American singer, songwriter, and producer John Legend has once again shared the bizarre behind-the-scenes story of how he legally secured the right to use his now-iconic stage name — by negotiating with an adult-film producer and rockabilly musician who was already performing and working under the very similar name “Johnny Legend.”
The 46-year-old Grammy-winning artist recounted the unusual trademark saga during an appearance on the MGM+ Audible original series Words + Music, which premiered its third season in November 2025.
Speaking with host Shirley Halperin, editorial director of Audible, Legend explained:
“There’s a porn producer — I kid you not — who dabbled in rockabilly music, and he went by Johnny Legend… Because he also made music, it was a potential trademark infringement issue. We had to find Johnny Legend, negotiate with him, and cut a mutually exclusive deal where he was Johnny Legend and I was John Legend. He wouldn’t sue me, I wouldn’t sue him.”
Legend added with a laugh: “And I kept my part of the bargain — I didn’t produce any porn, didn’t make any rockabilly music pretending to be Johnny Legend.”
The origin of the stage name “John Legend” dates back to 2004, when the then-25-year-old pianist and vocalist (real name John Roger Stephens) was contributing heavily to Kanye West’s debut album The College Dropout. Chicago poet J. Ivy, who was also in the studio, repeatedly referred to Stephens as “John Legend” because his old-soul vocal style and piano playing reminded him of music legends from past generations.
In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, J. Ivy recalled: “I said, ‘Man, you sound like one of the legends.’ Then I was like, ‘That’s your name — John Legend.’” The nickname immediately caught on among Kanye West’s circle, and by the time Legend signed with Kanye’s G.O.O.D. Music and Sony, the name had stuck.
However, a little-known figure in underground entertainment named Anthony “Johnny” Legend (born Martin Margulies in 1948) had already been using the performing name “Johnny Legend” since at least the early 1970s.
Johnny Legend is a cult figure in Los Angeles’ punk and rockabilly scenes, as well as in exploitation and adult cinema. His IMDb credits list him as director, producer, and star of the infamous 1977 sexploitation film Teenage Cruisers, as well as other low-budget titles such as Young, Hot ’n Nasty Teenage Cruisers (1977) and Sleazemania (1985). Simultaneously, he fronted rockabilly revival acts such as Johnny Legend & His Skullcaps and released albums including Rockabilly Rumble and I Itch! during the 1980s and 1990s.
Because Johnny Legend had used the name professionally in both music and film for decades — and had even registered certain trademarks related to his rockabilly career — John Legend’s legal team determined there was enough overlap to constitute a potential infringement claim, especially once the R&B artist began releasing records under the name.
Rather than risk costly litigation, the two parties reached a private coexistence agreement (a common solution in trademark law when marks are similar but used in somewhat different fields). The confidential deal, struck around 2005–2006, allowed both men to continue using their respective versions of the name without interference.
Johnny Legend himself confirmed the arrangement in a 2018 interview with rockabilly magazine Kicks:
“Yeah, John Legend’s people called me up. Nice folks. We worked it out so we could both keep our names. I told ’em, ‘Hey, as long as he don’t start making porn and I don’t start singing “All of Me,” we’re cool.’”
Source for Johnny Legend quote: Kicks Magazine #14, 2018 (archived scan available via Rockabilly Hall of Fame site)
John Legend has told versions of this story multiple times over the years, including on The Late Late Show with James Corden (2017), The Shop (2021), and now Words + Music (2025), but the 2025 retelling has garnered fresh attention due to the MGM+ special’s wide reach and the sheer absurdity of the anecdote.
The episode also covers Legend’s early days with Kanye West, his eventual split from G.O.O.D. Music, and the making of his 2004 debut album Get Lifted, which has sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone (RIAA certified 3× Platinum).
As of December 2025, neither party has ever breached the 20-year-old agreement. Johnny Legend, now 77, continues to perform occasional rockabilly shows in Southern California and maintains a cult following among psychobilly and B-movie fans. John Legend remains one of the best-selling R&B artists of the 21st century and an EGOT winner.
The unlikely tale serves as a reminder that even the most glamorous stage names can come with unexpected legal baggage — in this case, a rockabilly-loving adult-film pioneer who happened to get there first.
