Lyfe Jennings

Lyfe Jennings (born Chester Jennings in Toledo, Ohio in June 3, 1978) is a platinum-selling African American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. He plays the guitar, bass, and piano which he integrates into his music.

His musical aspirations started in the church choir and grew in the Dotsons, a teenaged group that Lyfe formed with his brother and a couple cousins. In 1992, Lyfe Jennings went to jail for arson and served a little over 10 years behind bars. He found his true love for music again while in jail. He began to play the guitar, sing, write and even started a music program in the Ohio institution. Two days after his December 2002 release from prison, he was recording a four-song demo CD. The day after that, he was performing live in a club.

He only had a month of freedom before he was on-stage at the famous Apollo. He received a standing ovation for his acoustic performance of original material, and made his mark by winning five amateur-nights in a row. Lyfe figures he sold a thousand copies of his four-song demo CD during his Apollo "residency."

Lyfe decided to move to New York City from Ohio and pursue a singer career. Columbia released his debut album, Lyfe 268-192 (his inmate number), in August of 2004. A year after its original release, the album was reissued with a new version of "Hypothetically" featuring American Idol winner Fantasia added as a bonus track. The next album, The Phoenix, more hip-hop-oriented, was released in 2006 with Three 6 Mafia and Young Buck making guest appearances.

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