Born June 5, 1969, in Buffalo, NY
When Brian McKnight finally decided he wanted to take the leap into the music business, he considered joining his older brother Claude in the celebrated R&B-gospel group Take 6. He even followed Claude to Oakwood College, the small Alabama Christian school where Take 6 got its start. But Brian's stay at the college wasn't as propitious: he got caught with a girl in his room as a sophomore and was kicked out of school. (Besides, it would have meant renaming the group Take 7.) Brian's preoccupation with romance would go on to serve him well in a solo career launched in 1990, as his classic, old-school soul balladeering stands in sharp contrast to the raunchy, trendy "freakin' you" lyrics which dominate the world of 1990s R&B. His 1992 debut LP, Brian McKnight, released three years after his signing to Mercury Records, introduced a silky tenor gliding over love sonnets with an ease and maturity that belied his young years. Casting himself in the role of hopeless romantic and supported by the talents of Take 6 and Vanessa Williams, his LP yielded a breakthrough R&B single, "One Last Cry." Perhaps best known currently for his Top 3 duet in 1993 with Williams, "Love Is," and the Emmy-nominated theme "Every Beat of My Heart" for the TV soap As the World Turns from his second album I Remember You, Brian is turning prolific as a producer and guest artist. He has given his angelic voice to the recordings of Boyz II Men, Quincy Jones, and rappers Ill Al Skratch, appeared on the movie soundtracks to Addams Family Values and When We Were Kings, and produced works by Take 6 (of course), UNV, Vesta, and Christopher Williams.
Bio written by: anon |
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