YouTube appearances (not album's songs)

2008-06-24T21:04:00.000+01:00

Brian McKnight sings Bill & Oates classic 'Sara smile'

Brian McKnight honours America by singing the national anthem 'Star Spangled Banner' in the 1997 NBA All-Star in Cleveland, OH. He is supported by Tampa's saxophonist David Sanborn.

Another awesome interpretation of the USA National Anthem by Brian. This time at the NASCAR Auto Club 500 at the California Speedway.

Sin Bandera & Brian McKnight 'La razón eres tú' at the Alma Awards.

ALBUMS - Superhero (2001)

2007-08-16T22:14:00.000+01:00

Click here to complete your collection.

ALBUMS - Back at one (1999)

2007-08-07T14:58:00.000+01:00

You must have this CD... click here to get it.

ALBUMS - Bethlehem (1998)

2007-08-07T14:55:00.000+01:00

Christmas album. Click here to download it.

ALBUMS - Anytime (1997)

2007-08-07T14:53:00.000+01:00

Anytime, 1997, one of the best albums in the history of RnB. Available to you by clicking here.

ALBUMS - I remember you (1995)

2007-08-05T17:32:00.001+01:00

Click here to download this album!

ALBUMS - Brian McKnight (1992)

2007-08-05T16:44:00.000+01:00

Click here to get Brian McKnight's debut album. Enjoy it!

Quite useful blog links... you must try these ones!

2007-08-05T15:40:00.000+01:00

R&B and hiphop music singles to download
http://rnb-music4yall.blogspot.com

Full albums available in
http://shaolin-soul.blogspot.com/

Mark them in your favourites!

BIOGRAPHY and DISCOGRAPHY

2007-07-29T18:52:00.000+01:00

From the stage of London's Jazz Café, Brian McKnight (Buffalo, NY 5th June 1969) gave all his best the 28th of November of 2004. It's been almost three years now but I can still feel the power of one of the best concerts I will ever be in. It was a cloudly night but a new sunshine came the day after for most of us who were there. Maybe was the magic which Brian spread in that small place or maybe the desire of the crowd of being involved in the show.

Perhaps for him was another show, with another people, in another city although was the first time Brian crossed the big ocean and performed in Europe. Probably was another day of work in his career which started in childhood as every singer who has born to be an artist.

Brian began singing as a member of the Protestant Seventh-day Adventist Church in Amherst, NY where his grandfather was the main director, and, as almost every teenager, formed a band in his high-school: Sweet Home HS in Amherst as well. They performed in many local venues helping Brian to grow as an artist while he was studying music and learning to play many instruments. Surely motivated with the success of his older brother Claude's band, Take 6, Brian decided to do what many artist dream to do: send his demo tapes to a lot of record labels and wait hooked on the phone.

The phone rang on 1991 when McKnight was 19 and Ed Eckstine was on the other side of the line. Days after, he singed his first official contract with Mercury Records. Men at work since then. The first single in his new music life was 'The way that love goes', featured in his debut album, which was at Billboard top R&B singles list for ninteen weeks even reaching number 11. This success would have been considered as a well known saying 'every dog has its day', because McKnight was not so lucky in following releases, including 'Love is' a duet with New Yorker acclaimed artist Vanessa Williams.

After doing a couple of collaborations with other artist like Safire or Vanesa Williams herself and mainly singing background voices, finally, in 1992, Mercury Record bets for him bringing out his self named debut album Brian McKnight, a thirteen tracks LP where it is pretty easy to appreciate how Brian is still influenced by his gospel past and his religious convictions. That's why is entirely dedicated to the memory of his grandparents as we can read in the book featured in this CD. He also wrote down a few words which can not be go by without stopping: "... these songs were written, co-written, produced and co-produced by a young man who grew up in the 70's an 80's. The music in this album represents those influences of my life and times."

Brian McKnight is also an outstanding member of the music outlook in the 90's not only for his voice and songs but for being producer, arranger and song-writer as well. A talented musician. This multitude of tasks he is able to do within the music world, keep him busy during the next years after bringing his debut album out. Actually, he featured in Boyz II Men 1993 Christmas Album, or in several tracks from other artist LPs like George Benson, Ill Al Skratch, For Real, Quincy Jones or the fully awarded Black Men United.

By the age of 24, he published his second album I remember you where his style starts to stregthen. A pure R&B album where McKnight shows his skills as a song-writer with well cared romantics lyrics and a mellow and strong voice. Tracks like 'On the down low', 'Up around my way' or 'Marilie' must be within our top Brian's songs.

1996 was a full work year for him as a producer. He gave his talent in four of the ten tracks from Take 6 album 'Brothers' and collaborated with Babyface in the production of AZ Yet debut LP writting the hit 'Through my heart (the arrow)'.

His third CD turned up on September 1997. Anytime maintained the lane which McKnight was running in ('Anytime' track is a R&B classic) but added touches of Bad Boy Records hip hop with productions of Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs and featurings by Mase ('You should be mine') and NBA Lakers' player Kobe Bryant ('Hold me') and useful helps by other artists like Mary J. Blige and Trackmasterz. Definitely, this album represents a cut in his career as here we can check a mix between the old classic Brian's style and the fresher air directly from hip hop beats. This LP, for most of the musical critics his best one, entitled him to earn the 1999 Soultrain Award as the best R&B/Soul male album and was the peak one of 1997 into R&B and Hip Hop albums for Billboard.

Once signed a new discographic deal with Motown Records and after doing a couple appearances and productions in previous years Christmas albums/songs, he decides to sell a new album called Bethlehem in 1998 where classic Christmas songs like 'Silent night' or 'Hail Mary' coexist with contemporany themes like 'Christmas time is here' and 'Have yourself a merry little Christmas' and includes featurings by Boyz II Men, Tim Miner or a few members of his familie like Claude and Julie McKnight.

In these years, plenty of help was given by Buffalo's artist: duets with Mariah Carey in hers astonishing album One's ('Whenever you call') and with Chico DeBarge in 'When can I see you again', performing in Quincy Jones, Trevor Nelson and Rick Lee albums and arranging and programming in Take 6 'Greatest hits'.

This year ended with Back at one, a new demonstration of what McKnight is capable of. Track to mention are 'Stay or let it go', the amazing 'Back at one' (including the hidden Spanish track version), the all-star ballad '6, 8, 12' and the rhythm that he impregnates us with 'Can you read my mind?'. This LP was number two at Billboard top R&B album from this year and was the base which allows him to win the 2000 Image Award for best male artist.

Won also the 2001 American Music Award for favourite R&B male singer, collaborated in Men of honor original soundtrack ('Win') and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps OST ('Thinking 'bout me') and produced in Alicia Keys' debut LP 'Songs in A minor' and in N'Sync 'Celebrity' before releasing his new album Superhero where we could enjoy listening to Brian McKnight new songs again. Always faithful to his personal style with the romantic and mid-tempo R&B but, as we were used to, with a few presents and gifts. This time we could check it by listening to titled track 'Superhero' where he introduced electronic guitar or with a new hip hop appareance in last track 'Grooving tonight' featuring rapper Nate Dogg. Justin Timberlake from N'Sync also appears in 'My kind of girl' but McKnight does his best in everlasting feeling 'Still', 'Get over you', 'Biggest part of me' or 'Love of my life' a track where Brian reaches an E5 which, vocally talking, is an amazing range of voice beyond the ability of most tenors.

Motown Records made cash with his greatest hits From there to here: 1989 - 2002 while McKnight was setting every detail up for the take off of his 2003 LP U turn. His sixth studio album is a demonstration of the musical ability of McKnigth as he sings, plays bass, piano, guitar, and keyboard, produces, arranges, etc. The title does not have to lead us to a misunderstanding as there is not any turn in his style which continues to be immovable but unique. As in previous jobs, he inserts a few of hip hop style (opening song 'All night long' featuring Nelly) but he is still faithful to classic McKnight tracks like 'Shoulda, woulda, coulda', 'For the rest of my life' or 'Someday, someway, somehow'.

Last Motown album was Gemini released on March 2005 and he made an effort to give his former record label a deserved farewell. Hip hop is again present in tracks like 'Whatcha gonna do' where Akon, Skip and Juvenile help Brian and 'She' where Talib Kweli contributes throwing darts of his style directly to the goal. But jazz track 'Your song' and succesfully singles 'What we do here', 'Everytime you go away' or 'Everything I do' mark the limit clear as crystal.

After definetely leaving Motown, he helped latin group Sin Bandera writing the bilingual song 'La razón eres tú (Look what you made me do)', added the track 'Find myself in you' into Madea's Family Reunion OST (edited by Motown) and produced in Lemar's debut album right after being part of reality show Fame Academy.

The Warner Bros Records debut album is called Ten. In his last album Brian has been willing to receive help from Tim&Bob producers who worked in the past with BoyzIIMen, Donnell Jones, Sisqó or recently Bobby Valentino. Their influence can be listen to in tracks like single 'Used to be my girl' and 'Unhappy without you' although maybe the pearls Brian has collected for us are 'Shoulda been loving you' a Marvin Gaye tribute (one more) and 'Can't leave you alone'.

Last thing we know about Brian McKnight has been the releasing past January 2007 from Hip-O Records of Gold, a 2 CDs greatest hits.

Brian McKnight's world