Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight | |
---|---|
Oakwood College (no degree) | |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1988–present |
Works | |
Spouses | Julie McKnight
(m. 1990; div. 2003)Leilani Mendoza (m. 2017) |
Children | 5 |
Awards | Full list |
Musical career | |
Origin | Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) |
|
Labels | |
Formerly of | Black Men United |
Website | mcknight360 |
Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr.[1] (born Brian Kelly McKnight; June 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, radio personality, and multi-instrumentalist.[2][3] An R&B performer, he is recognized for his strong head voice, high belting range, and melisma.
His first
His work has earned him 16
Early life
McKnight was born in Buffalo, New York 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.[6]
Career
Mercury Records: Brian McKnight and Anytime (1990–1997)
McKnight's older brother, Claude V. McKnight III (and his band
Motown Records: Bethlehem and Back at One (1998–2004)
McKnight signed with Motown in 1998 and released a Christmas album, Bethlehem, 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.[9]
In 2004, McKnight co-wrote the song "Wait" with Australian soul artist Guy Sebastian, which appeared on Sebastian's Beautiful Life album.
Warner Brothers: Ten and media/radio gigs (2005–2014)
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 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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
In 2009, McKnight appeared in the eighth season of
Between September 2009 and May 2010, McKnight served as the media personality and hosted[11] 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
On April 23, 2012, McKnight posted to YouTube "If You're Ready To Learn", which has been characterized by
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.[17] Better was released on February 26, 2016. The album received positive reviews.[18]
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). 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 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.[citation needed]
McKnight released the album
In January 2018, McKnight was nominated for two
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".[20]
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 had two children together. They divorced in 2003.[citation needed] McKnight also has a daughter he fathered while married to Julie and a son from previous relationships.[21]
In 2014, he began dating Dr. Leilani Malia Mendoza, a pediatric neurophysiologist, and they announced their engagement in May 2017.[22] On December 29, 2017, McKnight and Mendoza were married.[23] Mendoza has two children from a previous relationship. McKnight and Mendoza had a son who died in infancy.[24] In December 2022, McKnight and Mendoza had another son, Brian Kainoa Makoa Jr.[1] McKnight legally changed his name to Brian Kainoa Makoa McKnight Sr. to match his new son's name.[1]
Religion
Brian McKnight was raised a Seventh-day Adventist. 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 gospel quartet with his brothers. He also attended Oakwood College, a Seventh-day Adventist university in Huntsville, Alabama, 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.[25][26]
Discography
Studio albums
|
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | A Diva's Christmas Carol | Himself | TV movie |
2003 | The Beat | Record Executive | |
2005 | Leverage | Joe | |
2009 | Black Dynamite | Sweet Meat | |
2011 | Cheaper to Keep Her | Raymond Mays | Video |
2012 | Note to Self | Doctor William Thompson | |
Fuzzy Giners | Professor | Short | |
2013 | The Country Christmas Story | Danny Gibson | TV movie |
2017 | Sandy Wexler | Testimonial | |
Naked | Himself |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | Stanley T in Da House | Himself | Episode: "Boyz II Men" |
The Mickey Mouse Club | Himself | Episode: "Episode #6.18" | |
1993-01 | Showtime at the Apollo | Himself | Recurring Guest |
1993-05 | Soul Train | Himself | Recurring Guest |
1994 | Martin | Himself | Episode: "Love is in Your Face: Part 2" |
1995 | New York Undercover | Himself | Episode: "CAT" |
Midnight Mac | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.1" | |
1996 | Living Single | Himself | Episode: "Wake Up to the Breakup" |
Martin | Himself | Episode: "Where the Party At" | |
1997 | The Steve Harvey Show | Himself | Episode: "Coming to Chicago" |
1998 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Himself | Episode: "Ready or Not" |
Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards | Himself/Co-Host | Main Co-Host | |
Soul Train Christmas Starfest | Himself/Host | Main Host | |
1998-99 | Sister, Sister | Keith/Clarence | Recurring Cast: Season 6 |
1999 | Mad TV | Himself | Episode: "Episode #4.16" |
Soul Train Music Awards | Himself/Co-Host | Main Co-Host | |
2000 | Hollywood Squares | Himself/Panelist | Recurring Panelist |
2001 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Himself/Contestant | Episode: "Top of the Charts Edition, Show 2-4" |
The Wayne Brady Show | Himself | Episode: "Pilot" | |
The Parkers | Himself | Episode: "Crazy Love" | |
Say It Loud: A Celebration of Black Music in America | Himself | Main Guest | |
VH1 Presents the 80's | Himself | Episode: "Hip Hop/R&B" | |
2002 | My Wife and Kids | Himself | Episode: "Anniversary" |
2003 | Star Search | Himself/Guest Judge | Episode: "The One with Singer Brian McKnight" |
American Juniors | Himself/Guest Judge | Episode: "Episode #1.9" & "#1.10" | |
MTV Cribs | Himself | Episode: "Oct 13, 2003" | |
Pyramid
|
Himself/Celebrity Contestant | Episode: "Oct 16, 2003" | |
Platinum | Mace | Episode: "Power" | |
2004 | The Chris Isaak Show | Himself | Episode: "Home Improvement" |
Soundstage | Himself | Episode: "Chris Isaak Christmas" | |
2005 | American Dreams | Stokely Carmichael | Episode: "The Commencement" |
2006 | Celebrity Duets | Himself | Episode: "Episode #1.2" |
2007 | Hey Paula | Himself | Episode: "All That Glitters" |
2008 | Secret Talents of the Stars | Himself/Judge | Episode: "Episode #1.1" |
America's Got Talent | Himself | Episode: "Episode #3.20" | |
Great Performances | Himself | Episode: "Hit Man: David Foster and Friends" | |
2009 | The Apprentice | Herself/Contestant | Contestant: Season 8
|
2009-10 | The Brian McKnight Show | Himself/Host | Main Host |
2012 | Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives | Himself | Episode: "A Place Called Home" |
The Mumblesteens | Himself | Episode: "Secret Lover" | |
2013 | Shark Tank | Himself | Episode: "Hamboards, Scan, ScreenMend, Sunday Night Slow Jams" |
Minute Motivations | Himself | Episode: "Holiday Special" | |
2015 | Hollywood in Vienna | Himself | Episode: "Hollywood in Vienna 2015: Tales of Mystery" |
2015-16 | Celebrity Name Game | Himself/Celebrity Player | Episode: "Brian McKnight & Nia Vardalos 1-3" |
2017 | Grown Folks
|
Pastor | Episode: "Take 'em to Church" |
2021 | The Masked Dancer | Contestant/Cricket | Main Contestant |
American Idol | Himself | Episode: "410 (All Star Duets and Solos)" | |
2022 | Star Tracker | Himself | Episode: "The Pursuit of the Dream" |
Atlanta | Himself | Episode: "The Goof Who Sat By the Door" |
Awards and nominations
Award | Year | Nominee/work | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
American Music Awards
|
1999 | Brian McKnight | Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist | Nominated |
Anytime | Favorite Soul/R&B Album | Nominated | ||
BET Awards | 2007 | Brian McKnight | BET J Cool Like Dat Award
|
Nominated |
Grammy Awards
|
1994 | "Love Is" with Vanessa Williams | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Nominated |
1999 | "Anytime" | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | Nominated | |
"The Only One For Me" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated | ||
2000 | Back at One | Best R&B Album | Nominated | |
"Back at One" | Best Short Form Music Video | Nominated | ||
2001 | "6, 8, 12" | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | Nominated | |
"Stay or Let It Go" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated | ||
"Coming Back Home" with BeBe Winans & Joe | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Nominated | ||
2002 | "Still" | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | Nominated | |
"My Kind of Girl" with Justin Timberlake | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals | Nominated | ||
"Love of My Life" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated | ||
Best R&B Song | Nominated | |||
"Win" from Men of Honor | Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | Nominated | ||
2003 | "All the Way" with Kenny G | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Nominated | |
2004 | "Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated | |
2005 | "What We Do Here" | Best Male R&B Vocal Performance | Nominated | |
MTV Video Music Awards
|
1998 | "Anytime" | Best Male Video | Nominated |
2000 | "Back at One" | Best R&B Video | Nominated | |
NAACP Image Awards
|
2000 | "Back at One" | Outstanding Male Artist | Won |
2001 | "Stay or Let It Go" | Outstanding Male Artist | Nominated | |
2002 | Superhero | Outstanding Male Artist | Nominated | |
2018 | Genesis | Outstanding Male Artist | Nominated | |
Outstanding Album | Nominated | |||
Pop Awards | 2018[27] | Brian McKnight | Lifetime Achievement Award | Nominated |
Soul Train Music Awards | 1999 | "Anytime" | Best R&B/Soul Single, Male
|
Won |
2000 | "Back at One" | Best R&B/Soul Single, Male | Nominated | |
Back at One | Best R&B/Soul Album, Male
|
Nominated | ||
2002 | "Love of My Life" | Best R&B/Soul Single, Male | Nominated |
References
- ^ Complex. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
- ^ "ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ Collier, Aldore (July 2000). "Brian McKnight on Fame, Family and Female Fans". FindArticles.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
- ^ "12 Artists Who Could Win Their First Grammy in 2019". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ "'Sleep well, brother': In live video, Brian McKnight sings in memory of James Ingram". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ "Brian McKnight Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ "Brian McKnight Back at One". SuperiorPics.com. 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ "Brian McKnight Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ [1] Archived May 4, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Brian McKnight's chart history on Billboard 200 Albums Chart
- ^ Trump Rounds Up Celebs for New Season of the Apprentice New York Times, January 8, 2009
- ^ "Stevie Wonder Confirmed as First Guest on Premiere of The Brian McKnight Show". PRLog.org. August 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
- ^ Lipshutz, Jason (April 24, 2012). "Brian McKnight Previews 'Adult Mixtape' with Explicit Slow Jam". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ "Brian McKnight Interview | R&B Legend". Newmediarockstars.com. June 19, 2012. Archived from the original on December 27, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ "Brian McKnight: 'Vulgar sex song a joke'". Toronto Sun. April 25, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ "Brian McKnight Officially Re-Releasing Sexual Anthem". Rapfix.mtv.com. April 26, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
- ^ MaxwellSchad. "Brian McKnight on why he wrote "If You're Ready to Learn"". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ "Exclusive: Brian McKnight Teams With Kobalt for New Single 'Uh Oh Feeling'". Billboard. August 14, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
- ^ "Brian McKnight releases 12th studio album 'Better'". Singersroom. February 29, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ Kostanczuk, Bob (May 11, 2017). "McKnight enjoys 'rebirth' with new single, album". Post-Tribune. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Graff, Gary. "Brian McKnight at Sound Board, 3 Things To Know". The Oakland Press. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "Brian McKnight Reflects On The Loss Of His Infant Son As Child Abandonment Rumors Surface". www.yahoo.com. May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ "Brian Mcknight on Instagram: "She said yes ❤❤❤❤❤ took me 42 years to find her and I'm never letting her go I'm so in love with you baby #iloveourlife #priceless…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "Brian McKnight Marries Leilani Malia Mendoza in New Year's Eve Ceremony". Us Weekly. January 2, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- ^ "Brian McKnight Reflects On The Loss Of His Infant Son As Child Abandonment Rumors Surface". www.yahoo.com. May 11, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ "Brian McKnight Biography". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ Jones, Joyce (June 5, 2014). "This in Black History". Bet. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- ^ "Pop Awards 2018, the 1st annual Pop Awards". Pop Awards. Retrieved January 11, 2019.