Jordan Knight | |
|---|---|
 Knight in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight (1970-05-17)May 17, 1970 (age 55) Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Interscope Records |
Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight (born May 17, 1970) is an American pop singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist of the boy bandNew Kids on the Block (NKOTB), which rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, using afalsetto style of singing influenced byThe Stylistics. After New Kids on the Block split in 1994, he launched a solo career.
Knight's first solo album, released in 1999, and his latest solo album, released in 2011, reached the Top 50 on the U.S.Billboard 200. As of 2011, he released four Top 40 singles, the best known being "Give It to You" in 1999. Knight has released three solo albums, oneremix album, and oneEP. On May 31, 2011, Knight released the studio album,Unfinished. Knight has sold over 1.5 million records worldwide as a solo artist.
Knight was born inWorcester, Massachusetts, the youngest of six children toCanadian parents ofEnglish,Scottish andGerman descent; his father Allan Knight, an Episcopal priest, is fromMeaford, Ontario and his mother Marlene (née Putnam) is fromDunnville, Ontario.[1][2] Consequently, Knight holds dual American and Canadian citizenship.[3][4] Before achieving fame, he played in a youth baseball league in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Jordan was almost 14 years old in 1984 when he joined New Kids on the Block,[1] a band assembled in Boston by producerMaurice Starr. His fellow members included his older brotherJonathan, as well asJoey McIntyre,Donnie Wahlberg, andDanny Wood. Over the next few years, he began writing songs and teaching himself piano and keyboard instruments. Starr, who wrote much of the New Kids' material, was reluctant to add his work to the band's repertoire. One night while the band was on tour in 1989, Knight noticedTommy Page playing piano at a hotel one night and approached him, and the two played piano together for a period of time. Knight played Page a verse from what would become "I'll Be Your Everything", a song that he wanted to save for a future solo project. The two later collaborated on finishing the song, and Page asked if he could record it for his upcoming album. Knight agreed and co-produced the track, and fellow band members Wood and Wahlberg contributed, respectively co-writing and co-producing the song.[5] "I'll Be Your Everything" became a hit single for Page upon its release in February 1990, topping the USBillboard Hot 100 chart for a week that April, spending thirteen weeks in thetop 40, and eventually being certified gold by theRIAA.[6]
The group originally disbanded in 1994[7] but reunited in 2008, scoring 2 top 40 hits and embarking on a successful tour. In the fall of 2010, they teamed with the Backstreet Boys (BSB), creating the boy bandNKOTBSB, and toured in summer 2011.
New Kids on the Block have sold over 80 million records worldwide,[7] generated hundreds of million of dollars in concert revenues and paved the way for later boy bands likeBackstreet Boys and*NSYNC.
Knight made a comeback by releasing his first solo single, "Give It To You", on February 16, 1999. The single, produced byJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, reached No. 10 on theBillboard Hot 100 and No. 35 on theHot Dance Music/Club Play chart, wentgold, and was nominated for the1999 MTV Video Music Award forBest Dance Video, though it lost toRicky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca". He was also nominated forFavorite Male Singer at the2000 Kids' Choice Awards.Knight's self-titled debut album, released on May 25, was certified gold for sales of over 500,000 copies in the US on July 7, 1999. The album peaked at No. 29 on theBillboard 200 and No. 9 on theTop Internet Albums chart, and later won an Aspire Music Award for Best Male Album (Pop).
Knight released a remix album,Jordan Knight Performs New Kids on the Block: The Remix Album, in 2004.
In 2005, Knight released an EP titledThe Fix supported by the lead single "Where Is Your Heart Tonight," which reached its peak at No. 12 on theBillboardAdult Contemporary chart. He continued to tour extensively in 2005–2006 promoting the EP.
In September 2006, Knight's next album,Love Songs, was released byTranscontinental Records. The first single was "Say Goodbye," aduet with fellow 1980s pop singerDeborah Gibson, that peaked at No. 24 on theBillboard Adult Contemporary chart.
On May 31, 2011, Knight released his third solo album,Unfinished. The album reached No. 8 on the USBillboard Independent Albums chart, No. 48 on the USBillboard 200 and No. 55 in Canada. He began his Live and Unfinished Tour on December 11, 2011. Knight performed the announced dates with Boston-based band Elevation Theory.
In 2014, Knight teamed up withNick Carter for the release of the albumNick & Knight, touring throughout the fall of that year to support the album.
Knight was a judge on theAmerican Idol spin-off,American Juniors. He was a third-season cast member on theVH1 reality television seriesThe Surreal Life with other celebrities in 2004, and later appeared in the 2007 spin-offThe Surreal Life: Fame Games.
In 2005, Knight appeared on the British showHit Me Baby One More Time, where he performed "Give It to You," as well as a cover of "Let Me Love You" byMario.
In September 2005, Knight also starred in a British documentary onFive in the UK calledTrust Me – I'm a Holiday Rep. Six celebrities spent 10 days in the role of an Olympic Holidays holiday rep inAyia Napa, Cyprus.
Knight also appeared on the game showIdentity, hosted byPenn Jillette. In September 2011, he featured as a judge on the CBC showCover Me Canada.
Knight has been married to Evelyn Melendez since 2004.[8] They have two sons, Dante Jordan (born August 25, 1999) and Eric Jacob (born February 21, 2007).[1][9]
Knight lives inMilton, Massachusetts,[10] where in 2016, he became a partner in a local Italian restaurant called Novara.[11]
Solo albums
Collaborative albums
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