Take 6

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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. The group sings contemporary R&B style, integrating jazz influences with spiritual or inspirational lyrics. They have ten Grammy wins (in several categories in 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1997, and 2002), as well as ten Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two NAACP Image Award nominations. They have collaborated with other artists such as Ray Charles, Nnenna Freelon, Gordon Goodwin, Don Henley, Whitney Houston, Al Jarreau, Quincy Jones, k.d. lang, Queen Latifah, Brian McKnight, Luis Miguel, Marcus Miller, Joe Sample, Ben Tankard, CeCe Winans, The Manhattan Transfer, and Stevie Wonder.
==Group biography==
===Oakwood College years===
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. 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.
===Music career===
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. Their swinging, harmony-rich sound attracted much 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.
The group regularly featured on the 1990 Victor Lewis-Smith show on the BBC's Radio 1.
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.Take 6 on Myspace All original members grew up Seventh-day Adventist.
In 2016, Take 6 released Believe with record label, Sono Recording Group. The album, produced by Claude Villani and Ross Vannelli, charted in six categories on Billboard within its first two weeks of being released. 
== Members ==
* Claude V. McKnight III - first tenor (1980–present)
* Mark Kibble - first tenor (1980–present)
* David Thomas - second tenor (1985–present)
* Alvin Chea  - vocal bass (1985–present)
* Joey Kibble  - second tenor (1991–present)
* Khristian Dentley  - baritone (2011–present)
===Former===
* Mervyn Warren  - second tenor (1980–91)
* Cedric Dent  - baritone (1985–2011)
==Discography==
===Album releases===
Year	Album 	US 	USR&B	USGospel	USJazz	Label 	Certification(s)
1988	Take 6 	71 	41 	3 	8 	Warner Brothers 	
*US: Platinum
1990	So Much 2 Say 	72 	22 	8 	2 	Warner Brothers 	–
1991	He Is Christmas   (Christmas) 	100	84 	– 	– 	Warner Brothers 	–
1994	Join the Band 	86 	17 	17 	– 	Warner Brothers 	
*US: Gold
1995	Best of Take 6   (compilation) 	– 	– 	– 	– 	Warner Brothers 	–
1996	Brothers 	– 	71 	– 	– 	Warner Brothers 	–
1998	So Cool 	– 	92 	8 	– 	Warner Brothers 	–
1999	Greatest Hits   (compilation) 	– 	– 	22 	– 	Warner Brothers 	–
1999	We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Christmas) 	– 	– 	– 	– 	Warner Brothers 	–
2000	Tonight: Live   (Live) 	– 	– 	– 	– 	Warner Brothers 	–
2000	Best of Take 6   (compilation re-release) 	– 	– 	– 	– 	Warner Brothers 	–
2002	Beautiful World 	– 	– 	14 	– 	Warner Brothers 	–
2006	Feels Good 	– 	– 	10 	– 	Take 6 Records 	–
2008	The Standard 	– 	– 	6 	2 	Heads Up International	–
2010	The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Christmas)	– 	70 	– 	40 	Heads Up International	–
2012	One 	– 	 	15 	– 	Shanachie 	–
2016	Believe 	– 	25 	9 	2 	Sono Recording Group 	
("–" denotes that a release did not chart)
===Singles===
*1988: "Spread Love" (Reprise)
*1988: "David & Goliath" (Reprise)
*1988: "Milky-White Way" (Reprise)
*1988: "Gold Mine" (Take 6)
*1988: "A Quiet Place"
*1990: "I L-O-V-E U" (Reprise) (No. 19 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks)
*1990: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (Reprise)
*1990: "Ridin' the Rails" (k.d. lang & Take 6) (Sire)
*1991: "Where Do the Children Play" 
*1991: "I Believe" 
*1994: "Biggest Part of Me" (No. 36 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks)
*1994: "All I Need (Is a Chance)" 
*1995: "You Can Never Ask Too Much" 
*1997: "You Don't Have to Be Afraid" 
*1999: "One and the Same (featuring CeCe Winans)" (Reprise)
*2002: "Takin' It to the Streets" 
*2006: "Come On" (Take 6)
*2006: "More Than Ever" (Take 6)
*2006: "Comes Love" (with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band) (XXL)
*2006: "It's Alright With Me" (with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band) (XXL)
*2006: "It Was a Very Good Year" (with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band) (The Phat Pack)
*2011: "Never Enough" (with Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band) (That's How We Roll)
*2012: "(It Only Takes) One"
*2015: "When Angels Cry"
===Video releases===
Year	Title 	Label 	Notes
1992	All Access 	Warner Reprise 	VHS
2009	Michael McDonald – A Tribute to Motown [Live]	E1 Entertainment	Guest
==Awards and nominations==
===Grammy Award===
Year	Category 	Title 	Result
1988	Best Soul Gospel Performance – Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus	Take 6 	
1988	Best Jazz Vocal Performance – Duo or Group 	"Spread Love" 	
1988	Best Gospel Performance – Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus 	"The Savior Is Waiting" 	
1988	New Artist 	— 	
1989	Best Jazz Vocal Performance – Duo or Group 	"Like the Whole World's Watching" 	
1990	Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album 	So Much 2 Say 	
1991	Best Jazz Vocal Performance 	He Is Christmas 	
1992	Best Jazz Vocal Performance 	"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" 	
1994	Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album 	Join the Band 	
1994	Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Duo or Group 	"Biggest Part of Me" 	
1995	Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Duo or Group 	"All I Need (Is a Chance)" 	
1996	Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) 	"When You Wish Upon a Star" 	
1996	Pop Vocal Group 	"When You Wish upon a Star" 	
1996	Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) 	"When You Wish Upon a Star" 	
1997	Contemporary Soul Gospel Album 	Brothers 	
1997	R&B Group Vocalist 	"You Don't Have to Be Afraid" 	
1999	Contemporary Soul Gospel Album 	So Cool 	
2002	Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year 	Beautiful World 	
2002	Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals 	"Love's In Need of Love Today" (with Stevie Wonder) 	
2003	Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) 	Comes Love (with Gordon Goodwin, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, and Brian McKnight)	
2004	Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals 	"Moon River" (with Stevie Wonder) 	
2009	Best Gospel Performance 	"Shall We Gather At The River" 	
2009	Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) 	"Grace" 	
2009	Best Jazz Instrumental Solo 	"Seven Steps To Heaven" 	
===GMA Dove Award wins===
Year	Category 	Title
1988	Contemporary Gospel Album	Take 6
1988	Group of the Year 	—
1988	Contemporary Gospel Song 	"If We Ever"
1988	New Artist of the Year 	—
1990	Contemporary Gospel Song 	"I L-O-V-E You"
1990	Contemporary Gospel Album	So Much 2 Say
1990	Contemporary Gospel Album	He Is Christmas
1992	Contemporary Gospel Album	Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration
1994	Contemporary Gospel Album	Join the Band
1996	Special Event Album 	Tribute: The Songs of Andrae Crouch (various artists)
==References==
==External links==
* 
* Take 6 (Mark Kibble) 2011 Interview at Soulinterviews.com
* Take 6, Encyclopedia.com
*NAMM Oral History interview with Mark Kibble January 25, 2013 
*NAMM Oral History Interview with Joey Kibble January 25, 2013
*NAMM Oral History Interview with Khristian Dentley (2013)
*NAMM Oral History Interview with Alvin Chea January 25, 2013
*NAMM Oral History Interview with Claude McKnight (2013)
*NAMM Oral History Interview with David Thomas (2013)
Category:Professional a cappella groups
Category:Smooth jazz ensembles
Category:Grammy Award winners
Category:American Seventh-day Adventists
Category:American gospel musical groups
Category:Musical groups established in 1980
Category:American jazz ensembles
Category:Vocal jazz ensembles