This award-winning sextet broke new ground in a cappella in the '80s, paving the way for the popular revival of R&B vocal groups. Their jazz harmonies, original songs and vocal pyrotechnics represent some of the best a cappella ever recorded. ‘A gospel, R&B and jazz inspired statement of faith in the power of God’ is how TAKE 6 describes their music.

TAKE 6 is the most awarded a cappella group in history, with ten Grammy’s, ten Dove Awards (Gospel Music Awards), Best Jazz Vocal Group honors for seven consecutive years in Downbeat’s prestigious Reader’s and Critic’s Poll, a Soul Train Music Award, BRE (Black Radio Exclusive) Vocal Group of the Year, and two NAACP Image Award nominations, amid countless other musical and humanitarian citations. Showing the global appeal of this phenomenal group, they celebrated their 25th Anniversary with a World Tour including stronghold favorite markets  Asia, South America, eastern and western Europe and the United States, TAKE 6 opened up new markets, including their debut tours of Australia and Canada, to rave reviews and overwhelming audience reception.  From New York’s famed Blue Note to the Montreux Jazz Festival, from PBS to ABC-TV specials, their 25th Anniversary year has been a smashing success.They remain the quintessential and pre-eminent a capella group in the world, working harder than ever, and loving every minute of it.

TAKE 6 knows no musical bounds. Heralded by Quincy Jones as the “baddest vocal cats on the planet!’, TAKE 6 (Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley), is the quintessential a cappella group and the model for vocal genius. They have redefined the standards for vocal music. The sextet has recorded and/or performed with an impressive array of talent, past and present, including Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Al Jarreau, Don Henley, James Taylor, k.d. lang, Patti Austin, Randy Travis, Queen Latifah, Sheryl Crow, Branford Marsalis and BeBe & CeCe Winans. They've performed on film soundtracks including Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing, John Singleton's Boyz In The Hood, Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy, David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, and the theme song to the TV series Martin.

TAKE 6 captivates the audience wherever they perform. At Walmart's 50th Anniversary celebration,, alongside Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, Justin Timberlake, their rendition of the Louis Armstrong hit, What a Wonderful World was received uproariously and when they closed the show with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the crowd went wild during a standing ovation.  Two weeks later, at the behest of legendary producer Phil Ramone, TAKE 6 thrilled at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards performing with, and honoring, legendary singer-songwriter Ben E. King on his classic "Stand by Me."  Joining such luminaries on stage as Stevie Nicks, Ne-Yo, and more, TAKE 6 once again brought the house down with their tribute to folk icon Woody Guthrie with This Land Is Your Land. More recently, they were honored to be invited to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this civil rights icon’s assassination at the Medgar Evers Memorial.

2014 has begun with a nomination to the Gospel Hall of Fame and in September they will receive the Heroes and Legends (HAL) Award for their exceptional career. They were hand-selected to perform in Las Vegas and Atlanta for the JAZZ ROOTS Tribute to Ray Charles.  In addition, 2014 marks the inaugural “TAKE 6 A Cappella Competition” at the University of Florida Performing Arts in Gainesville, FL.

TAKE 6 has come a long way from their days at Huntsville, Alabama’s Oakwood College where Claude McKnight formed the group as The Gentleman’s Estate Quartet in 1980.  When tenor Mark Kibble heard the group rehearsing in the dorm bathroom, he joined in the harmonies and performed on stage with them that night.  When they signed to Reprise Records/Warner Bros. in 1987, they found that there was another group with the same name as the second incarnation of the group, Alliance, so they became TAKE 6.  Says McKnight: “TAKE 6 was all about a democratic process of throwing a couple of hundred names at each other and TAKE 6 was the one that got the most yay votes. It pretty much was a play on the Take 5 jazz standard and the fact that there are six of us in the group.”  

Their self-titled debut CD won over jazz and pop critics, scored two 1988 Grammy Awards, landed in the Top Ten Billboard Contemporary Jazz and Contemporary Christian Charts --- and 25 years later they are in even greater demand. They earned performances on Saturday Night Live, the Oscars, the Grammys, and have had the honor of performing for four sitting U.S. Presidents, and at the Democratic National Convention.

What makes the music and the group remain successful for this long?  The answers are direct and simple: faith, friendship, respect, and love of music.  From their exceptional live performances to their recordings, these qualities remain at the heart of the TAKE 6 phenomenon.

One, their fifteenth album, is TAKE 6’s most recent recording. It is the group’s return to their spiritual heritage.  They look forward to recording their new project, a duets album with stellar partners already on board.

 

TAKE 6 - AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

GRAMMY AWARDS

2002      Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group: Love’s In Need of Love Today

1997      Best Contemporary Soul Gospel 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 the Band

1991      Best Jazz Vocal: He Is Christmas

1990      Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album: So Much 2 Say

1989      Best Gospel Performance By A Duo or Group: The Savior Is Waiting

1988      Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group: Spread Love

1988      Best Soul Gospel Performance By A Duo or Group: Take 6

 

DISCOGRAPHY

ALBUMS

2016      Believe

2012      One                                                                      N/A

2010      The Most Wonderful Time of the Year  #9 Jazz Albums

                                                                                              # 23 Top Holiday Albums

2008      The Standard                                                   #6 Jazz Albums

2006      Feels Good                                                       #10 Top Gospel Albums

2002      Beautiful World                                                              #14 Top Gospel Albums

2000      Tonight: Live                                                     N/A

1999      The Greatest Hits                                           #22 Top Gospel Albums

1999      We Wish You a Merry Christmas              #29 Top Christian

1998      So Cool                                                               #8 Top Gospel Albums

1996      Brothers                                                             #71 R&B Albums

1995      Best of Take 6                                                  N/A

1994      Join the Band                                                   #17 Top Gospel Albums

                                                                                              #17 R&B Albums

1991      He Is Christmas                                                               #84 R&B Albums

1990      So Much 2 Say                                                 #2 Jazz Albums

                                                                                              #8 Top Gospel Albums

1988      Take 6                                                                 #8 Top Contemporary Jazz Albums

 

RADIO SINGLES

 

1997      You Don’t Have To Be Afraid                     #13 Bubbling Under R&B Singles

1996      Moody’s Mood For Love                             #71 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay

1995      You Can Never Ask Too Much                   #3 Bubbling Under R&B Singles

1995      All I Need Is A Chance                                  #89 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay

1994      Biggest Part Of Me                                        #38 Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Airplay

1990    I L-O-V-E  U                                      #19 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

 

WHAT CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT TAKE 6

 

"… Take 6 stays faithful to its creamy vocal blends and gleaming gospel harmonies….That’s good news and glad tidings for fans of this gold-standard a cappella group, which has always sounded best without outside gimmicks.” The New York Times

“Whether it’s pizzazz or peace, the sextet is a cappella glory.” People

“The impeccable vocal harmony of Take 6 is a magic fairy dust that renews every song it touches.” Keyboard

“It’s hard to believe that the a capella group Take 6 has been making music for 25 years and is still going strong. Founded in the 1980s by classmates from Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, Take 6 has made an indelible mark in music. Performing in several genres including gospel, jazz, rhythm & blues and doo-wop, it appears there is no style Take 6 can’t handle, including the holiday music featured in their latest project…audiences of all ages will enjoy this heartwarming collection of Christmas favorites. I can already smell the chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” Black Grooves

“Here’s a new a cappella take on Christmas from our favorite 10-time Grammy Award-winning, six-guy choir. Check out their doo-wop bebop rendition of ‘The Sugar Plum Dance.’” Ebony

“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is one of the most lovely collections of seasonal jazz music to come along down the pike in several whiles! It is a remarkable journey with the jazz group Take 6. They are in top form with this collection and it is one that will be played longer than the holiday season! It is, simply put, a memorable music journey!..Those who enjoy the jazz music of Take 6 will find this CD a must have for their listening pleasure and a place on the CD shelve! There is a lot of heart and soul that went into this collection, and the listener will feel every sweet, jazz-tinged note of it! Great holiday CD! Get a copy when you can!” JazzReview

“Tis the season to hear an outstanding version of the Xmas classics by music’s undisputed top vocal entourage, Take 6…The vocal arrangements (as well as the delivery) are as always outstanding, and their inherent sense of unique harmonic complexity carefully added to these classics will absolutely put this CD beyond the stereotypical ‘Xmas music in the background vibe’ for the listener.” Bass Musician Magazine

 “Take 6, one of the most competent and most recognizable groups to ever successfully compete with any instrument we could possibly associate with the contemporary jazz genre, adds this sparkling touch to the season and gives us reason to close our eyes for a gleeful moment and realize that there is much for which to be joyful.” Smooth Jazz Ride

 

 “If there is anybody who could jump start the holiday season with high class, Take 6 would win hands down…Now on their third holiday offering, Take 6 presents pure a cappella (with one exception) and Christmas standards of all shapes with The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. And truthfully, there are no clinkers here because of their intuitive arrangements (mostly from Mark Kibble).” TheUrbanMusicScene