Brian McKnight

As the younger brother of Claude McKnight of the Gospel group Take 6, and as the grandson of a grandfather who lead a big band in the 30's, Brian says that everyone on his mother's side of the McKnight family can sing.

His musical direction was predetermined early on by the house rules. He wasn't allowed to listen to some music until he hit the 1980's. That was when he was exposed to more secular music like the greats Stevie Wonder & Aretha Franklin.

The change from Gospel to R&B was a bit difficult for Brian at first. He was just discovering he R&B groove at the same time his voice was changing. But he kept practicing and his hard work has payed off. When he watched his brother get his deal, Brian knew that music was what he wanted to do too. In 1992 his break came when he landed with Mercury Records. His first #1 hit was "The Way Love Goes". (my favorite) :)

His hit "Love Is" (featured on Beverly Hills 90210) was the song that he did with Vanessa Williams. Brian says that this is the song that claimed his as "a singer". Funny that Brian didn't like the song, but it allowed him to break through and get his name out there. Now people knew who Brian McKnight was. It also opened the doors for "One Last Cry". By the time "Cry" hit the streets, Brian was getting lots of airplay.

"Crazy Love" off the Jason's Lyric soundtrack sky-rocketed Brian's success and his fan base spread from coast to coast.

Brian says he's ecstatic to be doing what he absolutely loves to do, and the fact that people like it is just the cherry on the top. He says that when he does music for himself, it is hard to contain it because the ideas just flow out faster than he can write them. But when he does songs for other people he tries to get into the essence of them and tries to do a song that will express that person as an individual.

Now I bet you're wondering if Mr. McKnight the producer has ever given up a song that he wishes he could get back? Yup. Brian wrote a song called "Through My Heart (The Arrow)" which super producer BabyFace just loved & wanted his group Az Yet to sing. He says he was caught up in the hype of Face wanting a song of his that he gave it up... but now feels if he could do it again he would keep the haunting ballad.

But now that Brian has found his nitch and has settled comfortably into it, we as fans have found that this guy can do it all: write, produce and definitely sing. Brian uses his talents that God has given him to the full extent of his capabilities.

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