Tim & Bob (Tim Kelley and Bob Robinson) aka Funktwons, are Grammy Award-winning songwriting musicians and a Hip-hop/R&B pop production duo. Tim & Bob have discovered and or worked on some of the biggest artists in the music industry and has helped develop the Atlanta music scene as it is widely known for today. They have won two Grammy Awards amongst eleven nominations and have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide and are among the most consistent urban producers in the last 18 years, earning a spot on Billboard's top ten list of producers almost every year since 1998.^[1]

Biography[link]

Growing up in Peoria, Illinois, Tim was raised on R&B through his father's band. His father was a multi instrumentalist so he quickly learned trumpet (his fathers main instrument), piano, guitar, drums and bass at the early age of 10. From elementary through college, Tim played the trumpet and piano in school band while learning how to read music. He was heavily influenced by pop radio as well. Bob's deep roots in the church as an organist and piano player since the early age of 9 and all through college brought a wealth of gospel music to the duo. They met through a mutual friend at the local mall right next to a music store. Tim recalls; We stepped in the music store and Bob started playing the piano, I was blown away with his skills to the point that I didn't even try and play, that's how awesome he was and I considered myself pretty good. Tim offered Bob to come by his basement studio where his mom bought enough equipment to record music. From there on, the duo exchanged chord progressions on keyboards and guitar. Bob explains; Tim had so many albums in his basement, every room was filled with em especially from artists I had never heard of. I had a gospel collection myself so we figured out a way to fuse the two together in a way no one was doing at the time, in one months time we came up with a hundred or so tracks. We were ready to take a plane anywhere to make it. Just after a year of meeting, the duo moved to New Orleans for a year then Chicago and Detroit where they found a small production company that had a studio. While working one day they met one of George Clinton's background singers Paul Hill. Impressed by they're musical skills he told them producer Dallas Austin would eventually start looking for producers because of the tragic death of partner Randy Ran. The trio worked on demos day and night until they felt the material recorded was ready to be heard and drove to Atlanta where they eventually met Dallas Austin.^[2].

D.A.R.P. Inc. and Other Label Ventures[link]

1993-1996[link]

They initially got their start at a famous recording studio in Detroit called Sound Suite, and from there moved to Atlanta, where they met super producer Dallas Austin. Blown away by their talent, Dallas quickly signed them to his company D.A.R.P. and stamped them as "Tim and Bob". Upon signing with Austin's publishing company the duo began working with artists TLC, 112 (whom they discovered) and Monica ( which they developed).^[3] While living in Detroit Tim & Bob met a host of talent and kept a tight friendship with two talented producer/artists in particular, Tony Rich and Mario Winans. Bob recalls; We would always hang out in each others studio everyday. We made a brotherly code that whoever made it big first, would pull everyone else in. We just happened to step out the camp first and everything flourished from there. The guys owned up to the promise. Soon after signing with Dallas they gave Rich a call and put him on speaker phone with Dallas and later that week Pebbles (L.A.Reid's then wife). Tim requested Tony to sing one of his songs and just like that Tony was on the next plane to Atlanta where he would eventually become a staff writer at La Face as well as an artist. He would go on to win a grammy in 1997 for "Best R&B Album" entitled "Words". Winans was to follow. In Atlanta for a gospel conference, Mario's career began with a phone call to the duo. Tim recalls; We were in a session and Mario called us and let us know he was in town. We stopped our session to pick him up and crashed Dallas session so he could meet and hear Mario's tracks. After three snippets of his joints Dallas told the duo to work with him on his overall sound and he would sign him to the D.A.R.P family. Winans drove back to Detroit and packed his truck up and drove back. We had a room for him in our then studio/house and he lived with us for a while until he scooped up a couple of projects that came thru D.A.R.P.. I remember letting him borrow my whole break beat collection, he would stay downstairs and work for days without rest until his drums were serious. Dallas and I were very impressed with how fast he picked up on R&B music because during that time he was producing gospel music, the genre didn't allow you to go too places musically back in the early to mid 90's that secular music could obviously but because of Mario and other trailblazers in gospel music, heavy beat driven tracks are excepted which allows us to come back to our roots when called upon. We're very proud of our boys accomplishments. While bringing in more talent to their camp from the midwest and discovering talent along the way, Tim & Bob continued to sharpen their signature sound and production style while developing a gifted and talented 12 year old Monica which during that time Austin was considering signing her to his Rowdy label. The duo stopped all projects they were scheduled to work on to concentrate on her debut. 15 demos later 5 of them got polished and eventually landed on Monica's first full length cd entitled Miss Thang. The Rowdy imprint's first project went on to become the most successful one selling 3 million copies. Later on that year the duo hooked up with good friend Darryl Simmons who discovered a young talented female group Destiny's Child. He informed the guys that he envisioned doing most of the ballads leaving them to handle the uptempos for the first project that was scheduled to come out on his production deal with Elektra records, but after recording 10 songs for the group, creative differences came between Simmons and Elektra and eventually left the group without a label home. A call to Randy Jackson, an up and coming a&r executive at Columbia records at the time, led to a showcase for the label. Impressed by they're performance and especially a then 13 year old lead singer Beyonce, Columbia records signed the group. Tim explains; During the process of recording with the girls, Beyonce's voice changed and Columbia was so eager to put the record out that out of the 10 songs we recorded we only had time to do her vocals over on one because our schedule was crazy at the time as well, we were bummed for a while because we worked very hard to help develop Beyonce into a studio rat, she would ask about every button on the mixing board at 13 years old, we knew she was gonna be a beast so we wanted more songs on the album, but we were blessed to have one that made it and she killed it. The self tiled album "Destinys Child would eventually go on to sell a million copies. Hard work initially helped the duo establish themselves in the music industry as "A" list super producers in just a short period. During this time the two would also garner two Grammy Awards, including one in 1995 for Best R&B Album for Boyz II Men's II and one in 1996 for Best R&B Album for TLC's Diamond certified CrazySexyCool. Tim & Bob would become part of history with producing and writing five songs on the Boyz II Men lp II which eventually became the biggest selling album in history by an R&B group and TLC's CrazySexyCool becoming the biggest selling album by a female R&B group as well. Upon winning consecutive Best R&B Album Grammy's, the duo would continue to produce, simultaneously working on soundtracks, including Def Jam's How to Be a Player, The Players Club, Poetic Justice, Wild Wild West, and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.^[3]

They were subsequently brought in by legendary producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to work on some of their projects. Since the early 90's, Tim & Bob has been dubbed the next Jam and Lewis and credits the legendary hitmakers for recognizing their potential and helping them define their production style,

1997-1999[link]

Upon becoming a household name in the music industry, the team knew it was time to move out on their own. Soon after departing Dallas Austin, they relocated to Los Angeles and signed a publishing deal and a label deal thru executive and famous guitarist Robbie Robertson with the now defunct DreamWorks Records, instantly scoring a #1 hit with Jon B. ("They Don't Know"), and a top 5 smash for Tamia ("So into You"). Tim & Bob were also very instrumental in getting the rock group Papa Roach signed to DreamWorks^[3] while inking a production deal with Capitol Records. The duo signed Athena Cage from the group Kut Klose and produced the entire lp, but because of a shake up of executives and change of direction at the label the project only produced a single for the movie "Save The Last Dance.

2000–2003[link]

Thong Song[link]

In 2000 Tim & Bob would produce the biggest song of the year as well as one of Def Jam's biggest songs in the history of the music label. Sisqó's worldwide #1 hit “Thong Song” off the LP entitled Unleash the Dragon has been a summer anthem ever since its release while pushing album sales to 5× Platinum. The song received a multitude of awards including Song Of The Year Hip Hop/Rhythmic at the 2000 Radio Music Awards. It would peak #1 on the New Zealand charts, #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, #1 Billboard on Rhythmic top 40 and Rhythmic top 40 Airplay and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. They would also produce the only #1 billlboard R&B single Case’s "Missing You", off the gold album Open Letter and Dave Hollister's "Take Care of Home".^[3]

2003 was a special year for the duo. While working with Ronald Isley and the Isley Brothers, Ron told the duo that he spoke with one of Earth, Wind And Fire front men Philip Bailey and was told to tell the guys they're big fans of their work and would love to work with them. Instantly Tim & Bob responded to the honor and grabbed a studio room right next to the Isley Brothers session and worked on both simultaneously. Subsequently the results were dubbing two Grammy nods for both, Best R&B Album Isley Brothers Body Kiss and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for the song Tim & Bob wrote and produced entitled "Hold Me" from the LP The Promise. It was Earth, Wind And Fire's first Grammy nomination in 10 years which made it that more special for the guys. Tim stated:

2004-Present[link]

Tim & Bob would strike again in early 2005 producing Bobby Valentino’s Asian R&B influenced, "Slow Down" (#1 for four consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) and "Tell Me" from Valentino’s Platinum certified debut album, Disturbing tha Peace Presents Bobby Valentino. In 2006, Tim & Bob signed a new publishing deal with Dimensional Music Publishing and began working on Bobby Valentino's second album Special Occasion, from which they produced six tracks.^[4] Their most recent projects include Jennifer Lopez’ Platinum certified album Rebirth ("Cherry Pie” and "I, Love"); Brian McKnight’s Ten ("Used to Be My Girl", "Unhappy Without You", "Again", "Can't Leave You Alone"); Donell Jones’ Journey of a Gemini ("I'm Gonna Be", "Feelin' You", "Can't Wait", "I'm Gonna Be"); Hilary Duff's Dignity ("I Wish"); Nas, Joe, Musiq Soulchild, Ron Isley, Brandy, Tyrese, Amerie, Mýa, Usher, LaToya, Slim of 112, Busta Rhymes, Jamie Foxx ("Life is Good");^[5] The Black Eyed Peas, Bobby Valentino's The Rebirth ("Make You the Only One," “3 Is the New 2,” “On The Edge,” “You're Not Alone,” “Give Me Your Heart,” and “Your Smile"); Day 26's Forever in a Day ("Think of Me" and "Reminds Me of You"); and their artists Mahagani and Chico.^[3] The duo is currently hard at work on Slim's (former 112 frontman) project slated for a 2010 summer release as well as working on a TV reality series called Producers Diary, which showcases a producer's life, starting with themselves for the first 13 episodes.^[1] In 2009. In 2011, Tim & Bob produced half of Bobby V's latest project "Fly On The Wall and reunited with Boyz II Men and produced four new tracks including reproducing "'Motown Philly on the new double cd entitled Twenty. On November 18th 2011, Tim and Bob received the "Key To The City" to their hometown Peoria IL. and had the day declared honorary "Tim and Bob Day".

Tim & Bob continue to produce hits for the music industry’s most accomplished artists. When asked why they think they have been so successful, Bob stated,

Producer's Diary[link]

Tim & Bob's Producer Diary is in production after a series of test runs in 2009. As stated the guys will be the talent for the first 13 episodes bringing everyone into their world showing the life experiences of in demand producers. The show will take the audience on a journey into the mind of creators of landscapes carved out for artist's to possibly have a career just with one hit record. Tim explains; "We're really excited about this opportunity to show what a producers job is while introducing our process of making records. Every producer has a different creative approach. When we came into the game it was so different, it was more musicianship, mid tempos and slow joints were more excepted and played on the radio. These days it's all about tempo which is not much music in a club song, so it's causing young aspiring producers to be just beat driven which for now seems cool but everything has it's cycle, it's gonna come back to real songwriting so with the show we're gonna show the old school approach to producing as well, Most new cats that come in the game are so confused about the definition of a producer because of what's on the radio today hopefully we can teach and inspire young producers how important it is to be well rounded as a producer/ writer, you can never gather enough information."

Lottery Ticket (film)[link]

In 2005 on the set of Bobby V's video "Slow Down", director Erik White and the duo became friends and even more so a creative force together instantly. White became a fan of the musical direction Tim and Bob had set for Bobby V's platinum debut so much that he directed the next single, titled "Tell Me", featuring Lil Wayne as well. While on location for the video in Miami, Erik informed them that his future move would be directing films and insisted that they give his movies musical life. They talked about forming a company to do everything in house. Five years later, White kept his word by giving the duo a shot at scoring his directing debut into the film world with the movie Lottery Ticket. Instantly Tim and Bob went to work on one scene at a time eventually impressing another key person and one of the producers of the film Matt Alverez. The continuous work led to the duo's first movie score credit. When asked the difference between producing an artist as opposed to doing film scoring Tim replied: "the difference is like night and day, when we're producing an artist we're always battling for the first single in a single driven industry while walking a fine line between being as creative as we can without sacrificing our awareness of radio friendly records. While scoring a film, the musician side of us can really come to the forefront because everything we've learned about music thru out the years can be showcased without any boundaries and it allows more space to experiment with sounds, crafting and molding musical images while capturing moments of different emotions by landscaping thru creativity, there's nothing like it if your musicality is itching for a scratch, nothing like it."

Discography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

American Music Awards[link]

The American Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created by Dick Clark in 1973.

Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards[link]

The Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Awards are sponsored by Billboard magazine and is held annually in December.

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards[link]

Broadcast Music Inc. Awards[link]

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is one of three United States performing rights organizations that holds a series of annual awards shows.

Dove Awards[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States.

Juno Awards[link]

The Juno Awards is a Canadian awards ceremony presented annually by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

MTV Video Music Awards[link]

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1984 by MTV.

Music Of Black Origin Awards[link]

The Music Of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell, are held annually in the UK to recognise artists of any race or nationality performing black music.

NAACP Image Awards[link]

The NAACP Image Awards is an award presented annually by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature.

Radio Music Awards[link]

The Radio Music Awards was an annual U.S. award show that honors the year's most successful songs on mainstream radio.

Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards[link]

The Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, first airing in 1995, celebrated top achievements by female performers.

Soul Train Music Awards[link]

The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication that honors the best in Black music and entertainment.

Equipment Used[link]

• NeKo LX (Gen3)^[3]

References[link]

External links[link]

Tim & Bob on Myspace

Tim & Bob on Twitter

(French) French group dedicated to Tim & Bob on SoulRnB.com

Tim and Bob Interview with sixshot.com

Bobby V
Wilson performing in Southeast Missouri State University during the Xi Gamma chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha's Miss Black and Gold Pageant, 2006.
Background information
Birth name	Bobby Wilson
Also known as	Bobby Valentino, Bobby V-Tino
Born	(1980-02-27) February 27, 1980 (age 32) Jackson, Mississippi, United States
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres	R&B
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, Piano
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Disturbing tha Peace / Def Jam (2004–2007) Blu Kolla Dreams / Capitol / EMI (2008–present)
Associated acts	Mista, DTP, Lil Wayne
Website	Official Website

Bobby Wilson (born on February 27, 1980), better known by his stage name Bobby V (previously known as Bobby Valentino), is an American recording artist (his nickname being "Valentino" because he was due to be born on Valentine's Day). He is now known as Bobby V due to a lawsuit involving an English singer, song writer and musician who has been recording and performing under the name Bobby Valentino for over 35 years.

Early life and career beginnings[link]

Bobby V was born Robert Wilson on February 27, 1980, in Jackson, Mississippi.^[1] He later moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he attended North Atlanta High School. Growing up V listened to Michael Jackson, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Marvin Gaye, Jodeci, and The Isley Brothers. Those were the artists that inspired him to become a R&B singer. He later returned to his old high school appearing on the debut episode of MTV's Once Upon A Prom, which aired on May 19, 2007. V entered the music scene in 1996 as a member of the R&B youth quartet Mista, at this time using his real name, Bobby Wilson.^[2][3] Under the production of Organized Noize (TLC’s "Waterfalls"), the group released their self-titled debut album, which produced the chart topping single, "Blackberry Molasses". Unfortunately, the album did not follow in the same success and despite a second album being produced by Tim & Bob, it was never released. Due to management issues the group split in 1997. Bobby later enrolled at Clark Atlanta University majoring in Mass Communications.While in school, Bobby V continued to record in his free time in hopes of one day returning to the stage.^[4] In the spring of 2002 he auditioned for season one of American Idol, but did not make the cut.^[5]

Armed with three albums of demos, he set out to pursue his music career dream. The demos reached Puff Daddy who then forwarded them onto Ludacris and Disturbing Tha Peace president Chaka Zulu, and "the rest is history" as Bobby says.^[6] Soon after being signed as the first R&B artist on Disturbing Tha Peace Records, Bobby was featured on the hit single "Pimpin' All Over the World", from Ludacris' multi-platinum selling album The Red Light District in 2004.^[4]

Career[link]

[edit] 2005–2007: Debut album and Special Occasion

Bobby V performing at a concert in 2007.

Bobby Valentino was released in the spring of 2005 through Island Def Jam and Ludacris's Disturbing tha Peace label and was certified gold by the RIAA selling over 708,000 copies in the United States.^[7] Primarily produced by the hitmakers Tim & Bob, His first single, "Slow Down", became a top 10 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 R&B single Billboard R&B Singles receiving a large amount of radio and TV airplay. Also in 2005, he joined Bow Wow, Omarion, Marques Houston, B5 and Pretty Ricky on the Scream Tour IV. After the success of "Slow Down", he released a second single, a remix of his song "Tell Me" featuring Lil Wayne produced by Tim & Bob as well. The album's third and final single, "My Angel", was released in the fall of 2005, however it gained little popularity.

Gearing up for the release of his 2007 sophomore effort Special Occasion, V released the album's first single titled "Turn the Page" with mixed reviews. His second single, "Anonymous" featuring Timbaland, was released on April 9, 2007. Overall, the album received positive reviews from critics and audiences.

[edit] 2008: New label and The Rebirth

In early 2008 V confirmed that he was no longer signed to either Def Jam or Disturbing The Peace during an interview with DJBooth.net. He stated:

Due to the poor album sales of the second album, Special Occasion's failing to reach gold or platinum sales, Bobby V was reportedly frustrated with the album's delays and less than expected sales, culminating in his decision to leave the labels.^[8] Although business ties have been severed, V maintains positive relationships with CEO Chaka Zulu, Ludacris and the Disturbing tha Peace/Def Jam staff.

In April 2008, Come with Me was released through digital outlets and featured the single "Another Life". In July 2008, three months after being dropped from Def Jam Recordings and leaving Disturbing tha Peace Records, V signed a new deal with EMI, which will house his imprint Blu Kolla Dreams.^[9] In regards to the new label his manager and co-CEO of Blu Kolla Dreams Courtney "Colt Luv" Stewart stated:

In addition, V announced the release of a new album titled The Rebirth. When asked about his powerful new album Bobby stated:

The Rebirth was released on February 10, 2009, under his new stage name "Bobby V". The album's first official single "Beep" featuring Yung Joc was released via iTunes on October 7, 2008. V's third studio album features production by Tim & Bob, Raphael Saadiq, LOS Da Maestro and Big Fruit.

[edit] 2011: Fly on the Wall

Bobby V released his fourth studio album Fly on the Wall on March 22, 2011. The first single was "Phone #", which features rapper Plies and was produced by Jazze Pha. In December 2010 Bobby V released his second single "Words" off of "Fly on the Wall". In February 2011, Bobby V released his third single "Rock Wit'cha" a remake from the Bobby Brown 1989 album Don't Be Cruel. "Grab Somebody'", which features rapper Twista will be his fourth single.

[edit] 2012: Dusk Till Dawn

In 2012, Bobby V appeared alongside rappers Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne on the song "Sex in the Lounge" from Minaj's sophomore album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.^[11] In May 2012 Bobby V released the first single from his upcoming album, Dusk Til Dawn, titled "Mirror", which features rapper Lil Wayne.

Discography[link]

• Bobby Valentino (2005)
• Special Occasion (2007)
• The Rebirth (2009)
• Fly on the Wall (2011)
• Dusk Till Dawn (2012)

Bobby V Mixtapes

• The Rebirth Mixtape (mixtape) (2009)
• 60 Minutes (mixtape) (2010)
• Vitamin V (mixtape) (2011)
• V Day (EP) (2012)

Awards and nominations[link]

• Urban Music Awards
  • 2009, Urban Music Award for Best Male Artist (Won)
  • 2009, Urban Music Award for Best R&B Act (Won)

• NAACP Image Awards
  • 2006, Outstanding New Artist (Nominated)

• Soul Train Awards
  • 2006, Best R&B/Soul Single, Male: "Slow Down" (Nominated)
  • 2006, Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist (Nominated)

• Vibe Awards
  • 2005, Reelest Video: "Pimpin' All Over The World"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Chico Benymon
Born	(1974-08-07) August 7, 1974 (age 37) Amityville, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Film, television actor, singer, musician, fashion designer

Chico Benymon, (born Theron Benymon on August 7, 1974) is an American actor, singer, musician, and fashion designer best known for his role as Andre "Spencer" Williams on the UPN comedy Half & Half.

Upcoming Projects[link]

Chico will be starring in five upcoming movie projects; Where is Love Waiting, Nite Tales: The Movie, Burning Sands, Cuttin' da Mustard, and Steppin': The Movie. He is currently filming the drama, Where is Love Waiting, and the horror flick Night Tales. The drama Burning Sands is in pre-production whereas the comedies Cuttin' da Mustard and Steppin: The Movie are currently in production.^[1] Benymon co-starred in the 2010 film Speed-Dating.

In the Men, Money,& Golddiggers play, Chico can be seen wearing his clothing line of t-shirts and hoodies "Tee EL Meeks", which according to his Myspace page is coming soon. He is also working on his debut album which features the single "Want It" featuring hip hop superstar Fabolous, and is currently featured on his myspace page. Chico also acted in the Life Is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story, where he played Fantasia's boyfriend.

Singles[link]

Want It

References[link]

1. ^ Chico Benymon at the Internet Movie Database

External links[link]

• Chico Benymon at AllRovi
• Chico Benymon on Myspace

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2009)

James Allen (born March 6, 1952) is a former American football player who was drafted in the 4th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1974 NFL Draft. A 1970 graduate of Los Angeles High School, Allen played college football at Pierce College and UCLA.^[1] Allen was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in their celebrated 1974 draft. He played for the Steelers for four seasons, where he was a member of their Super Bowls IX & X teams. He was traded to the Detroit Lions in 1978. His nickname during his playing career was "Spiderman." He was the lead singer on the Lions' 1980 recording of Another One Bites the Dust. Briefly homeless at one time, Allen currently lives in southern California.^[2]

References[link]

1. ^ "L.A. High Sports Success!". UCLA. http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Los_Angeles_HS/Sports/Sports_History.htm. Retrieved June 17, 2011. 
2. ^ John Bennett (2004). "Spiderman The Jimmy Allen Story" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. Professional Football Researchers Association. http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/26-05-1042.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 

This biographical article relating to an American football defensive back born in the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Brian McKnight
Background information
Born	(1969-06-05) June 5, 1969 (age 43)
Origin	Buffalo, New York, United States
Genres	R&B, soul, quiet storm
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, Producer
Instruments	Vocals, Piano, Keyboards, Guitar, Bass guitar, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trombone, Tuba, Percussion
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Mercury (1988–1997) Motown (1998–2005) Warner Bros. (2006–2008) E1 Music (2009-Present)
Website	bmcknight.com

Brian McKnight (born June 5, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays eight instruments including piano, guitar, bass guitar, percussion, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet.^[1]. McKnight is perhaps most recognized for his strong falsetto range, and is widely regarded as one of the strongest talents in the adult urban contemporary R&B genre, although his recent efforts have received mixed reviews.

McKnight's work has earned him 16 Grammy Awards nominations, but currently holds the record for having won none.

Biography[link]

1969-1986: Early life and career beginnings[link]

McKnight was born in Buffalo, New York. His musical career began in childhood when he became a member of his church choir and a band leader for his high school, Sweet Home High School.^[2].

1987-1997: Mercury Records[link]

In 1987, McKnight's older brother, Claude McKnight III, and his band, Take 6, signed a record deal with Warner Brothers. This encouraged McKnight to shop his own demo tapes and by the age of 19, he'd signed his first recording deal with Mercury Records subsidiary, Wing Records.^[2] In 1992, Brian McKnight was released, and his self-titled debut peaked at fifty-eight in the Billboard 200 chart, which primarily featured the ballad (and top twenty single) "One Last Cry". It was followed by two more albums for Mercury, 1995's I Remember You and 1997's Anytime. Anytime, McKnight's final album with Mercury, sold over two million copies and was nominated for a Grammy. The video for "Anytime", directed by Darren Grant, was nominated for Best Male Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.

In 1997, McKnight recorded "Remember the Magic" for Disney World's 25th anniversary.

1997-2003: Motown Records[link]

McKnight signed with Motown in 1998 and released the Christmas album Bethlehem. In 1999, McKnight released Back at One, his most successful album at date, which eventually went on to sell over 3 million copies.

2004-2012: Warner Brothers and Television/Radio Career[link]

In 2004, McKnight co-wrote with Australian Soul artist Guy Sebastian the song "Wait", off Sebastian's Beautiful Life album.

In October 2007, McKnight made his Broadway debut in the show Chicago.

From 2006 to 2010 he hosted a radio show, The Brian McKnight Morning Show with Pat Prescott on KTWV The Wave in Los Angeles, CA. The show was briefly simulcast on KHJZ-FM, Smooth Jazz 95.7 The Wave in Houston, TX from 6AM-9AM CST.

On January 26, 2009, McKnight hosted "The Brian McKnight Show" from 7PM-Midnight on 98.7 KISS FM in New York City.

In 2009, he appeared in the second season of Celebrity Apprentice.^[3] Each celebrity played to raise money for the charity of his or her choice; McKnight elected to play for Youthville USA.

From September 2009 to May 2010, McKnight hosted ^[4] The Brian McKnight Show, a late night talk show billed as a combination of talk and variety, aired in syndication. The show was cancelled on May 29, 2010 after one season.

On March 31, 2011 McKnight sang the National Anthem for MLB Opening Day in Cincinnati, Ohio with his sons Brian, Jr. and Niko. He had previously sung the National Anthem for the 1997 NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio, Game 6 of the 2002 World Series in Anaheim, California, near his Los Angeles home, and the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Detroit. McKnight has also made numerous other "National Anthem" appearances throughout his career.

On April 23, 2012 McKnight posted to youtube "If You're Ready To Learn", which has been characterized by Billboard as a "filthy jam." Billboard selected this lyric from the work to quote: "Let me show you how your p---y works/Since you didn't bring it to me first." ^[5] Other media outlets such as MTV and the Toronto Sun have also written about McKnight's recent, more adult-orientated efforts.^[6][7]

Artistry[link]

McKnight's vocal style draws from Stevie Wonder (particularly in his use of melisma), Michael Sembello, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and his own brother, Take 6 co-founder Claude V. McKnight. Soul singer James Ingram also strongly influenced McKnight. His music production sensibilities, including his penchant for piano based pop ballads, method of background vocal recording and melismatic voice inflections all draw from Ingram. McKnight also has the uncanny ability to mimic the timbre and style of other singers such as Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Prince.

Throughout his career, McKnight has collaborated with a variety of musicians including Mariah Carey, Sin Bandera, Mase, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Marcus Cole, Mary J. Blige, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, Vanessa Williams, Ivete Sangalo, Kirk Franklin, For Real, Canibus, Quincy Jones, Boyz II Men, Christina Aguilera, Regine Velasquez, Shoshana Bean, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, Rascal Flatts, Willie Nelson, Talib Kweli, MJG (of the Southern Rap duo Eightball & MJG), Josh Groban (on his 2007 #1 Christmas album Noel Schajris), and CeCe Peniston.

In 1992, he released his self-titled debut album, Brian McKnight, which peaked at fifty-eight in the Billboard 200 chart and features the Billboard Hot 100 top twenty hit single "One Last Cry".

McKnight's work has earned him 16 Grammy Awards nominations but holds the record for having won none.

Personal life[link]

McKnight is divorced and has three sons: Brian Jr., Niko and Clyde. McKnight currently lives in Los Angeles, California.^[8]

Religion[link]

Brian McKnight was previously a Seventh-day Adventist. He grew up attending Emmanuel Temple. He also attended Oakwood University, a Seventh-day Adventist university, in Huntsville, Alabama from 1987-1989. McKnight explains, concerning his musical beginnings in the church^{[citation needed]}:

"I'm the fifth generation of Seventh Day Adventists and the youngest of four brothers. When I was still very small, we formed a gospel quartet. Our models were the great gospel groups, the Swan Silvertones and Mighty Clouds of Joy. The McKnight brothers were serious singers. The reputation went out: these boys could shout. My big brothers—Claude (a part of the gospel group Take 6), Freddie and Michael—man, they were my heroes. Each was a leader in his own right. Outside church, they listened to jazz. Church music thrilled me, but jazz stimulated me."^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

Studio

• Brian McKnight (1992)
• I Remember You (1995)
• Anytime (1997)
• Bethlehem (1998)
• Back at One (1999)
• Superhero (2001)
• U Turn (2003)
• Gemini (2005)
• Ten (2006)
• Evolution of a Man (2009)
• Just Me (2011)

Compilation

• From There to Here: 1989-2002 (2002)
• Gold (2007)
• 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection – The Best of Brian McKnight (2007)
• Ultimate Collection (2009)
• Icon: Love Songs (2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

• American Music Awards

• • 1999, Favorite R&B/Soul Album: Anytime (Nominated)

2010

• BET Awards
  • 2007, BET J Cool Like Dat: (Nominated)

• Grammy Awards
  • 2005, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "What We Do Here" (Nominated)
  • 2004, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda" (Nominated)
  • 2003, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: "All the Way" w/ Kenny G (Nominated)
  • 2002, Outstanding Song Written for a Motion Picture of Television Series: "Win" from Men of Honor (Nominated)
  • 2002, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Still" (Nominated)
  • 2002, Best Pop Collaboration w/ Vocals: "My Kind of Girl" w/ Justin Timberlake (Nominated)
  • 2002, Best R&B Song: "Love of My Life" (Nominated)
  • 2002, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "Love of My Life" (Nominated)
  • 2001, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: "6, 8, 12" (Nominated)
  • 2001, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "Stay or Let It Go" (Nominated)
  • 2001, Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: "Coming Back Home" w/ Bebe Winans & Joe (singer) (Nominated)
  • 2000, Best R&B Album: Back at One (Nominated)
  • 2000, Best Short-Form Music Video: "Back at One" (Nominated)
  • 1999, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance: "The Only One For Me" (Nominated)
  • 1999, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Anytime" (Nominated)
  • 1994, Best Pop Collaboration w/ Vocals: "Love Is" w/ Vanessa L. Williams (Nominated)

McKnight holds a Grammy Awards record having received 16 nominations without a win.

• Image Awards
  • 2002, Outstanding Male Artist: Superhero (Nominated)
  • 2001, Outstanding Male Artist: "Stay or Let It Go" (Nominated)
  • 2000, Outstanding Male Artist: "Back at One" (Winner)

• MTV Video Music Awards
  • 2000, Best R&B Video: "Back at One" (Nominated)
  • 1998, Best R&B Video: "Anytime" (Nominated)

• Soul Train Awards
  • 2002, Best R&B/Soul Male Single: "Love of My Life" (Nominated)
  • 2000, Best R&B/Soul Single Male: "Back at One" (Nominated)
  • 2000, Best R&B/Soul Male Album: Back at One (Nominated)
  • 1999, Best R&B/Soul Male Album: "Anytime" (Winner)

References[link]

• Music.Yahoo.com

External links[link]

• Brian McKnight official website
• Brian McKnight entertainment website
• Brian McKnight's Biography from VH1
• Brian McKnight's Profile from VIBE
• Brian McKnight Fans Website
• Blogs.OrlandoSentinel.com
• Brian McKnight JUST ME 2011 World Tour