About Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight has earned himself a spot in contemporary music history and is one of the most consistent and enduring R&B artists today.
In addition to being a singer, songwriter and producer, McKnight is also a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments including piano, guitar, bass, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet.
He has released 21 albums to date including 4 consecutive top 10 albums for Motown, with several going 2 and 3 times platinum, and he has sold over 25 million albums worldwide.
Along with 17 Grammy nominations, Brian McKnight has been the recipient of American Music Awards, Soul Train Awards, NAACP Image and Blockbuster Awards, and Billboard Songwriter of The Year.
In an industry known for a constantly revolving door of artists, McKnight has easily established himself with an enviable record of chart consistency, has toured successfully for over two decades, and has collaborated with performers across every genre including Quincy Jones, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, Christina Aguilera, Rascal Flatts, Nelly, Vanessa Williams, Willie Nelson, Kenny G , David Foster, Earth Wind and Fire and many others.
His soulful performances and hit songs such as Back at One, One Last Cry, Love of My Life, 6 8 12, Crazy Love and many, many more continue to inspire and uplift audiences around the world.
About Ginuwine
Elgin B. Lumpkin, better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is a Grammy-nominated Icon Award recipient, legendary American singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, and philanthropist. Ginuwine’s career began as a member of Swing Mob, an R&B/hip-hop collective consisting of artists and record labels based in Rochester, New York. The record label and music compound were founded by Donald Degrate, better known as “DeVante Swing, ” a popular 90’s R&B group Jodeci. With a multifaceted talent foundation, Ginuwine signed to Epic Records as a solo artist in the mid-1990s; Ginuwine released several multi-platinum and platinum-selling albums and singles, becoming one of R&B’s top artists. His commercial success came from his first four albums: 2X Platinum, Ginuwine The Bachelor, and 100% Ginuwine with featured hit singles “Same Ol’G, “So Anxious,” and “None of Ur Friends Business,” Platinum album, The Life, and gold album, The Senior. Known for his edgy and alluring dance sound, the diversified palette of his music next served a smooth and romantic single that soared. Peaked at number-one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number four on the Billboard Hot 100, the single “Differences” is still one of his top-selling songs.
The explosive success in the 1990s appeared from collaborations with rapper Melissa “Missy” Elliott, singer-songwriter Stephen “Static Major” Garrett, and producer Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley. Ginuwine and Timbaland became a hit-making duo when they displayed a combination of smooth vocals and an innovative production style that disrupted the music scene with the hit single “Pony.” Immediate success peaked “Pony” at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 with smooth upbeat tempos. The craving for “Pony” led to samples in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV, a feature in a striptease dance performed by Channing Tatum in the film Magic Mike, a cover performance by Mike Patton and Rahzel ” in concert, and with relevance still today as a feature on the new FOX hit television show STAR.
With success on everything he touches, up next was a trio collaboration with R&B artists Tyrese (Tyrese Gibson) and Tank (Durrell Babbs). In 2012 the R&B supergroup called TGT was introduced and signed to Atlantic Records. This collaboration of three game-changers took the R&B world by storm. Their Grammy-nominated debut album Three Kings was released in 2013, an album that still has the fans yearning for more.
Acknowledging his multifaceted talent, Ginuwine entered the acting arena. He was cast as R&B singer “Romeo” in the film Juwanna Mann, appeared in several episodes of Moesha as Khalib, and appeared on Half & Half as R.J. Jackson. Off-screen, Ginuwine co-starred in the Gospel Music Channel’s debut of John Ruffin’s stage play The Ideal Husband, which stars Darrin Dewitt Henson, Jackée Harry, Clifton Powell, Shirley Murdock, Shanti Lowry, and Erica Hubbard. He also appeared as himself in the NBC series Parks and Recreation. In 2018 Ginuwine entered the U.K. reality show Celebrity BigBrother 21.
Ginuwine has recently received honor and recognition of the Icon Award from the Black Music Honors. As a crooner and legendary artist in the industry for 25 years, he still sell-out shows and carries a spotlight in sold-out tours, 2018 90’s Block Party Tour, and the RnB Friday’s Live Tour Australia, both with legendary lineups. Also carrying a large international audience, Ginuwine is selling out shows worldwide, in London, Paris, Italy, St. Lucia, Curacao, Africa, Australia, and Canada, to name a few. However, his passion does not stop there; with over 15 million albums sold in the U.S. alone, new projects of music, television, and more are in the works, Ginuwine is the “Same Ol G.” His love for his craft remains unwavering, and he is gearing to bring more. With over 10 million records sold, he will not stop now!