lajon witherspoon

Voted one of the Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time by Hit Parader, Lajon Witherspoon is the lead vocalist of American hard rock band Sevendust. Witherspoon and Sevendust have sold millions of records worldwide, received a Grammy nomination and scored three consecutive RIAA gold-certified albums. Witherspoon’s unmistakable powerhouse vocals have transformed the landscape of heavy metal, infusing soul and melody into the fundamentally aggressive and raw genre to produce a unique signature sound that has rarely been replicated but often imitated. A trailblazer on the hard rock and metal scene, Witherspoon has been listed as a musical influence by numerous bands including Diecast, Seether and Alter Bridge.

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Witherspoon grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, raised on a healthy diet of soul, rock and funk which would eventually define his sound. His first band was soul group Body & Soul, and in 1994 his impressive vocal skills were spotted by Morgan Rose and Vinnie Hornsby who asked him to sing for their band Rumblefish (later Crawlspace). After a further name change Sevendust was born. The group released their self-titled debut in 1997 and the album crashed into the Billboard 200 where it stayed for 16 weeks, later going gold in 1999. The band have now released 13 studio albums, including Blood & Stone in 2020.

In 2021 Witherspoon dropped a bluesy solo cover of ‘Chainsmoking’ by Jacob Banks, and has hinted that his eagerly anticipated solo album is now in the works.