below, from the White House…
Entertainment
The White House will host a State Dinner Performance on the
South Lawn following the dinner, featuring performances by
Mumford and Sons and selections by John Legend.
Performances by
MUMFORD AND SONS
JOHN LEGEND
Mumford and Sons
Marcus Mumford
Lead vocalist and instrumentalist
Ben Lovett
Vocalist and instrumentalist
Winston Marshall
Vocalist and instrumentalist
Ted Dwane
Vocalist and instrumentalist
The British folk rock band “Mumford and Sons”, formed in 2007,
includes band members Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Courtney
Winston Marshall and Ted Dwane. After the band became extremely
popular in the London underground folk music scene, they quickly
became popular all around the world. Mumford and Son’s debut
album, “Sigh No More”, reached #1 in Ireland, Australia and New
Zealand. It debuted at #10 on the UK Album Charts and climbed
to the #2 spot. The band reached the Billboard Top 200 Albums of
the Year Chart in 2010 and 2011 in addition to the Top Artist of the
Year Chart in 2011.
The band was nominated in multiple categories at both the 53rd
Annual Grammy Awards in 2010 and at the 54th in 2011. They
performed at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards show with The
Avett brothers and legendary musician, Bob Dylan. They have won
numerous awards including ARIA Music Award in 2010 for Most
Popular International Artist, Best British Album by the Brit Awards
in 2011 and an award from European Border Breakers the same year
for International Success.
John Legend
Recording Artist and Philanthropist
Recording artist, concert performer and philanthropist John
Legend has won nine Grammy Awards and been named as one of
Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. John launched his
career as a session player and vocalist, contributing to best-selling
recordings by Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z and Kanye West
before recording his own unbroken chain of Top 10 albums–Get
Lifted (2004), Once Again (2006), and Evolver (2008)–each of
them reaching #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop charts. Most
recently, Legend and the band The Roots released Wake Up! (2010),
a compilation of music from the 60’s and 70’s all with an underlying
theme of awareness, engagement and social consciousness. Along
with his music career, John has also worked to make a difference
in the lives of others. In 2007, Legend launched the Show Me
Campaign, an initiative that uses education to break the cycle
of poverty.