Curtis Knight (May 9, 1929November 29, 1999), born Mont Curtis McNear, was an American musician who is known for his association with

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

. In his Hendrix biography, David Moskowitz notes: "Curtis Knight was born in Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1929". However, Nick Talevski indicates "Born 1945". Knight was a singer in the 1960s

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

R&B music scene, usually fronting his own band, the Squires. In 1965, with Hendrix as guitarist, he recorded some singles and demos for record producer

Ed Chalpin Ed Chalpin (January 16, 1935 in NYC – October 1, 2019 in Boca Raton, FL) was a record executive and producer. He is probably remembered for his association with Curtis Knight and the Squires which caused problems for Jimi Hendrix throughout his ...

. Chalpin also signed Hendrix to a management contract, which Hendrix soon forgot about and left for England in 1966 to form

the Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

. After Hendrix became famous, Knight and Chalpin issued hundreds of albums of the recordings with Hendrix, resulting in years of legal action by both sides. During the 1970s, after Hendrix's demise, Knight moved to London, where he formed the group "Curtis Knight, Zeus", and toured throughout Europe, relying on his Hendrix connection for many years. Among the musicians enlisted was Fast Eddie Clarke, who later joined

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a prec ...

. In 1974, Knight authored a biography ''Jimi: An Intimate Biography of Jimi Hendrix''. He also wrote a second book on Hendrix, titled ''Starchild'', published in the mid-1990s. In 1992, Knight relocated to the Netherlands where he continued to record up to his death from cancer in November 1999.

Family background

Knight is related to singer

Barbara McNair Barbara Jean McNair (March 4, 1934 – February 4, 2007) was an American singer and theater, television, and film actress. McNair's career spanned over five decades in television, film, and stage. McNair's professional career began in music dur ...

who is reportedly his cousin.

Partial discography

In 2003, Hendrix's estate finally prevailed in their legal actions against Chalpin and gained control of all of Hendrix's recordings associated with Knight, Chalpin, and PPX. Experience Hendrix, which currently manages Hendrix's recording legacy, has begun releasing the material he recorded with Knight. Much of it has been sonically restored and removes later overdubs and electronic effects. Singles *"Voodoo Woman" / "That's Why"Curtis Knight (1961, Gulf) *"You're Gonna Be Sorry" / "Little Doe-Doe"Curtis Knight (1962, Shell) *"Ain't Gonna Be No Next Time" / "More Love"Curtis Knight (1965, RSVP) *"How Would You Feel" / "Welcome Home"Curtis Knight (1965, RSVP) *"Hornet's Nest" / "Knock Yourself Out"Curtis Knight and the Squires (1966, RSVP) *"You Don't Want Me" / "How Would You Feel"Curtis Knight and Jimi Hendrix (1967, Track Records) *"Hush Now" / "Flashing"Jimi Hendrix and Curtis Knight (1967,

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

) *"Day Tripper" / "Love, Love"Jimi Hendrix and Curtis Knight (1967, London Records) *"Ballad of Jimi" / "Gloomy Monday"Curtis Knight and Jimi Hendrix (1970, London Records) Albums *''Get That Feeling''"Jimi Hendrix Plays and Curtis Knight Sings" (1967,

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

) *''Flashing''"Jimi Hendrix Plays and Curtis Knight Sings" (1968, Capitol Records) *''Love, Peace & Freedom'' (1972,

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

) *'' You Can't Use My Name: The RSVP/PPX Sessions''Curtis Knight and the Squires (2015,

Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 2 ...

) *''Live at George’s Club 20 1965 & 1966''Curtis Knight Featuring Jimi Hendrix (2017,

Dagger Records Dagger Records is an American record label based in Seattle, Washington. Dagger produces and releases, in conjunction with Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. and MCA Records, official Jimi Hendrix bootlegs and collections of rare studio recordings. The f ...

) *''No Business - The PPX Sessions Volume 2''Curtis Knight and the Squires (2020,

)

Notes

Citations References * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Curtis 1929 births 1999 deaths People from Fort Scott, Kansas American male musicians Jimi Hendrix 20th-century American musicians Musicians from London 20th-century male musicians