Take 6 Biography

The most decorated vocal group in history (ten Grammys, ten Dove Awards, a Soul Train Award, and more) is celebrating their 25th anniversary! Take 6 (Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea, and Khristin Dentley), dubbed "the deadliest vocal cats on the earth!" by Quincy Jones, is the ultimate a capella ensemble and model for vocal brilliance. Six talented voices blend in perfect unison against a soundtrack of syncopated rhythms, creative arrangements, and funky grooves that boil into an intoxicating mix of gospel, jazz, R&B, and pop. The multi-platinum selling sextet has toured the world, worked across genres, and is acknowledged as the world's pre-eminent a capella ensemble, receiving acclaim from luminaries such as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Whitney Houston. Take 6 is the original torchbearer, owing to the success of televised vocal competitions such as the explosive a cappella show The Sing Off and the craze for singing-driven comedy-dramas such as Glee and Smash. Take 6 prevailed among a slew of performers including Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Nicks, Ne-Yo, and others at two big recent events. Take 6 enthralled the audience during Walmart's 50th Anniversary celebration with their rendition of Louis Armstrong's song, What A Wonderful World. Take 6 ended the performance with Ladysmith Black Mambazo to a standing ovation, demonstrating the great group's worldwide appeal! Two weeks later, at the request of famous Producer Phil Ramone, Take 6 performed with and honored iconic singer-songwriter Ben E. King on his classic Stand By Me in front of a sold-out audience at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards. They then brought the house down with their tribute to folk hero Woody Guthrie, This Land Is Your Land, as a group that knows no musical boundaries. Take 6 has come a long way since their days as The Gentleman's Estate Quartet at Huntsville, Alabama's Oakwood College in 1980. Tenor Mark Kibble joined in the harmonies and sang on stage that night after hearing the group practice in the dorm toilet. When Mervyn Warren joined shortly after, they changed their name to Alliance. However, when they signed to Reprise Records/Warner Bros. in 1987, they discovered that there was another band with the same name, so they changed their name to Take 6. McKnight explains, "Take 6 was all about a democratic process of being in a room together and tossing a couple of hundred names at each other, and Take 6 got the most yea votes [laughing]." It was a play on the jazz standard Take 5 and the fact that there are six of us in the ensemble, so it became Take 6. Their self-titled first CD won over jazz and pop reviewers, garnered two 1988 Grammy Awards, charted in the Top Ten Billboard Contemporary Jazz and Contemporary Christian Charts, and they haven't slowed down since. What keeps the music and the band going for so long? The answers are straightforward and straightforward: religion, friendship, respect, and a love of music. Such characteristics earned them honors outside of the music industry, including a Soul Train Award and two NAACP Image Award nominations. These traits remain at the core of the Take 6 phenomenon, from their extraordinary live performances to their recordings. One, Take 6's newest Shanachie release, is noteworthy for three reasons. The first is the group's return to its spiritual roots. Second, it's their first effort without Cedric Dent, who announced his retirement from full-time touring with the band last year. Cedric had accepted a position at MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN), which didn't allow him to go out on the road during the school year and kind of confined him to the weekends, if it worked for the timetable, according to Kibble. So we agreed it would be better to hire someone to fill in for him when he couldn't be there. Third, Khristian Dentley is introduced as a full-time permanent member of Take 6. Kibble goes on, We have a pool of three persons who we used over the years. Khristian was one of those persons who was asked to step in. He executed it wonderfully and with vigour. We were able to learn Cedric's personality and he was able to learn the music by stepping in for him. Cedric chose to go full-time into academics after 7 years, and Khristian was already prepared to step in behind him. As Take 6 celebrates their 25th anniversary with a fresh new program, they'll share recollections from the last 25 years in music as well as disclose what the future holds!

As a renowned expert and highly sought-after speaker, Take 6's expertise is in high demand. To book Take 6 for your next event, conference, or workshop, please contact our speaker booking agency. Our experienced team will work closely with you to understand your specific needs and help secure Take 6's participation. With our professional guidance and seamless booking process, you can ensure a memorable and impactful experience for your audience. Don't miss the opportunity to engage your audience with Take 6's compelling insights and inspire positive change within your organization. Fill out the booking request form to take the first step in securing Take 6 for your next speaking engagement.