Brian McKnight Biography

The American R&B singer Brian McKnight was born in 1969 in Buffalo, New York. As a young man, McKnight was greatly influenced by his older brother who had successfully signed a record deal with Warner Brothers as part of the group Take 6 in 1990. Under his encouragement, McKnight began recording his own demo tapes and by the time he was nineteen, he’d caught the attention of Mercury Records, which signed him to his first record deal.

McKnight’s debut album, Brian McKnight, was released in 1992. The album was a moderate success, placing on the mainstream charts and featuring the singles “The Way Love Goes” and “Goodbye My Love.” Brian McKnight was followed by I Remember You (1995) and Anytime (1997), but it was his contribution to the duet “Love Is,” with Vanessa Williams, that truly brought McKnight to the forefront of contemporary R&B. Nevertheless, Anytime also contributed to McKnight’s breakthrough, featuring the hits singles “You Should Be Mine” and “Anytime,” and earning Brian his first Grammy nomination.

Since that time, Brian McKnight has continued to become one of the era’s most significant R&B performers. He has since released the albums Back at One (1999), Superhero (2001), U Turn (2003), Gemini (2005), Ten (2006), Evolution of a Man (2009) and Just Me (2011.) McKnight’s music has garnered him additional award nominations and wins, including nearly twenty Grammy Award nominations, an American Music Award nomination, an Image Award for Outstanding Male Artist (2000) and a Soul Train Award for Best R&B/Soul Male Album (1999.)

In recent years, Brian McKnight has branched out to Broadway, appearing in the hit musical Chicago. He has also hosted his own radio show, The Brian McKnight Show, and recently sang “God Bless America” at the National League Champion Series in 2012. McKnight’s most recent album release is More than Words (2013), and he has plans for additional performances in the future.