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Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong head voice, high belting range, and
melisma Melisma (, , ; from , plural: ''melismata''), informally known as a vocal run and sometimes interchanged with the term roulade, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in ...
. His first
hit song A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...
, " Love Is" (with
Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She would later Vanes ...
) was recorded for the ''
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'' soundtrack in 1993, and peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. That same year, his single " One Last Cry" peaked at number 13 on the chart and spawned from his eponymous debut studio album (1992), which was released by
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. Mercury Records released ...
the year prior and received
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certification from the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). His 1997 single, " You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time)" (featuring
Mase Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Mase (often stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper. Best known for his work with Sean Combs, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records, he signed with the label in 1996 ...
) peaked within the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and led his third album, '' Anytime'' (1997)—his final release with Mercury before he signed with
Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
. His 1999 single, " Back at One" peaked at number two on the chart and remains his highest-charting song; it preceded the album of the same name (1999), which was the first of four of his albums—''
Superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
'' (2001), '' U Turn'' (2003), and '' Gemini'' (2005)—to consecutively debut within the top ten of the ''Billboard'' 200. His ninth album, '' Ten'' (2006) marked his final
major label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...
release. His work has earned him 16
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
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 :wikt:emeritus, emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father ...
and
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
for the record of most nominations for the award without a win.


Early life

McKnight was born in
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
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. At the age of ten, McKnight and his family moved to
Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...
, and began his musical ambitions in his early teens. He started 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 and subsequently moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.


Career


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

McKnight's older brother, Claude V. McKnight III (and his band
Take 6 Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group integrates jazz with spiritual and inspirational lyrics. Take 6 has received several Grammy Awards as well as D ...
), signed a record deal with Warner Brothers subsidiary Reprise Records in 1987, releasing their self-titled debut in the Spring of 1988. This encouraged McKnight to shop his own demo tapes, 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. Mercury Records released ...
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 s ...
. His self-titled debut album ''
Brian McKnight Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An Contemporary R&B, R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong ...
'' 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 advertis ...
''
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 Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
chart. The album also featured the ballad and Top 20 single, " One Last Cry". 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 The 1998 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 10, 1998, honoring the best music videos from June 17, 1997, to June 12, 1998. The show was hosted by Ben Stiller at Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. Madonna was the most successful winn ...
. In 1997, McKnight recorded "Remember the Magic" for
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
's 25th anniversary. After the release of his self-titled debut album, McKnight was part of the group
Black Men United Black Men United (B.M.U.) was a collaboration of many African-American male R&B, neo soul and soul music artists. Their only song " U Will Know", written by a young D'Angelo, was released in 1994. It was featured in the film ''Jason's Lyric'', a ...
alongside
Gerald Levert Gerald Edward Levert (July 13, 1966 – November 10, 2006) was an Americans, American singer-songwriter and Music Producer, producer. Levert performed with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon with the R&B vocal group, LeVert. Le ...
, his then-labelmate Joe, Christopher Williams,
Boyz II Men Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...
, and others for the song " U Will Know", featured on the
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
to the film ''
Jason's Lyric ''Jason's Lyric'' is a 1994 American romance film, romantic psychological drama, psychological Drama (film and television), drama film, written by Bobby Smith Jr., directed by Doug McHenry, who co-produced the film with George Jackson (producer), ...
'', released in late 1994, in which he produced it with
D'Angelo Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...
.


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

McKnight signed with
Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
in 1998 and released a Christmas album, ''
Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
'', 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 who rose to fame after winning the Australian Idol (season 1), first season of ''Australian Idol'', in 2003. Born in Malaysia and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Sebastian h ...
, 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 Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
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, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of Madea, Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a tough elderly woman, and also portrays her brother Joe Simmons and her ...
movie '' Madea's Family Reunion''), " Used to Be My Girl" and "What's My Name". In October 2007, McKnight made his Broadway debut in the show Chicago. Between 2006 and 2010, McKnight hosted ''The Brian McKnight Morning Show'', a radio show with Pat Prescott on KTWV 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 Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
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 year ...
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 The 2002 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s 2002 Major League Baseball season, 2002 season. The 98th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL ...
in
Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...
(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. On April 23, 2012, McKnight posted to YouTube "If You're Ready To Learn", which has been characterized by ''
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 advertis ...
'' 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 (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
, the ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
'', and '' NewMediaRockstars'' have also written about McKnight's recent, more adult-oriented efforts. Shortly after the single's release, McKnight and
Funny or Die Funny or Die, Inc. is a comedy video website and production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a regular staf ...
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. ''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 Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
). The concert was recorded in Los Angeles, at the historic Saban Theatre. 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 ''
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 advertis ...
'' 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: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
'' 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 Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellige ...
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. The over 40 ...
. 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, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...
, Charlie Wilson,
Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...
,
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
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 from 1990–2003 to singer-songwriter, Julie McKnight, and they have two sons together. McKnight also has a daughter he fathered from a previous relationship. Brian McKnight had been estranged from his son Niko for a number of years, dating back to the elder McKnight publicly referring to his oldest kids — Niko and older brother Brian Jr. — as "products of sin". On May 30, 2025, Niko passed away due to his battle with cancer. In 2014, he began dating Dr. Leilani Malia Mendoza, a pediatric neurophysiologist, 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 son who died in infancy. In December 2022, McKnight and Mendoza had another son, Brian Kainoa Makoa Jr. McKnight legally changed his name to Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. to match his new son's name.


Religion

Brian McKnight was raised a
Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) 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 Sabbat ...
. 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 Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
gospel quartet with his brothers. He also attended Oakwood College, a Seventh-day Adventist university in
Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...
, 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 Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist. An Contemporary R&B, R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong ...
'' (1992) * '' I Remember You'' (1995) * '' Anytime'' (1997) * ''
Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
'' (1998) * '' Back at One'' (1999) * ''
Superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
'' (2001) * '' U Turn'' (2003) * '' Gemini'' (2005) * '' Ten'' (2006) * '' I'll Be Home for Christmas'' (2008) * '' Evolution of a Man'' (2009) * '' Just Me'' (2011) * ''
More Than Words "More Than Words" is a song by American rock band Extreme. It is an acoustic rock ballad featuring guitar work by Nuno Bettencourt and the vocals of Gary Cherone (with harmony vocals from Bettencourt). They both wrote the song, which was produc ...
'' (2013) * '' Better'' (2016) * ''
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
'' (2017) * '' Exodus'' (2020) * ''McKnighttime Lullabies'' (2023)


Filmography


Film


Television


Awards and nominations


References


External links


Brian McKnight official website
*
Brian McKnight's Biography
from
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Brian McKnight's Profile
from
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Brian McKnight JUST ME 2011 World Tour

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Announcement of Niko McKnight's death from Claude McKnight
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McKnight, Brian 1969 births Living people American soul guitarists American tenors American contemporary R&B singers Record producers from New York (state) American male trumpeters American multi-instrumentalists American ballad musicians Motown artists Warner Music Group artists Musicians from Buffalo, New York 20th-century American keyboardists African-American record producers African-American male singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Participants in American reality television series Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Guitarists from New York (state) 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American trumpeters American male pianists 21st-century American pianists African-American pianists 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers African-American male guitarists Maynard Evans High School alumni