DENTON (UNT), Texas ¾  Recording artist, concert performer and philanthropist John Legend will speak and perform at the University of North Texas at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 (Tuesday) in the UNT Coliseum.

The nine-time Grammy Award winner will discuss a range of topics from music, education, philanthropy and social activism, and perform a few songs as part of UNT’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

Legend, who has won nine Grammy Awards and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people, began his career as a session player and vocalist. He has an unbroken chain of Top 10 albums, including Get Lifted (2004), Once Again (2006) and Evolver (2008), each reaching the top of the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop charts.

In 2007, Legend launched the Show Me Campaign, an initiative using education to break the cycle of poverty. In 2010, he was awarded the BET Humanitarian of the Year award, the CARE Humanitarian Award for Global Change in 2009, and the 2009 Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award from Africare.

The Distinguished Lecture Series is sponsored by UNT’s Division of Student Affairs. Previous speakers include President George W. Bush, Robert M. Gates, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Bill Nye, Suze Orman and Vicente Fox. For more information contact Blake Rexroat, special projects coordinator, at 940-565-2617.

Tickets can be purchased at the UNT Union Information Desk or by calling 940-565-3805. Students receive one free ticket with Student I.D. and can purchase one guest ticket for $15. Faculty, staff and alumni tickets are $20, and general public tickets are $25. Floor seating for faculty, staff and alumni is $30 and $40 for the general public.