLyfe's ''VH1'' Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, Lyfe
Articles containing video clips
1978 births
Living people
20th-century African-American male singers
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers
African-American pianists
African-American record producers
American hip-hop singers
American rhythm and blues guitarists
American male guitarists
American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters
American neo soul singers
American prisoners and detainees
Columbia Records artists
RBC Records artists
Musicians from Toledo, Ohio
Record producers from Ohio
Singer-songwriters from Ohio
Participants in American reality television series
Guitarists from Ohio
American contemporary R&B singers
American male pianists
21st-century American singer-songwriters
21st-century American pianists
21st-century American guitarists
21st-century American male singers
African-American songwriters
African-American guitarists
21st-century African-American male singers
American male singer-songwriters