Brian McKnight

Brian McKnight grew up in a family where music came naturally. He was a member of the church choir a
long with his immediate family; his grandfather was the director. With a gospel upbringing, McKnight
explored other genres of music. Still in his early teens, he exercised his writing ambitions by penning
instrumentals (soft jazz, easy listening). He formed a band and began performing his originals at local
venues. By the age of 18, McKnight had secured a publishing deal. His calling to the national scene
manifested itself when his older brother Claude and the group he was a member of, Take 6, signed a
recording contract with a major label.
After sending out numerous demos to various record companies, McKnight's tape drew the interest of
Mercury Records president Ed Eckstine (son of Billy Eckstine). Eckstine was so impressed with McKnight's
sound that the young artist was signed to a deal within two weeks. McKnight's first release on Mercury
was "The Way Love Goes," peaking at number 11 after 19 weeks on the Billboard R&B charts. His two
follow-up singles barely cracked the Billboard R&B Top 60, which included "Love Is," a duet with Vanessa
Williams featured on Beverly Hills 90210. Ironically, that single peaked at number three on the Billboard pop
charts, introducing McKnight to a crossover audience.
In addition to being a singer, McKnight is a songwriter, multi-talented musician, arranger and producer.
The success he has achieved as producer and songwriter on his own projects has facilitated his popularity
as a producer and songwriter for other artists. However, the Buffalo native retained the services of hip-hop
producer Sean "Puffy" Combs on the release of his 1997 CD Anytime, which features the club-flavored
single "You Should Be Mine." A Christmas album, Bethlehem, followed in 1998, and a year later McKnight
returned with Back at One.
In 2001 Brian moved to Motown for the release of his 5th studio album called Superhero.