Brian McKnight

Fun Facts: Brian McKnight is a multi-instrumentalist who can play nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, French horn and trumpet.

Claim to Fame: Over the last 16 years McKnight has released 11 albums. In 2007 he made his debut on Broadway in “Chicago.”

Brian McKnight is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, and pop and R&B musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who can play nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, French horn and trumpet.



McKnight's musical career began with a musical childhood, in which he played a member of a Seventh-day Adventist Church choir. Encouraged by his older brother Claude's band, Take 6, getting a record deal, McKnight sent out demo tapes and, at the age of 19, signed his first recording deal with Mercury Records subsidiary Wing Records. However, he ended up recording his albums for Mercury, released his first album, Brian McKnight, in 1992. He went on to release three more albums for Mercury records before moving to Motown Records. His final album with Mercury Records, Anytime sold over two million copies and was nominated for a Grammy.

In 1999, McKnight released Back at One, which sold over three million copies. Throughout his career he has collaborated with a variety of musicians including Mase, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Mary J. Blige, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, Vanessa Williams, Ivete Sangalo, Kirk Franklin, For Real, Canibus, Quincy Jones, Boyz II Men, Christina Aguilera,Marlon Winbush, Regine Velasquez, Shoshana Bean, Mariah Carey, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Rascal Flatts and Josh Groban. McKnight in 2004, co-wrote with Australian Soul artist Guy Sebastian the song Wait which is a track off the Beautiful Life. McKnight's vocal style draws from Stevie Wonder, Michael Sembello, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and his own brother, Take 6 co-founder Claude V. McKnight. Soul singer James Ingram also strongly influenced McKnight. His music production sensibilities especially his penchant for piano based pop ballads, method of background vocal recording and melismatic voice inflections all draw heavily from Ingram. Brian McKnight also has the uncanny ability to mimic the timbre and style of other singers such as Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Prince.

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