| Take 6 | |
|---|---|
Take 6 performs for U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush during a Black Music Month celebration in the East Room of the White House on June 30, 2001. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Huntsville, Alabama, United States |
| Genres | Gospel, urban gospel, jazz, smooth jazz, R&B, pop |
| Instruments | voice |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | Warner Brothers, Take 6 Records, Heads Up International |
| Website | www.take6.com |
| Members | |
| Alvin Chea Khristian Dentley Joey Kibble Mark Kibble Claude V. McKnight III David Thomas |
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| Past members | |
| Cedric Dent Mervyn Warren |
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Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel music sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama.[1] The group sings in a contemporary style, integrating R&B and jazz influences into their devotional songs and has 10 Grammy wins, 10 Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two NAACP Image Award nominations. They won Grammy Awards in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1997, and 2002, and have collaborated with other artists such as Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Don Henley, Ray Charles, Queen Latifah, Joe Sample, Quincy Jones, Marcus Miller, Brian McKnight, Gordon Goodwin, k.d. lang, Luis Miguel, Ben Tankard and CeCe Winans.
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In 1980, Claude McKnight (older brother of R&B musician Brian McKnight) formed an a cappella quartet, The Gentlemen's Estates Quartet, at Oakwood College (now Oakwood University), a Seventh-day Adventist university in Huntsville, Alabama, where he was a freshman. He auditioned fellow students for the hobby group. The Gentlemen were rehearsing in a campus bathroom (later said to be in Moran Hall), getting ready for a performance, when Mark Kibble heard them singing. He joined the harmonizing, adding a fifth part, and ended up singing with them onstage that very night.[2] Mark later invited Mervyn Warren to join the group. The group performed under the moniker Alliance.
The group performed in local churches and on campus over the next years, with members changing due to college's inevitable comings and goings. In 1985, the lower half of the group (bass, baritone, and second tenor) left upon graduating. At that time, Alvin Chea, Cedric Dent, and David Thomas joined.
The group was signed to Warner Brothers in 1987, and quickly changed its name to Take 6 after a name search revealed Alliance was in use. Their eponymous debut album, released in 1988, won them two Grammy Awards and resulted in top ten appearances on both the Billboard Contemporary Jazz and Contemporary Christian Charts. Take 6's swinging, harmony-rich gospel sound attracted a flurry of attention; the group went on to record or appear with a number of luminaries, including Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, and Stevie Wonder, to name a few. They recorded for the soundtracks of Dick Tracy, Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, Boyz n the Hood, and the theme song to the TV series Martin. They earned performances on Saturday Night Live, the Oscars, and the Grammys, and have had the honor of performing for four U.S sitting Presidents, including the Democratic National Convention.
In 1991, after the release of their second album, So Much 2 Say, Mervyn Warren left the group to pursue a career as a producer. Joey Kibble, Mark's younger brother, was invited to round out the vocal lineup. The group added instrumentation to their purely a cappella sound beginning with the record, He Is Christmas. Join The Band and Brothers continued their Grammy streak. Take 6's 1998 release, So Cool, brought the group back to its a cappella origins.
In 2006 the group launched Take 6 Records; Feels Good the first album on their new label, was released the same year.
In 2007, they recorded a duet with Eros Ramazzotti in his cd E² ("Eros al quadrato") singing backing vocals to the song Un attimo di pace.
In 2008, Take 6 released The Standard, which was a first time voyage for the group into a more traditional Jazz repertoire. The Standard, a critically hailed success, garnered three more Grammy nominations providing them the distinct honor of being the most Grammy nominated vocal group in history.
The group's home-base is Nashville, Tennessee, with two members residing in Los Angeles.[3] All original members grew up Seventh-day Adventist.[1]
| Year | Album | US | US R&B |
US Gospel |
US Jazz |
Label | Certification(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Take 6 | 71 | 41 | 3 | 8 | Warner Brothers |
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| 1990 | So Much 2 Say | 72 | 22 | 8 | 2 | - | |
| 1991 | He Is Christmas | 100 | 84 | - | - | - | |
| 1994 | Join the Band | 86 | 17 | 17 | - |
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| 1995 | Best of Take 6 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1996 | Brothers | - | 71 | - | - | - | |
| 1998 | So Cool | - | 92 | 8 | - | - | |
| 1999 | Greatest Hits | - | - | 22 | - | - | |
| We Wish You a Merry Christmas | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2000 | Tonight: Live | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Best of Take 6 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2002 | Beautiful World | - | - | 14 | - | - | |
| 2006 | Feels Good | - | - | 10 | - | Take 6 Records | - |
| 2008 | The Standard | - | - | 6 | 4 | Heads Up International | - |
| 2010 | The Most Wonderful Time of the Year | - | 70 | - | 40 | - | |
| *A dash ("-") denotes that a release did not chart. | |||||||
| Release date | DVD Title | Label | RIAA certification | Cover Art |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spread Love | ||||
| U Turn |
| Year | Award-giving body | Award Category | Song /Album Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Grammy Awards | Best Soul Gospel Performance - Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus | Take 6 |
| 1988 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Album | Take 6 |
| 1988 | Grammy Awards | Best Jazz Vocal Performance - Duo or Group | Spread Love |
| 1988 | Dove Awards | Group of the Year | |
| 1988 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Song | If We Ever |
| 1988 | Dove Awards | New Artist of the Year | |
| 1989 | Grammy Awards | Best Gospel Performance - Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus | The Savior Is Waiting |
| 1990 | Grammy Awards | Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album | So Much 2 Say |
| 1990 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Song | I L-O-V-E You |
| 1990 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Album | So Much 2 Say |
| 1991 | Grammy Awards | Best Jazz Vocal Performance | He Is Christmas |
| 1991 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Album | He Is Christmas |
| 1992 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Album | Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration (with Mervyn Warren, George Duke, David Pack, Patti Austin, , Gary Hines, Robert Sadin, Richard Smallwood, The Yellowjackets, and Fred Hammond) |
| 1994 | Grammy Awards | Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album | Join the Band |
| 1994 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Album | Join the Band |
| 1996 | Dove Awards | Special Event Album | Tribute: The Songs of Andrae Crouch (with CeCe Winans, Michael W. Smith, Twila Paris, Bryan Duncan, Wayne Watson, The Winans, Clay Crosse, The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, First Call, Andrae Crouch and the All-Star Choir) |
| 1997 | Grammy Awards | Contemporary Soul Gospel Album | Brothers |
| 2002 | Grammy Awards | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Love's In Need of Love Today (with Stevie Wonder) |
| Year | Award-giving body | Award Category | Song /Album Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Grammy Awards | Best Soul Gospel Performance - Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus" (Winner) | Take 6 |
| 1988 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Album (Winner) | Take 6 |
| 1988 | Grammy Awards | New Artist | Take 6 |
| 1988 | Grammy Awards | Best Jazz Vocal Performance - Duo or Group (Winner) | Spread Love |
| 1988 | Dove Awards | Group of the Year (Winner) | |
| 1988 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Song (Winner) | If We Ever |
| 1988 | Dove Awards | New Artist of the Year (Winner) | |
| 1989 | Grammy Awards | Best Jazz Vocal Performance - Duo or Group | Like the Whole World's Watching |
| 1989 | Grammy Awards | Best Gospel Performance - Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus (Winner) | The Savior Is Waiting |
| 1990 | Grammy Awards | Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album (Winner) | So Much 2 Say |
| 1990 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Song (Winner) | I L-O-V-E You |
| 1990 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Album (Winner) | So Much 2 Say |
| 1991 | Grammy Awards | Best Jazz Vocal Performance (Winner) | He Is Christmas |
| 1991 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Album (Winner) | He Is Christmas |
| 1992 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Album (Winner) | Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration (with Mervyn Warren, George Duke, David Pack, Patti Austin, , Gary Hines, Robert Sadin, Richard Smallwood, The Yellowjackets, and Fred Hammond) |
| 1992 | Grammy Awards | Best Jazz Vocal Performance | I'm Always Chasing Rainbows |
| 1994 | Grammy Awards | Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Duo or Group | Biggest Part of Me |
| 1994 | Grammy Awards | Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album (Winner) | Join the Band |
| 1994 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Album (Winner) | Join the Band |
| 1995 | Grammy Awards | Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Duo or Group | All I Need (Is a Chance) |
| 1996 | Dove Awards | Special Event Album (Winner) | Tribute: The Songs of Andrae Crouch (with CeCe Winans, Michael W. Smith, Twila Paris, Bryan Duncan, Wayne Watson, The Winans, Clay Crosse, The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, First Call, Andrae Crouch and the All-Star Choir) |
| 1996 | Grammy Awards | Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) | When You Wish Upon a Star (various artists) |
| 1996 | Grammy Awards | Pop Vocal Group | When You Wish upon a Star |
| 1996 | Grammy Awards | Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) | When You Wish Upon a Star (various artists) |
| 1997 | Grammy Awards | R&B Group Vocalist | You Don't Have to Be Afraid |
| 1997 | Grammy Awards | Contemporary Soul Gospel Album (Winner) | Brothers |
| 1999 | Grammy Awards | Contemporary Soul Gospel Album | So Cool |
| 2002 | Dove Awards | Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year | Beautiful World |
| 2003 | Grammy Awards | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (Winner) | Love's In Need of Love Today (with Stevie Wonder) |
| 2003 | Grammy Awards | Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) | Comes Love (with Gordon Goodwin, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, and Brian McKnight) |
| 2004 | Grammy Awards | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals | Moon River (with Stevie Wonder) |
| 2007 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Jazz Artist | |
| 2009 | Grammy Awards | Best Gospel Performance | Shall We Gather At The River |
| 2009 | Grammy Awards | Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) | Grace |
| 2009 | Grammy Awards | Best Jazz Instrumental Solo | Seven Steps To Heaven |
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