Mathew Knowles (born January 9, 1952)
[Knowles in ] is an American
record executive
A music executive or record executive is a person within a record label who works in senior management and makes executive decisions over the label's artists. Their role varies greatly but in essence, they can oversee one, or many, aspects of a re ...
,
businessman
A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for th ...
and
university lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct res ...
.
He is best known for being the manager of
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
. He also once managed the solo careers of his daughters
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
and
Solange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles (; born June 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, performance artist, and actress. Expressing an interest in music from an early age, Knowles had several temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, wh ...
.
Knowles is the founder of Music World Entertainment, which embraces
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
,
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
and
children's music
Children's music or kids' music is music composed and performed for children. In European-influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has hi ...
. Knowles is also an active and longtime voting member of the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous f ...
(NARAS) and serves on its
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
Board Committee.
Early life and education
Knowles was born in
Gadsden, Alabama
Gadsden is a city in and the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the Coosa River about northeast of Birmingham and southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan ...
,
the son of Lou Helen Knowles (''née'' Hogue) and Matthew Q. Knowles (April 4, 1927 – December 30, 1996).
He is a 1974 graduate of
Fisk University
Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...
in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, where he earned both a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a
Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He has an MBA in Strategic Planning and Organizational Culture from Cornerstone Christian Bible College.
Career
Knowles began his business career in sales of office and medical equipment. He moved to Houston in 1976 and worked for the
Xerox Corporation
Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (having moved from Sta ...
for 10 years, primarily in the medical-systems sales division. Knowles worked selling CT/MRI diagnostic imaging equipment to hospitals and health facilities. He also worked in neurosurgical sales. In 1992, Knowles left this career to devote himself to his music company, Music World Entertainment, which he founded that year.
Knowles established several recording imprints under Music World Entertainment, including Music World Gospel, Music World Kids, and Music World Country/Compadre. Knowles also established joint ventures with
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
, Interscope/Geffen/A&M, Fontana/Universal, Integrity Africa, Fontana International, and Sony Brazil.
Knowles became manager of the vocal group
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
, working as either a producer or an executive producer on many of the group's projects. By 1997 he had secured the group a label deal with
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
and a feature on the
Men in Black soundtrack.
During this time, Knowles brought in producers such as
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
,
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ.
Early life
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...
, and
Master P
Percy Robert Miller Sr. (born April 29, 1967), known by his stage name Master P, is an American rapper, record executive, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of the record label No Limit Records, which was relaunched as ...
to focus on a fusion of hip hop with R&B to cross over to different audiences. Under Music World Artist Management, Destiny's Child became a top-selling group, winning several awards including the
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
, the
American Music Award
The American Music Awards (AMAs) is an annual American music awards show, generally held in the fall, created by Dick Clark in 1973 for ABC when the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired, and currently produced by Dick Clark Produc ...
,
BET Awards
The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...
, and many others. ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine inducted the group into the All Time Hot 100 Artists. Knowles also managed the solo careers of Destiny's Child members
Michelle Williams and
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl ...
. Former members
LeToya Luckett
LeToya Nicole Luckett (born March 11, 1981) is an American R&B singer and actress. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a founding member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. As a me ...
and
LaTavia Roberson
LaTavia Marie Roberson (born November 1, 1981) is an American R&B singer. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as an original member of the R&B group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During her time as ...
once sued Knowles, accusing him of misappropriating group funds.
In 2002, Knowles founded Spirit Rising Music, which became Music World Gospel. Its artists include
Vanessa Bell Armstrong
Vanessa Bell Armstrong ( Bell; born October 2, 1953) is an American gospel singer who released her debut album '' Peace Be Still'' in 1983. Armstrong is an 7x Grammy Award Nominee, Stellar Award Winner, and a Soul Train Award winner. She has wo ...
,
Brian Courtney Wilson
Brian Courtney Wilson is an American gospel and contemporary Christian music singer.
Biography
Wilson was raised in the Chicago area. In his childhood, Wilson began singing with the adult male chorus with his father at the Rock of Ages Baptis ...
,
Juanita Bynum
Juanita Bynum (born January 16, 1959) is an American gospel singer, author, and pastor.
In 2007, she released an album titled ''Piece of My Passion'', and ''The New York Times'' described her as "the most prominent black female television eva ...
,
Le'Andria Johnson
Le'Andria Delores Johnson (born January 23, 1983) is an American gospel singer. She was the Sunday Best (Season 3), season three winner of the BET gospel singing competition show ''Sunday Best (American TV series), Sunday Best''.
Johnson's ''S ...
, Micah Stampley, Amber Bullock, Andrea Helms, Trinitee 5:7, and Elder Goldwire. In 2016, through Music World Music, Knowles acquired the
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
catalog Compadre, which includes James McMurty,
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
,
Billy Joe Shaver
Billy Joe Shaver (August 16, 1939 – October 28, 2020) was an American outlaw country singer and songwriter, as well as an actor.
Biography
Shaver was born in Corsicana, Texas, and raised by his mother, Victory Watson Shaver. Until he was 12 ...
,
Trent Willmon
Trent Willmon (born March 6, 1973) is an American country music artist, songwriter, and Record producer, producer. Active since 1998 as a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee, Willmon was signed to Columbia Records in 2004. He released two albums ...
, and
Kate Campbell
Jamae Kathryn Campbell (born October 31, 1961 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American folk singer-songwriter.
Kate's songwriting follows in the southern literary tradition with an emphasis on a sense of place, race, and religion. Her story-f ...
. Knowles also launched the family-oriented music imprint, Music World Kids. The label has released youth projects that include Baby Jamz, Krazy Kuzins, Kid's Rap Radio, and the Music World Kids CD 5-pack. The venture also has released music from
Nick Jr’s popular cartoon series, ''
Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!
''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!'' is an American children's educational Flash animated television series created by Bob Boyle. The series was produced by Bolder Media (a joint venture of Frederator Studios and the Mixed Media Group) and Starz Media ...
''.
In addition to his work in music, Knowles was one of the executive producers of the 2009 movie ''
Obsessed'', which starred Beyoncé. He was also executive producer of, and was featured in, two reality series: The UK's ''Chancers'', and
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
International's ''Breaking From Above''.
In October 2015, Mathew Knowles released his first book, "The DNA Of Achievers: 10 Traits of Highly Successful Professionals". In an interview with Madamenoire.com, he spoke about teaching entrepreneurship on the college level, and his entertainment industry seminar where he taught music executives like Van Benson and other successful students.
In March 2018, Knowles joined the advisory board of Tunedly, an online recording studio for songwriters.
In July 2019, Knowles joined the cannabis and real-estate firm Bangi as its chief marketing officer. On October 25, Knowles announced via an Instagram video that he would release an album featuring then-unreleased music from Destiny's Child's childhood days as Girls Tyme. The album, ''
Destiny's Child: The Untold Story Presents Girls Tyme'', was released on all streaming platforms and the iTunes Store on December 2, 2019. The album's release was also accompanied by a book, Destiny's Child: The Untold Story, written by Knowles.
In February 2021, Knowles launched his
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
podcast "Mathew Knowles Impact" and revealed his plans to retire from the music industry.
In March 2022, Knowles sold Music World Entertainment Group to APX Capital Group. Upon signing this deal, he became a member of APX's board of directors, and the manager of a $275 million fund for film and television co-productions between the United States and Italy. One of the first projects under the agreement, ''The Mathew Knowles Story'', will tell the story of how Knowles guided Destiny's Child to success, while also giving a behind-the-scenes look at the solo careers of his daughters Beyoncé and Solange, as well as Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland.
Teaching
Knowles is a visiting professor at
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,000 ...
, where he teaches courses on the entertainment industry in the School of Communications. In 2018, the university established the Mathew Knowles Institute in his honor. He currently holds a professorship at
University of Houston
The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...
,
Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU or PV) is a public historically black land-grant university in Prairie View, Texas. Founded in 1876, it is one of Texas's two land-grant universities and the second oldest public institution of higher learnin ...
, and the Art Institute. Knowles joined the teaching staff at
London College of Creative Media
London College of Creative Media (LCCM) is a private college of higher education in South London offering undergraduate degrees in music, writing, and music management; a postgraduate degree in creative entrepreneurship; and shorter courses in m ...
as a visiting professor. In September 2022, a bursary scholarship was established in his name.
Personal life
Knowles married
Tina Knowles
Tina may refer to:
People
* Tina (given name), people and fictional characters with the given name ''Tina''
Places
*Tina, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran
*Tina, Tunisia, a town in Sfax Governorate, Tunisia
*Tina, Guadalcanal, Solomon ...
in 1980.
She filed for divorce in 2009, dropped the matter in 2010, then refiled in August 2011, stating "discord or conflict of personalities" that prevented them from "reasonable expectation of reconciliation" as the reason. The divorce was finalized in November 2011.
On June 30, 2013, he married former model Gena Avery.
In October 2019, Knowles announced he had been diagnosed with
male breast cancer
Male breast cancer (MBC) is a cancer in males that originates in their breasts. Males account for less than 1% of new breast cancers with about 20,000 new cases being diagnosed
worldwide every year. Its incidence rates in males vs. females are, ...
.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knowles, Mathew
1952 births
Living people
African-American businesspeople
African-American record producers
Record producers from Texas
American music industry executives
American music managers
Beyoncé
Businesspeople from Alabama
Businesspeople from Texas
Fisk University alumni
People from Gadsden, Alabama
People from Houston
American salespeople
Texas Southern University faculty
Destiny's Child
African-American academics
African-American educators