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Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English recording artist and musical theatre actress. She released her first album, '' The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released eight studio albums. Widely labelled as one of Britain's greatest soul singers, Knight is best known for her hit singles " Greatest Day", " Get Up!", " Shoulda Woulda Coulda", and " Come as You Are". In 2006, Knight solidified her transition into the mainstream by starring in the

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...

music TV series ''

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'', a role she reprised in 2007. After releasing a platinum-selling compilation album in 2006, Knight went on to tour the UK with a reformed

Take That Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams. Barlow is the group's lead singer ...

. She has also hosted four series of the BBC Radio 2 show ''Beverley's Gospel Nights'', which explores the origins and impact of gospel music. To date, the show has run for four seasons and has had interviews with stars such as Michelle Williams and Shirley Caesar. Knight is an ambassador for many charities such as

Christian Aid Christian Aid is the relief and development agency of 41 Christian (Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox) churches in the UK and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster ...

and has travelled to areas affected by disease and poverty to help raise awareness. She is an active campaigner for anti-Aids organisations such as the Stop AIDS Campaign and The Terrence Higgins Trust and is also a vocal campaigner against homophobic lyrics in urban music. On Saturday, 15 August 2009, she performed live at the fourth annual UK Black Pride event in

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

. On 4 December 2009, at the invitation of

Sarah Jane Brown Sarah Jane Brown (; born 31 October 1963), usually known as Sarah Brown, is an English campaigner for global health and education, founder and president of the children's charity Theirworld, the Executive Chair of the Global Business Coalition f ...

, wife of the then prime minister

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony B ...

, Knight performed the two songs " Shoulda Woulda Coulda" and "

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

" to an invited audience at 10 Downing Street in support of the

White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

Million Mums charity. After more than a decade in the music industry, Knight was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 2006 in recognition of her contribution to British music. In September 2005, Knight was made an honorary

Doctor of Music The Doctor of Music degree (D.Mus., D.M., Mus.D. or occasionally Mus.Doc.) is a higher doctorate awarded on the basis of a substantial portfolio of compositions and/or scholarly publications on music. Like other higher doctorates, it is granted b ...

by the

University of Wolverhampton The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mechanics' Institute founde ...

. After receiving a host of awards, including three

MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...

, Knight was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 at the

Urban Music Awards The Urban Music Awards (UMA) is a hip-hop, R&B, dance, and soul music awards ceremony which was launched by Jordan Kensington in 2003 and is now held in several countries. The US version of the award ceremony, the Urban Music Awards USA, was ...

in London. Knight supported

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

during The Earth Tour: 21 Nights in London and also performed at the concert after parties. As a result of this, she was flown to perform at his

Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

party in front of A-list stars and received a standing ovation from stars such as

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

. Knight sang at the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony. The performance was praised, and a recorded version by Knight reached No. 101 on iTunes, her first charting single since " Soul Survivor" and highest since " Beautiful Night" in 2010 and 2009, respectively. Knight has been twice nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2015 and

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for her performances in ''

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'' and '' The Drifters Girl'', respectively. Knight made her first foray into musical theatre in September 2013, replacing Heather Headley as Rachel Marron in '' The Bodyguard''. In 2017, she made her

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

debut at the

Birmingham Hippodrome The Birmingham Hippodrome is a theatre situated on Hurst Street in the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham, England. Although best known as the home stage of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, it also hosts a wide variety of other performances including vi ...

as the Fairy Godmother in ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

''. In 2019, Knight celebrated 25 years in music with the release of the live album ''BK25'' which was recorded with the Leo Green Orchestra.

Biography

1973–1993: Childhood

Knight attended Woodfield Infant and Junior Schools, and Highfields School in Wolverhampton. Knight was born to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n parents and grew up in a strict

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

household where church attendance was an important element in the life of the family. It was here that she began her singing career. "The first time I heard music would have been in church. My mum was often called upon: 'Come on sister Dolores. Lead us in song!' Singing was the most natural thing in the world. I thought, doesn't everybody's mum lead the congregation at church in song?" Knight sang in her local church throughout her childhood, and her musical education was continued at home where she was often exposed to gospel music. Because of her parents' religious beliefs, secular music was largely frowned upon, but artists such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin played a big part in her childhood. Knight began writing her own songs at the age of 13; however, it was not until she turned 17 that she began to take it seriously. She began performing the songs she had written on stage in local clubs in her home town. At the age of 19, she performed on the demo songs of Wolverhampton songwriter Westley Jones, who was signed to Dome publishing in London. Peter Robinson, the managing director of the company, impressed with her vocals, asked Westley Jones to introduce her. Robinson and Jones – who had discovered Knight through demo recordings – also came up with the stage name of Beverley Knight (from Smith) as Peter had also signed another demo vocalist of Jones' from Birmingham, calling her Fiona Day. She was adamant that her education should come first and that she should have something to fall back on, and so went to

Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education , mottoeng = In Spirit and Truth , established = , type = Public , endowment = £2.4 m (2015) , chancellor = Rennie Fritchie, Baroness Fritchie , vice_chancellor ...

(now the University of Gloucestershire) to study theology and philosophy.

1994–2000: Early success

In late 1994, Knight signed a record deal with Dome Records, a small, independent label. Shortly after, she went into a studio to write and record her first album. The backbone of the project was produced by the London production trio 2B3, with additional beats provided by Don E (Knight's cousin), Ethnic Boyz and the hip-hop act Blak Twang. Klarmann/Weber, the German songwriter/producer team ( Chaka Khan,

Randy Crawford Veronica "Randy" Crawford (born February 18, 1952) is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 as a solo artist. However, she has ap ...

), also contributed two songs. The result was the album '' The B-Funk'', – hailed by her record label as "the best British soul album ever" when it was released in November 1995. Knight went on to win two Black Music Awards in 1996 ("Best R&B Artist" and "Best Producer" for 2B3) and was named Best R&B Act by ''Blues and Soul'' magazine, beating a number of American stars. However, the album only peaked at number 145 on the UK album chart. Several singles were released from the project, the biggest being " Flavour of the Old School", which peaked at number 33 in March 1996 when it was re-released. In February 1997, Knight left Dome Records after disagreements, and signed a new four-album deal with

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

-controlled

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

. After returning to the studio with 2B3 and Don E and teaming up with new producers Dj Dodge and Carl McIntosh, Knight released her second album, '' Prodigal Sista'', in August 1998. Peaking at number 42 in Britain, the commercial success of the album proved to be much greater than her first. The album sold 150,000 copies in BritainInterview, ''Music Week'', 24 May 2004. and was certified Gold in 1999. It contained five top-40 hits, the biggest of which were " Greatest Day", peaking at number 14, and the Dj Dodge-produced " Made It Back" featuring the US rap star Redman, which peaked at number 21. ''Prodigal Sista'' was a big step forward in Knight's career. '' Q'' magazine called the album "a triumph not only of Knight's musical vision but also of the strength in her character", while ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' remarked, "''Prodigal Sista'' is a joy to hear – her vocal and intricate self-devised and performed harmonies can make you catch your breath in wonderment." The album won three

MOBO The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...

(Music of Black Origin) Awards, with "Made It Back" and "Greatest Day" winning Best R&B Act in 1998 and 1999 respectively, and ''Prodigal Sista'' winning the Best Album Award.

2001–2005: Mainstream breakthrough

Throughout 2001 Knight returned to the recording studio to write and record her third studio album. She was accompanied by an array of writers and producers handpicked largely by Kevin and Bev from Britain and the United States, which included

James Poyser James Jason Poyser is an American songwriter, record producer, musician and current member of the hip hop band The Roots. Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists such as Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, ...

, Che Guevara, Derrick Joshua & Derrick Martin, D'Influence, Mike Spencer and Colin Emmanuel. The result was '' Who I Am'', released in March 2002. It was preceded by two singles, " Get Up!" and " Shoulda Woulda Coulda" – a first in that it introduced Knight to the world of Nashville and one of its most famous sons, Craig Wiseman, a giant in the country music business. This partnership became Knight's most successful single up to that point, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The success of the singles propelled the album to number seven on the album chart, making ''Who I Am'' her most commercially successful album to date. It was re-released with new versions of the singles "

" and " Shape of You (Reshaped)" and has sold 215,000 copies in Britain, earning a Gold sales certificate.
The critical response to ''Who I Am'' was largely positive, with ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' stating that "every song bubbles with the kind of expensive, polished confidence that often eludes British contenders, and she sings with the poise of an artist at the height of her powers",Sullivan, Caroline
''Who I Am'' review
, ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 24 March 2006. while the

...
remarked: "''Who I Am'' marks a significant change in direction for this tenacious 28-year-old singer, signifying her own personal growth as a true artist and developing songwriter....on this her most personal work to date, she takes us on an intimate journey where she bares her soul with such raw honesty that you get the distinct impression a healing process is taking place".Bakare, Buki
''Who I Am'' review
, BBC, retrieved 24 March 2006. The album earned her two

Brit Award The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

nominations ("Best Female", "Best Urban Act") and was nominated for the

Mercury Music Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...

in 2002. After touring Britain in 2002, Knight set about creating her fourth album and entered the studio in the summer of 2003. Without the architect of her most successful song in her camp her new A&R team attempted to appeal to a larger mainstream audience, enlisting the help of pop producers such as

Guy Chambers Guy Antony Chambers (born 12 January 1963) is an English songwriter, musician and record producer, best known for his work with Robbie Williams. Education Chambers attended Quarry Bank Comprehensive School sixth form in Liverpool. From 18, h ...

and

Peter-John Vettese Peter-John Vettese (born 15 August 1956 in Scotland), also known as Peter Vettese, is a Scottish keyboardist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. Vettese is perhaps best known for being the keyboardist for progressive rock band Jethro Tul ...

as well as collaborating with R&B producers such as DJ Munro. The result was '' Affirmation'', which was released on

in June 2004. The album entered the charts at number 11 and was preceded by the single " Come as You Are" – a rock/pop orientated song written with and produced by Chambers. The song marked a more mainstream pop sound that alienated Knight's largely urban fan base and the song was not well received by urban radio stations. Nevertheless, it became her biggest hit to date, peaking at number nine on the singles chart. The song was followed by two more singles, " Not Too Late for Love" and " Keep This Fire Burning", which helped boost album sales and resulted in the album being awarded a Gold sales certificate in December 2004. Beverley Knight

The themes running throughout the album, which were influenced by the events she had witnessed over the previous two years, marked a milestone in Knight's career as a lyricist. The main essence of the project was centred on Knight's relationship with Tyrone Jamison – a gay man whom she described as her "soulmate" and who died of an AIDS-related disease in 2003. Throughout the album, lyrics on tracks such as "Remember Me" ("One day we will be reunited, least I hope that is our destiny, so while you chill in the arms of angels, remember me, remember me") and "No One Ever Loves in Vain" clearly point to her close relationship with Tyrone and rank as her most personal work to date. Compared to the praise of her previous albums, the critical response to ''Affirmation'' was mixed. The mainstream press such as ''The Guardian'' praised her for branching out, while the black music press such as ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...

'' and ''Blues and Soul'' accused Knight of selling out and being manipulated away from urban music by her record label, a claim she flatly denies: "Everything I've done musically has been completely me. I write my own songs so I'm not just a vocalist who can easily be dictated to."Morris, Davina
Interview
, ''The Voice'' magazine, 25 March 2006.

2006–2008: Consolidating success

In February 2006 Knight consolidated her move into the mainstream audience by appearing on BBC1 music show, ''

''. The show, featuring celebrities who duet with established singers, ran for two weeks and proved to be a relative disappointment in terms of audience figures – averaging between 15 and 25 percent audience shares.
Nevertheless, it provided a platform for Knight to reach out to a bigger audience and demonstrate her talent by performing a different array of songs than she would otherwise be known for. Reaching out to new audiences was also a driving force behind Knight's decision to join

on their reunion arena tour. "Take That – The Ultimate Tour 06", which ran from April to July 2006, sold 270,000 tickets in less than four hours on sale at the box office and featured Knight as a support act. In March 2006 Knight released her fifth album, a compilation set featuring the majority of her top forty UK singles entitled ''

Voice – The Best of Beverley Knight ''Voice – The Best of Beverley Knight'' is the first greatest hits album by British R&B recording artist and songwriter Beverley Knight, released in the United Kingdom on 20 March 2006 by Parlophone. The collection includes twelve UK Top 40 s ...

''. The album, which was certified Gold less than a month after its release,
became her second highest charting of her career when it entered the UK albums chart at number ten and rose to number nine a month later. It was preceded by the single "

Piece of My Heart "Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul love song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles char ...

" – a cover of the

Erma Franklin Erma Vernice Franklin (March 13, 1938 – September 7, 2002) was an American gospel and soul singer. Franklin was the elder sister of American singer/musician Aretha Franklin. Franklin's best known recording was the original version of " Piece of ...

classic made famous by Janis Joplin and entered the singles chart at number 16, spending 11 weeks inside the UK top 75 singles chart and becoming her longest-running chart single to date. In October 2006, Knight recorded her fifth studio album, '' Music City Soul'', in Nashville. Completed in less than five days, the album was released on 7 May 2007 and features collaborations with musicians such as

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as an official member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing guitar with a ...

and

Scotty Moore Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968. Rock critic ...

. It spawned three singles, " No Man's Land", released on 16 April 2007, "

After You After You may refer to: Songs * "After You" (Dionne Warwick song), 1979 * "After You" (Dan Seals song), 1983 * "After You" (Beverley Knight song), 2007 * "After You" (Pulp song), 2013 *" After You, Who?", a 1932 song by Cole Porter *"After You", a ...

", released on 2 July 2007, and " The Queen of Starting Over", released on 15 October 2007. This turned out to be her final album for Parlophone. Between August and September 2007 Knight supported

during his residency at the O2 Arena and also performed at the concert after parties. As a result of this, she was also flown to perform at his

party in front of A-list stars and got a standing ovation from stars such as

2009–2010: Going independent and ''100%''

On 23 March 2009 Knight announced via her official web site that she had left Parlophone records after 11 years and would be releasing new material through her own label, Hurricane Records. Knight also announced that her sixth studio album would be released in summer 2009, having a more contemporary feel in comparison to previous retro soul album ''Music City Soul''. New songwriters and producers associated with the project include

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...

(whose previous credits include Janet Jackson, Usher and Mariah Carey) and The Rural, along with previous collaborators

and DJ Munro.
On 31 March 2009 Knight confirmed that she would be releasing her sixth studio album in September through her own record label, Hurricane Records. In a video blog on her website she said that "for the past year, I've been writing for the record. I've been working with some new names and some old names for the album." She also confirmed that she is expecting to go on tour in support of the album later this year. The album is called '' 100% (Beverley Knight album), 100%''. The first finished track revealed from the album was Knight's collaboration with US producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, titled "Every Step". The lead single from the album was " Beautiful Night", co-written with Amanda Ghost and produced by The Rural. The album was released the same week on 7 September 2009 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number 17. The second single, "In Your Shoes", premiered on

BBC 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been c ...

on 5 October. The radio remix features UK rapper

Chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks may be classified either as ...

. In 2010, Knight made six guest appearances as a panellist on ITVs flagship show '' Loose Women''.

2011–2016: Theatre, ''Soul UK'', and ''Soulsville''

In March 2011, Knight announced in that she would be releasing her seventh studio album later that year and that it would be a collection of British soul covers. She also announced a one-off gig to be held at

Porchester Hall The Porchester Centre is a Grade II* listed building at the junction of Queensway and Porchester Road in Bayswater, London W2. History It was built in 1923–25 by the local architect Herbert Shepherd, and was originally called Porchester H ...

, London, which would be filmed for her first live DVD, to be included with the album release. Knight confirmed the album would be entitled '' Soul UK'' at the Porchester Hall show. The first single to be released from the album was " Mama Used to Say", a hit single originally recorded by

Junior Giscombe Norman Washington "Junior" Giscombe (born 6 June 1957) is an English singer-songwriter often known as Junior who was one of the first British R&B artists to be successful in the United States. He is best known for his 1982 hit single, "Mama Use ...

. The single was released on 27 June 2011, with the album following on 4 July. The album was the highest new entry on the

UK albums chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

in its week of release, peaking at #13. Three further singles were released from ''Soul UK'', " Cuddly Toy" (originally by Roachford), " One More Try" (originally by George Michael) and " Round and Around" (originally by

Jaki Graham Jacqueline Graham (born 15 September 1956) is a British singer-songwriter. Following her hit version of " Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" with David Grant in 1985, Graham scored a further five UK top 20 hits over a two-year period. In 1994, he ...

). Other artists whose songs were covered on ''Soul UK'' include:

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

; Loose Ends; Omar;

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai () are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...

, with whom she had previously recorded the song "Main Vain" with;

Princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subs ...

;

Lewis Taylor Andrew Lewis Taylor (born 20 January 1966) is a British multi-instrumentalist musician, born and raised in Barnet, North London, England, in the late 1960s. He started in the music business as a guitarist touring with the psychedelic rock band ...

;

Heatwave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in th ...

;

Freeez Freeez were an English electronic music group, initially known as one of the UK's main jazz-funk bands of the early 1980s. Initiated by John Rocca, Freeez consisted of various musicians, originally with Rocca and others such as Andy Stennett ( ...

; and Young Disciples. In 2013, Knight appeared on the 2013 album from The Overtones, entitled ''Saturday Night at the Movies'', which reached the

top 5. Knight featured on the song "

Hit the Road, Jack Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from ''Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization i ...

". On 9 September 2013, Knight took over the role of Rachel Marron (played by

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...

in the original 1992 film) from performer Heather Headley in the musical adaptation of '' The Bodyguard''. Knight was nominated for Best Takeover in a Role at the Whatsonstage.com Awards as a result. Her run performing the role finished on 31 May 2014. On 21 February 2014, it was confirmed that Knight would star in the new West End production of ''

'' at the Shaftesbury Theatre, opening on 23 October 2014, following previews from 9 October 2014. In January 2015 producers announced that Knight would extend her performing in ''Memphis'' until July 2015. In 2015, it was announced that she would play Grizabella in the 2015 revival of '' Cats'' at the London Palladium. She performed a song from ''Cats'' as part of the 2015 Royal Variety Performance. On 27 October 2015, it was announced that East West Records had signed Knight to release her eighth studio album, '' Soulsville'', which was released on 10 June 2016. The album includes a duet with

Jamie Cullum Jamie Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He has recorded nine stu ...

and features covers of classic soul songs by William Bell and

Judy Clay Judy Clay (September 12, 1938 – July 19, 2001)
Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved September 11, 2016. was an American < ...

, Big Mama Thornton, Sam & Dave, Ann Peebles and

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later ...

, as well as some original tracks co-written by Knight. Upon release, ''Soulsville'' reached the Top 10 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

and the Scottish Albums Chart. Knight returned to the West End in ''The Bodyguard'' musical on 15 July 2016 for a limited six-month run.

2017–present: BBC Proms, Leading Ladies, ''BK25'', and onwards

Knight was one of the guest artists at a BBC Prom in 2017, celebrating the soul music of

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

. Alongside host Jools Holland, his Orchestra, James Morrison,

Ruby Turner Francella Ruby Turner MBE (born 22 June 1958) is a British Jamaican R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and actress. In a music career spanning more than 30 years, Turner is best known for her album and single releases in Europe and North Ame ...

and

Sir Tom Jones Sir Thomas Jones Woodward (born 7 June 1940), known professionally as Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer. His career began with a string of top-ten hits in the mid-1960s. He has toured regularly, with appearances in Las Vegas (1967–2011). Jones's ...

, the show also featured some of Stax's greatest living artists ( William Bell,

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known art ...

, Steve Cropper, Sam Moore and

Eddie Floyd Edward Lee Floyd (born June 25, 1937) is an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s, including the No. 1 R&B hit song " Knock on Wood". Biography Floyd was born in ...

). Knight performed five times during the concert: " Sweet Soul Music" (with Jones and Morrison and again with the whole ensemble), " B-A-B-Y", duetted with Bell on " Private Number" and Moore on "

Hold On, I'm Comin' ''Hold On, I'm Comin is the 1966 debut album by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave, issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax label in 1966. The album reached number one on the ''Billboard'' R&B Albums chart and number 45 on the ''Billboa ...

". In 2017, Knight teamed up with British singer Cassidy Janson and American actress Amber Riley to form a musical theatre supergroup, known collectively as the " Leading Ladies". Their debut album, ''

Songs from the Stage ''Songs from the Stage'' is the debut album from British-American girl group Leading Ladies, featuring Amber Riley, Beverley Knight and Cassidy Janson. The album was released on 17 November 2017. It was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2018 ...

'', was released on 17 November 2017 and features covers songs from '' Cats'', ''

Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

'' and '' Rent'' among others. In 2019, Knight was announced to star as

Faye Treadwell Faye Treadwell (born Fayrene Lavern Johnson, 5 September 1926 - 22 May 2011) was the manager of The Drifters. Treadwell was one of the first African-American women managers. Early life Fayrene Johnson was born on 5 September 1926 in Okolona, Ark ...

, the manager of

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in ...

, in the new West End-bound musical '' The Drifters Girl''. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the production received a delayed opening at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ' ...

in November 2021, following a limited run at the

Theatre Royal, Newcastle The Theatre Royal is a historic theatre, a Grade I listed building situated on Grey Street in Newcastle upon Tyne. History The theatre was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green as part of Richard Grainger's grand design for the c ...

. She received her second Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical in 2022. On 8 November 2019, Knight released a live album, ''BK25'' which was recorded in May 2019 at the Royal Festival Hall in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

with the

Leo Green Leo Green (born 30 August 1972) is a British musician and broadcaster. Saxophonist and orchestra leader Green played with Van Morrison's band. Green plays saxophone and sings in his own band. In 2010 guitarist Jeff Beck said, "Leo Green has ...

Orchestra. The albums celebrates Knight's 25 years of music. On 13 November 2020, Knight performed as part of

...
Children in Need 2020 singing Pink Floyd's " Wish You Were Here". Knight performed a concert with a small audience at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

in Summer 2021, which aimed test new measures limiting the spread of COVID-19 in theatres. From February 2022, Knight was part of the judging panel on ITV's ''Starstruck'', a revived and reformatted version of ''

Stars in Their Eyes ''Stars in Their Eyes'' is a British television talent series, based on Joop van den Ende's Dutch format ''Soundmixshow''. It featured a singing contest in which members of the public impersonate showbiz stars. The show premiered on 21 July 1 ...

''.

Creativity and influences

As Knight grew up in a

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

environment of Jamaican descent, music – especially gospel music – became a staple part of her childhood. She entered the gospel choir of her local church at just four years of age and eventually became the musical director before she left in her late teens. Her musical education continued at home, where her family would often sing together around the piano and listen to music from their favourite gospel and soul artists such as Sam Cooke. In 2005, Knight revisited her childhood when she hosted ''Beverley's Gospel Nights'', a BBC Radio 2 series exploring gospel music. Featuring interviews with artists such as Shirley Caesar,

Percy Sledge Percy Tyrone Sledge (November 25, 1940 – April 14, 2015) was an American R&B, soul and gospel singer. He is best known for the song " When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 196 ...

and Destiny's Child stars

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 best-selling girl groups of all time. During the gr ...

and Michelle Williams, the six-part series explored the roots of gospel music and the impact it had upon the black community. Such was the success of the show that a second six-part series was commissioned and began in March 2006 and featured new interviews with artists such as Candi Staton, David McAlmont and Marvin Winans. Knight's interview technique and her ability to get her guests to open up and discuss issues in their personal lives such as domestic violence and depression received favourable reviews and led the '' Radio Times'' to comment "Knight's passion for the music is obvious – but so is her warmth, which makes her a rarity among interviewers."Anderson, Jane, '' Radio Times'', 27 March 2006. Retrieved 6 May 2006. Beverley hosted two more series of ''Gospel Nights'' for Radio 2 (which were produced by her DJ friend Asante). Guests included Candi Staton, Mavis Staples, Smokey Norful, Gary Hinds of

Sounds of Blackness Sounds of Blackness is a vocal and instrumental ensemble from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota who perform music from several genres music including gospel, R&B, soul, and jazz. The group scored several hits on the ''Billboard'' R&B and Hot Dan ...

and

The Mighty Clouds of Joy The Mighty Clouds of Joy are an American traditional gospel music quartet. Joe Ligon Bio: Willie Joe Ligon was born on October 11, 1936, and died on December 11, 2016 (80 years, 2 months). He dedicated his life to Jesus making many hit songs ...

. The first artist to make an impact upon Knight was one of the true founders of contemporary gospel and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

, Sam Cooke. Despite his untimely death in 1964, his music endured and became a staple part of Knight's childhood: The impact of Cooke can be seen throughout Knight's career as she has often performed and recorded Cooke classics, the most notable of which is " A Change Is Gonna Come". The track, which came to exemplify the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

in the 1960s, has featured in many of Knight's live performances (usually with the aid of the London Community Gospel Choir) and she even recorded a studio version with musician Jools Holland, which featured on his ''Small World, Big Band Volume 2'' album. Another major influence in Knight's childhood was Aretha Franklin. Besides leading a tribute to Franklin at the BBC's ''Music of the Millennium'' concert in 1999, Knight has recorded several of Franklin's tracks, most notably " Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and "

Think In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to conscious cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, an ...

", both of which were released as B-sides on Knight's singles " Rewind (Find a Way)" and " Made It Back 99" respectively. It was Franklin's vocal delivery that has most had an impact upon Knight: Knight has also recorded songs of other artists such as Stevie Wonder (whose "Love's in Need of Love Today" featured on the Warchild album ''Hope'') and

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

(whose "Hard Times" appeared on

Courtney Pine Courtney Pine, (born 18 March 1964), is a British jazz musician, who was the principal founder in the 1980s of the black British band the Jazz Warriors. Although known primarily for his saxophone playing, Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also ...

's ''Back in the Day'' album). But this influence has also manifested itself on stage where Knight often incorporates songs by her heroines such as

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...

Feelin' Good "Feeling Good" (also known as "Feelin' Good") is a song written by English composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the musical ''The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd''. It was first performed on stage in 1964 by Cy Gr ...

"), Chaka Khan (" I Feel For You" and " Sweet Thing") and

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

(" God Bless the Child") into her live performances. In addition to the pioneering soul and gospel artists of the mid-20th century, modern artists such as Mary J. Blige and D'Angelo have also played a role in shaping Knight's musical outlook. The most significant of her contemporary peers comes in the form of

, a man she describes as one of her heroes: "Prince goes back to me listening to preachers when I was a child, who tell a story to illustrate a point...the first song I heard by him was '

Little Red Corvette "Little Red Corvette" is a song by American recording artist Prince. The song combines a Linn LM-1 beat and slow synth buildup with a rock chorus, over which Prince, using several automobile metaphors, recalls a one-night stand with a beautiful ...

', when I was nine. Of course, I didn't have a clue about what he was singing about; the sexuality is implicit and I love that." The influence of Prince, whom Knight even mentions on her '' Prodigal Sista'' and '' Who I Am'' album sleeves, can be seen throughout her back catalogue with songs such as " Get Up!", "Hurricane Jane" and "Supersonic" being compared to Prince due to their mix of funk and soul. Throughout her childhood, Knight's musical exposure developed as she got older. Gospel led to soul, which led to funk which led to R&BStatement made on '' The Paul O'Grady Show'',

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

, April 2006. – but growing up in the Midlands meant that she was exposed to many other influences: "It wasn't a case that there was a huge black community who all stuck together and only listened to

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

or R&B or strictly black music. I find that London is a bit more segregated. In Wolverhampton, black people weren't so segregated and I think that had a massive impact on my musical influences." This diversity is illustrated best by Knight's fourth studio album, '' Affirmation''. After working with

, the album had a more mainstream flavour compared to her previous albums and was led by the rock guitar driven single " Come as You Are". Although the song became her highest charting single to date, Knight was largely criticised by urban radio and media for moving too far away from her urban sound. Nevertheless, the song illustrated Knight's determined effort not to become boxed in and "ghettoised".

Discography

Solo albums * '' The B-Funk'' (1995) * '' Prodigal Sista'' (1998) * '' Who I Am'' (2002) * '' Affirmation'' (2004) * '' Music City Soul'' (2007) * '' 100% (Beverley Knight album), 100%'' (2009) * '' Soul UK'' (2011) * '' Soulsville'' (2016) * ''BK25'' (2019) (live album) with the Leading Ladies * ''

'' (2017) Musical Soundtracks * '' Memphis: Original London Cast Recording'' (2015) * '' The Drifters Girl: World Premiere Cast Recording'' (2022)

Tours

* 2002 – Who I Am Tour * 2002 – Beverley Knight Tour * 2005 – Affirmation Tour * 2006 – Voice – The Best of Tour * 2007 – Music City Soul Tour * 2009–10 – 100% Tour * 2011 – Soul UK Tour * 2016 – Soulsville Tour * 2019 – Friday Night is Music Night presents: The Songs of Stevie Wonder starring Beverley Knight

Stage

Achievements

Accolades

Knight appointed a

in the

2006 Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 2006 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 17 June 2006, to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2006.Antigua & Barbuda list: The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, an ...

for services to music. The award was bestowed by Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in February 2007. After the ceremony Knight remarked that the recognition "reflects not only on my whole career but the work I do for charities, which is immensely important to me. I do not do that to be awarded for it, I just do it because it's in my heart, but to be recognised for it, hopefully will put the magnifying glass on to them as well". In September 2005 Knight was presented with an honorary degree from the

"in recognition of her outstanding contribution to music and the local community, and in recognition of her extensive charity work." Upon being made a

, she stated she was proud to be black, female, and British, adding: "it is still all me, I have not forgotten my roots." On 7 January 2010 Knight won an edition of the BBC's television quiz series '' Celebrity Mastermind'', answering questions on "The Life and Times of

". Knight's chosen charity for the show was the Terrence Higgins Trust. She performed "I Am What I Am" on Wednesday 29 August 2012 at the Paralympics Opening Ceremony. On 16 May 2018, Knight was presented with the Freedom of the City of

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

. Knight said "this personal award which I'm able to share with the whole city is beautiful. I was born and raised in Wolverhampton and to have such an accolade given to me is seismic". On Twitter the following day, Knight continued "I am now an honorary Freeman of the City of Wolverhampton. There are only around 30 in the city's history. Disclaimer: My eye are red from tears of joy".

Awards and nominations

Personal life

Beverley Knight is a keen supporter of home city football club

Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

Knight married her boyfriend, James O'Keefe, on 8 September 2012. She is a supporter of the Labour Party.Jenny Matthews
"Who's backing whom at the election?"
, BBC, 21 April 2005.

References

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External links

*
Official SiteBeverley Knight 2016 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Beverley 1973 births Living people English mezzo-sopranos English radio DJs British contemporary R&B singers English women singer-songwriters English soul singers English people of Jamaican descent Members of the Order of the British Empire Parlophone artists Musicians from Wolverhampton 20th-century Black British women singers Sony Music Publishing artists Neo soul singers LGBT rights activists from England Musicians from the West Midlands (county) Labour Party (UK) people 21st-century Black British women singers British women radio presenters East West Records artists Leading Ladies (group) members