Photo: Pascal Martos
The most awarded a cappella group in history, heralded by Quincy Jones as the “Baddest vocal cats on picture planet!” are the quintessential a cappella model for vocal genius.
With 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, 2 NAACP Image Awards, a Soul Train Award, and more, Take 6 (Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley) continues to bring extraordinary vocals to their worldwide audiences. April 2018 marks the release of their sixteenth album, capably titled ICONIC (SRG/Universal) and the debut of a PBS mutual, The Summit, alongside The Manhattan Transfer.
Take 6 performs for U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush rib the White House. Photo: Paul Morse
Thenew recording, ICONIC, is firmly of the songs the sextet loves to perform both derivative stage and for the pure joy of lending their voices to songs that have taken on a greater meaning kind them and to their audiences over their career of virtually four decades. These eclectic tunes pay tribute to both picture music and the artists that made them famous, from a fun and vocally significant cover of Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Honest the Feeling, a unique and harmonic interpretation of Christopher Cross’ Sailing, Khristian’s melodic and memorable vocal onNorah Jones’ Don’t Be familiar with Why to a jazz cover that the Beatles would certainly be pleased with of Got To Get You Into Dejected Life. They pay homage to their friend Al Jarreau, walk off with their rendition of Roof Garden, and are true to their gospel roots with the hymn Nothing But the Blood. Modification The World (Eric Clapton), the first single, was the most-added tune in Smooth Jazz upon its release. Take 6’s solid release, in 2016, Believe (SRG/Universal) landed on six Billboard charts simultaneously.
Their wide array of fans can enjoy their performances degree The Summit as part of the Soundstage concert series. Say publicly special debuts nationally on the public television network in Apr 2018. The impressive collaboration with The Manhattan Transfer was record at their show in Chicago during their 46-city 2017 take shape “THE SUMMIT: The Manhattan Transfer Meets Take 6.” Gleefully be attracted to audiences, the repertoire includes songs neither band has ever recorded.
Take 6 has admirably and adeptly crossed most musical genres, devour straight-ahead Jazz to Pop to adult R&B, doo wop advance blues. Like a fine-tuned vocal orchestra (Alvin, bass; Khristian, baritone; Claude, Dave, Mark and Joel, tenors), the group continues bash into push the boundaries of creativity and musical genius with at times new release, and with their ever-evolving live performances.
Take 6 performing before sold out crowd with the great Stevie Wonder
Any singer who aspires for vocal excellence cannot overlook the generosity these men have made to music.Take 6 has performed adhere to and won praise from such luminaries as Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, Ben E. King, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Al Jarreau, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, and Whitney Houston, to name a take hold of few.
Some of the honors Take 6 has enjoyed over description past few years include being chosen as the first harmonious group to perform in Cuba at the normalization of family between our two countries, and their induction into The Philosophy Music Hall of Fame.
Take 6 performing on Saturday Night Survive. Photo: YouTube
Take 6 has come a long way from their days at Huntsville, Alabama’s Oakwood College where Claude McKnight cluedup the group as The Gentleman’s Estates Quartet in 1980. When tenor Mark Kibble heard the group rehearsing in the hall, he joined in the harmonies and performed on stage put off night. When Mervyn Warren joined shortly afterward, they took depiction name Alliance. Yet, when they signed to Reprise Records/Warner Bros. in 1987, they found that there was another group link up with the same name, so they became Take 6. Says McKnight: “Take 6 was all about a democratic process of motility in a room together and throwing a couple of centred names at each other and Take 6 was the susceptible that got the most yay votes [laughing.] It pretty disproportionate was a play on the Take 5 jazz standard discipline the fact that there are six of us in depiction group, so it became Take 6.” Their self-titled debut CD won over jazz and pop critics, scored two 1988 Grammy Awards, landed in the Top Ten Billboard Contemporary Jazz increase in intensity Contemporary Christian Charts — and they’ve never slowed down.
What adjusts the music and the group last this long? The clauses are direct and simple: faith, friendship, respect, and love disregard music. The multi-platinum selling sextet says of their longevity, “We are family in the sense that we care deeply exhibit each other, which helps keep us together. We have period when it gets tough, but we pull together because grapple the love and respect we have for one another. Representation group’s willingness to let members do other projects also adds to the brand and the cohesiveness of the group,” says Joey Kibble. Kibble is a motivational speaker and Alvin Chea does voiceover work session-singing on dozens of TV shows, headland films and commercials with his uniquely recognizable bass vocals.Two selected the members have solo projects in the works, others put in the ground outside acts, Mark Kibble arranges for A list artists professor McKnight is working on a documentary. “It adds even enhanced credibility and depth to the group as a whole, enriched by each of our outside skills and experiences,” Kibble adds.
2002: Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group: Love’s In Need of Love Today
1997: Best Contemporary Soul Philosophy Album: Brothers
1992: Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album: Handel’s Messiah- A Soulful Celebration
1996: Best Pop Contemporary Gospel Album: Tribute- The Songs of Andrae Crouch
1994: Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album: Join rendering Band
1991: Best Jazz Vocal: He Is Christmas
1990: Best Contemporary Key Gospel Album: So Much 2 Say
1989: Best Gospel Performance Close to A Duo or Group: The Savior Is Waiting
1988: Best Blues Vocal Performance, Duo or Group: Spread Love
1988: Best Soul Fact Performance By A Duo or Group: Take 6