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Robert Knight

 
Artist: Robert Knight
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Similar Artists:

Love Affair, Fontella Bass, Carl Carlton, Johnny Preston

Followers:

Carl Carlton

Performed Songs By:

Buzz Cason, Mac Gayden
See Robert Knight Lyrics
  • Born: April 24, 1945, Franklin, TN
  • Active: '60s
  • Genres: Rhythm & Blues
  • Instrument: Vocals
  • Representative Albums: "Everlasting Love/Love on a Mountain Top
  • Representative Songs: "Everlasting Love", "Love on a Mountain Top", "Blessed Are the Lonely

Biography

Singer Robert Knight is destined to remain classified as a one-hit wonder, but what a hit -- his radiant 1967 blockbuster "Everlasting Love" endures among the finest soul records of its era. Born April 24, 1945, in Franklin, TN, Knight first earned notice via the Paramounts, a harmony group he formed with schoolmates in 1959. Upon signing to the Dot label a year later, the quintet scored an R&B chart hit via 1961's "Free Me." When a series of follow-up efforts failed, the Paramounts dissolved, which prompted Dot to file a breach of contract lawsuit. The subsequent legal wranglings effectively shelved Knight's musical aspirations for close to five years, during which time he studied chemistry at Tennessee State University. There he also formed a new vocal trio, the Fairlanes -- while performing with the group, Knight was spotted by songwriters/producers Buzz Cason and Fred Foster, who signed him as a solo act to their fledgling record label Rising Sons. Cason teamed with Mac Gayden to co-write "Everlasting Love" -- with its soaring arrangement and Knight's heartfelt vocal, the single was an immediate smash, reaching the Top 20 on both the pop and R&B charts. In 1968, the British group Love Affair topped the U.K. charts with their cover of the song, keeping Knight's original stuck in the lower reaches of the Top 40 -- back home, he scored a pair of minor pop hits with "Blessed Are the Lonely" and "Isn't It Lonely Together," and in 1973 reached the British Top Ten with "Love on a Mountain Top." Knight nevertheless shifted his focus away from music in the decades to follow, continuing his career in chemical research. "Everlasting Love" remains a perennial, with hit cover versions by Carl Carlton, Rex Smith/Rachel Sweet, and Gloria Estefan. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Robert Knight (musician)
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Robert Knight
Born April 24, 1945 (1945-04-24) (age 64)
Origin Franklin, Tennessee, United States
Genres Pop
Occupations Singer
Years active 1961–present
Labels Dot Records, Monument Records

Robert Knight (born April 24, 1945) is an American singer. He is best known for his recording of the chart topping song "Everlasting Love".

Contents

Career

Knight made his professional vocal debut with the Paramounts, a harmony quintet consisting of schoolfriends.[1] Signed to Dot Records in 1960, they recorded "Free Me" in 1961, a U.S. R&B hit single, outselling the rival cover version by Johnny Preston.

After this initial success, their subsequent releases flopped, resulting in a breakup of the group. They also broke their recording contract with Dot and were prevented from recording for 4+1⁄2 years.[1] Knight continued his studies in chemistry at Tennessee State University, where he formed the vocal trio the Fairlanes.[1] In 1967, Knight was spotted performing with the Fairlanes in Nashville, Tennessee, and was offered a contract as a solo artist by the Rising Sons label.[1] His first recording, "Everlasting Love", written by label owners Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden, was an immediate success, reaching number 14 on the U.S. R&B chart and 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

This enduring song was an even bigger success in the UK the following year where a cover version by Love Affair reached number 1, and in doing so, kept Knight's version from progressing further than #40 there.[2] Knight scored two further pop hits at home, "Blessed Are The Lonely" and "Isn't It Lonely Together".[1]

In 1973, he oversaw another entry on the UK Singles Chart when "Love On A Mountain Top" reached the Top 10[2], whilst the re-issued "Everlasting Love" went even higher in the UK the following year, achieving Top 20 status.[2]

His signature song, "Everlasting Love", has been revived and returned to hit status several times over the years, including by Carl Carlton in 1974, as a duet by Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet in 1981, and by Gloria Estefan in 1995.[1] In the UK, the issues of "Everlasting Love" by CBS represent the only time that there have been as many as three chart versions of a song from the same record company.[3]

Knight has continued to advance his career in chemical research, while occasionally performing and recording. He worked at the Tennessee State Prison during the 1980s, and is currently an employee at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where he works on the grounds crew.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Allmusic.com biography by Jason Ankeny
  2. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 306. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  3. ^ Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 114. ISBN 0-85112-250-7. 

External links


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