biography

Brian McKnight's ability to speak to others and to make music that crosses barriers and genres has made him one of the premier artists of contemporary pop. The Buffalo New York native (whose older brother Claude is a founding member of the Jazz group Take 6) and multi instrumentalist was a bandleader in high school. By the age 19 he already signed his first record deal.

His 1992 debut Brian McKnight went platinum as did his 1995 follow-up I Remember You. In between solo projects, Brian produced the radio favorite single "U Will Know," for the Jason's Lyric soundtrack, worked with heavy hitters Boyz II Men, and enjoyed a top 3 hit with "Love Is," a duet with Vanessa Williams. He also collaborated with Diana King on the title track of the Academy Award winning film, When We Were Kings and made numerous television appearances as both a presenter on award shows and as a guest star on popular Sister Sister.

In 1997 Brian released the collection that introduced him to a wider audience. The album Anytime sold over 2 million copies and boasted the top 20 single
"You Should Be Mine," a collaboration with producer and rapper Sean "Puffy" Combs and Mase. While the smash title earned him 2 Grammy nominations, he went on to seize a Soul Train Award for "Best Male Singer."

Bigger and better, Brian's 1999's hit Back At One reached triple platinum success. The title track stayed at the number two spot on Billboard Pop Singles chart for 8 weeks and the album earned Brian four additional Grammy nominations, an American Music Award, a Blockbuster Award, and a NAACP Image Award. To add to the praise, the soft-spoken star accomplished a feat no other songwriter has, he ranked #1 for the Hot 100 Songwriters, # 4 Hot Country Singles and Tracks Songwriters, and # 7 for Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks Songwriter with Billboard's Songwriters 2000.

While the theme song to the highly acclaimed film "Men of Honor" brought Brian into the movie theaters, his Grammy nominations continued. Along with label-mate Bebe Winans and fellow R&B crooner Joe, the trio went up for Best Duo or Group with, "Coming Back Home" from Bebe's Motown Records debut, "Love & Freedom." On top of all that, Brian recently completed a photo shoot with the world-renowned master photographer Herb Ritts.

Now with superhero, Brian McKnight makes his strongest statement to date. As befitting an artist whose album speaks to the unsung heroes, Brian is typically modest when asked to sum up the impact of his career. "Honestly- that I'm still making records and having the best success of my career now still baffles me. I've seen artists come and go and I'm very grateful that I'm still here and on top of my game, that I'm able to do something that I love to do, which is making music."

Music that speaks to the hero in us all.