Lajon Witherspoon (born October 3, 1972) is an American singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

-based rock band

Sevendust Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and rhythm guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and lead guitarist Clint Lo ...

. Members from bands such as

Staind Staind ( ) is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, an ...

Seether Seether are a South African rock band founded in 1999 in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The band originally performed under the name Saron Gas until 2002, when they moved to the United States and changed it to Seether to avoid confusion wi ...

Alter Bridge Alter Bridge is an American rock band from Orlando, Florida. The band was formed in 2004 by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. After their former ba ...

, and Diecast have listed Witherspoon and Sevendust as musical influences. In March 2008, Witherspoon was recognized in ''

Hit Parader ''Hit Parader'' was an American music magazine that operated between 1942 and 2008. A monthly publication, it focused on rock and pop music in general until the 1970s, when its focus began turning to hard rock and heavy metal. By the early 198 ...

'' as one of the "Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time." He was ranked number 35, placing over numerous famous rock vocalists such as

Bret Michaels Bret Michael Sychak (born March 15, 1963), known professionally as Bret Michaels, is an American singer and musician. He gained fame as the frontman of rock band Poison who has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the U ...

Scott Weiland Scott Richard Weiland (; né Kline, October 27, 1967 – December 3, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. During a career spanning three decades, Weiland was best known as the lead singer of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots from ...

, and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Early life and career

Lajon Witherspoon was born in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, but grew up in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

with his parents, along with his brother Reginald Ladon Witherspoon. Witherspoon's father was a singer in a funk band when his family lived in Nashville. Before getting into music, Witherspoon played football and wrestled for Norcross High School. He also practiced

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...

for a number of years, but eventually chose music over sports as his primary activity. Before his days in Sevendust, Witherspoon was the frontman of a soul group, Body & Soul. In 1994, his group supported local group Snake Nation at a gig. Impressed by his vocal abilities, Vinnie Hornsby and Morgan Rose asked Witherspoon to sing for their band. Guitarist John Connolly, the former drummer of the Piece Dogs, and Lee Banks joined them to form Rumblefish. The name was soon changed to Crawlspace. When the band's schedule proved too much for Banks, Clint Lowery from North Carolina's Still Rain replaced him. The band had to change their name again when a group on the west coast claimed the rights to it. Struggling with a new moniker, the members settled on Sevendust after Hornsby found a can of Sevin (an insecticide powder) in his grandmother's garage. On Saturday, November 9, 2002, Lajon's brother Reginald (age 21) was fatally shot in Nashville, Tennessee. Lajon heard the news from his father just minutes before the band's performance in St. Joseph, Minnesota. His father urged him to go on with the show and dedicate it to Reginald. Sevendust had postponed all shows until November 15 where they performed in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Lajon Witherspoon recorded a song titled "Ready to Go" for the NHRA's 10-song compilation, released on June 1, 2010."Sevendust Front-Man Streams Solo Song "Ready To Go""
''rawkpit.com''. Retrieved on May 27, 2010. He talked about recording a solo project after the end of the touring and promotion cycle for Sevendust's ninth record, '' Black Out the Sun''. He has released three singles called "Love Song," “Black or White,” and a cover of “Chainsmoking” originally performed by

Jacob Banks Jacob Banks (born 24 July 1991) is a Nigerian-born English singer and songwriter from Birmingham. Banks won the 2012 MOBO UnSung regional competition in Birmingham and the Adidas "Are You In" music competition. His music is influenced by a ran ...

In regards to “Love Song,” Lajon said, "I think it resonates with what's going on in the world today," says Lajon Witherspoon regarding the inspiration of the song.

Personal life

Witherspoon has a wife, Ashley; two daughters, Maya Diane and Jada Legend; and a son, Kingston.

Discography

Other appearances

* ''NHRA Compilation 2010'' - various artists - "Ready to Go" (2010) * ''A Dream in Static'' - Earthside - "Mob Mentality" (2015) * ''

Truth Rising ''Truth Rising'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Hed PE. Released on October 26, 2010, the album received mixed reviews and debuted at #98 on the Billboard 200. The album also peaked #13 on the Top Independent albums charts. Mu ...

'' -

Hed PE Hed PE (also known as (hed) Planet Earth and stylized as (həd) p.e. or as (Hed)pe or (Hed)PE) or (həd) Planetary Evolution, is an American rock band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1994, the band is known for its eclectic genre- ...

- "Stand Up" (2010) * '' Moment of Impact'' - Eye Empire - "Victim (of the System)" (2010) * '' Dearly Beloved'' -

Daughtry Daughtry may refer to: * Daughtry (band), a rock band fronted by Chris Daughtry ** ''Daughtry'' (album), debut music album from Daughtry **Chris Daughtry (born 1979), American Idol finalist in 2006 and lead vocalist for Daughtry * Mattie Daughtry, ...

- "

Hunger Strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

" (2021)

References

External links

*
Lajon Witherspoon Facebook official page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Witherspoon, Lajon 1972 births Living people African-American rock musicians African-American rock singers American baritones American heavy metal singers Musicians from Atlanta Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee Norcross High School alumni Nu metal singers Sevendust members 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers