Brian Kelly McKnight (born June 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, radio host and multi-instrumentalist. He is most recognized for his strong

head voice Head voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regard to this term. Head voice can be used in re ...

, high belting range and

melisma Melisma ( grc-gre, μέλισμα, , ; from grc, , melos, song, melody, label=none, plural: ''melismata'') is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is refer ...

. McKnight is known for his songs from albums such as '' Brian McKnight'' (platinum debut), '' Anytime'' and '' Back at One''. His work has earned him 16

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

nominations, third only to

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the fou ...

and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

for the record of most Grammy nominations without a win.

Early life

McKnight was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

to Claude McKnight, Jr. and Ruth Elaine Willis. His music experience began in childhood when he became a member of his church choir, which was directed by his grandfather. McKnight explored different genres of music, and in his early teens, he started musical ambitions by composing instrumental material while learning to play several instruments. McKnight formed a band and began performing his original songs at local venues. By the age of 18, he was offered a publishing deal.

Career

Mercury Records: ''Brian McKnight'' and ''Anytime'' (1990–1997)

McKnight's older brother, Claude McKnight III (and his band Take 6), signed a record deal with Warner Brothers in 1990. This encouraged McKnight to shop his own

demo tapes A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...

and by the age of 19, he signed his first recording deal with

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...

subsidiary,

Wing Records Wing Records was a record label subsidiary of Mercury Records founded in 1955, that found its greatest success during the late 1950s. In 1986, the label was revived by Mercury's parent company, PolyGram and the label had brief success with R&B si ...

. His self-titled debut album '' Brian McKnight'' was released in 1992, and peaked at number 58 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. His first release was " The Way Love Goes", which peaked at number 11 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...

chart. The album also featured the ballad, and Top 20 single, "

One Last Cry "One Last Cry" is a song co-written and co-produced by Brandon Barnes, Melanie Barnes and Brian McKnight. The song was performed by American contemporary R&B singer Brian McKnight, issued as the fourth single from his eponymous debut album. It w ...

". It was followed by two more albums for Mercury, ''I Remember You'' (1995) and ''Anytime'' (1997). '' Anytime'', McKnight's final album with Mercury, sold over two million copies and was nominated for a Grammy. The video for "Anytime", directed by Darren Grant, was nominated for Best Male Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. In 1997, McKnight recorded "Remember the Magic" for

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

's 25th anniversary.

Motown Records: ''Bethlehem'' and ''Back at One'' (1998–2004)

McKnight signed with

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

in 1998 and released a Christmas album, ''

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital ...

'', the first of five albums he released on Motown. In 1998, McKnight was a guest star on the show '' Sister Sister''. He appeared in multiple episodes, as Tia and Tamera's college professor. In 1999, McKnight released '' Back at One'', his most successful album to date, which eventually went on to sell over three million copies. Additionally, ''Back at One'' is one of four of McKnight's studio albums to reach the Top 10 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart, reaching number 7 on October 9, 1999.''Billboard'' 200 Chart History

, Brian McKnight's chart history on ''Billboard'' 200 Albums Chart In 2004, McKnight co-wrote the song "Wait" with Australian soul artist

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...

, which appeared on Sebastian's '' Beautiful Life'' album.

Warner Brothers: ''Ten'' and media/radio gigs (2005–2014)

upMcKnight performing in 2006 In late 2005, McKnight signed with Warner Bros. Records and released the album '' Ten'' during December 2006. It was his only studio album with the label. Three singles were released from the album: " Find Myself in You" (which originally appeared on the soundtrack to the 2006

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmma ...

movie '' Madea's Family Reunion''), " Used to Be My Girl" and "What's My Name". In October 2007, McKnight made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut in the show Chicago. Between 2006 and 2010, McKnight hosted ''The Brian McKnight Morning Show'', a radio show with Pat Prescott on

KTWV KTWV (94.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, and broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc., and airs an urban adult contemporary radio format. KTWV has studios ...

The Wave in Los Angeles. The show was briefly simulcast on KHJZ-FM, Smooth Jazz 95.7 The Wave in Houston, Texas. In January 2009, McKnight hosted "The Brian McKnight Show" on 98.7 KISS FM in New York City. In 2009, McKnight appeared in the eighth season of '' Celebrity Apprentice''. Each celebrity played to raise money for the charity of his or her choice. McKnight elected to play for Youthville USA. Between September 2009 and May 2010, McKnight served as the media personality and hosted ''The Brian McKnight Show'', a late night talk show billed as a combination of talk and variety which aired in syndication. McKnight sang the National Anthem for MLB

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

in Cincinnati, Ohio with his sons Brian, Jr. and Niko on March 31, 2011. He had previously sung the National Anthem for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, Game 6 of the 2002 World Series in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

(near his Los Angeles home), and the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Detroit. He has also made numerous other "National Anthem" appearances throughout his career. Additionally, McKnight sang "God Bless America" in the 7th inning of Game 7 of the National League Champion Series in San Francisco on October 22, 2012. Brian McKnight 2014

On April 23, 2012, McKnight posted to YouTube "If You're Ready To Learn", which has been characterized by ''

'' as a "filthy jam". Billboard selected this lyric from the work to quote: "Let me show you how your p—y works / Since you didn't bring it to me first." Other media outlets such as

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, the ''

Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices is located at Postmedia Place in ...

'', and '' NewMediaRockstars'' have also written about McKnight's recent, more adult-oriented efforts. Shortly after the single's release, McKnight and Funny or Die revealed that the single was a collaboration between the two. McKnight later explained that he wrote the parody as a commentary on the state of R&B, which he noted was in a period of degradation overall with famous radio station 98.7 Kiss FM shuttering and hit singles being inferior quality music, among other ailments.

Brian McKnight Music and Kobalt: ''Better'' (2015–2016)

On August 14, 2015, McKnight released the single "Uh Oh Feeling", the first track from his album '' Better''. It was released on his own label, Brian McKnight Music LLC via

Kobalt Label Services Kobalt Music Recordings is a division of Kobalt Music Group. KLS provides record label services to artists, receiving a share of revenues, while allowing artists to retain ownership of their master recordings. The company was founded in 2012 ...

. ''Better'' was released on February 26, 2016. The album received positive reviews.

SoNo Recording: ''An Evening with...'' and ''Genesis'' (2016–present)

On September 23, 2016 (twenty years from the date of his studio album '' Anytime''), McKnight released his first live CD, DVD and Blu-ray collection entitled '' An Evening with Brian McKnight'' (in partnership with independent recording label, SoNo Recording Group, via the

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

). The concert was recorded in Los Angeles, at the historic

Saban Theatre The Saban Theatre ( ) is a historic theatre in Beverly Hills, California, formerly known as the Fox Wilshire Theater. It is an Art Deco structure at the southeast corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Hamilton Drive designed by architect S. Charles Lee ...

. The release includes fourteen songs performed live with his full band, plus three newly written and recorded songs. The first single, "Everything", reached the Top 20 on the national Adult Contemporary charts in September 2016. The CD version of the concert debuted on the ''

'' R&B chart at number 13, as a Hot Shot Debut. Also included, is a duet with Gino Vannelli, on the song "Brothers in the End". The Blu-ray and DVD version of the release premiered on the ''Billboard'' Music DVD chart at number 9. McKnight released the album ''

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

'' on August 25, 2017. It featured three Top 30 Urban AC and AC hits: "Everything", "Forever" and "I Want U". ''Genesis'' premiered on the

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

Top 10 Current R&B Albums and Top 20 Current Hip Hop/R&B Albums. The album was produced by Tim Kelley, part of the legendary duo Tim & Bob. In January 2018, McKnight was nominated for two

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

. He was nominated for Outstanding Male Artist and Outstanding Album for ''Genesis'' (alongside

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...

, Charlie Wilson,

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

and Mary J Blige). In May 2018, McKnight announced he was working on his next studio album tentatively titled ''Bedtime Story'', which would be 60 minutes of music "for the bedroom aka baby-making music". In 2021, Brian McKnight competed on '' The Masked Singer'' spin-off '' The Masked Dancer'' as "Cricket".

Personal life

McKnight was married in 1990 to singer-songwriter and his college sweetheart, Julie McKnight. They have two children, Brian Jr., and Niko. They divorced in 2003. McKnight also has a daughter named Brianna McKnight. In 2014, he began dating Dr. Leilani Malia Mendoza, and they announced their engagement in May 2017. On December 29, 2017, McKnight and Mendoza were married. Mendoza has two children from a previous relationship; McKnight and Mendoza had a child who died in infancy.

Religion

Brian McKnight was raised a

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

. Religion was important in the McKnight family, with many generations being Seventh-day Adventists. His grandfather was a pastor of a church, and his mother played the piano and sang in a gospel choir in Buffalo's Emanuel Temple. Being the youngest of four boys, McKnight became a member of an

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

gospel quartet with his brothers. He also attended Oakwood College, a Seventh-day Adventist university in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...

, from 1987 to 1989. In his second year, McKnight got into trouble for violating Oakwood's rules about dormitory visitors for having his girlfriend in his dorm room. They were both expelled.

Discography

Studio albums * '' Brian McKnight'' (1992) * '' I Remember You'' (1995) * '' Anytime'' (1997) * ''

'' (1998) * '' Back at One'' (1999) * ''

Superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

'' (2001) * '' U Turn'' (2003) * '' Gemini'' (2005) * '' Ten'' (2006) * '' Evolution of a Man'' (2009) * '' Just Me'' (2011) * '' More Than Words'' (2013) * '' Better'' (2016) * ''

'' (2017) * ''

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * E ...

Early life

Career

Mercury Records: ''Brian McKnight'' and ''Anytime'' (1990–1997)

Motown Records: ''Bethlehem'' and ''Back at One'' (1998–2004)

Warner Brothers: ''Ten'' and media/radio gigs (2005–2014)

Brian McKnight Music and Kobalt: ''Better'' (2015–2016)

SoNo Recording: ''An Evening with...'' and ''Genesis'' (2016–present)

Personal life

Religion

Discography

Filmography

Television

Film

Awards and nominations

References

External links