Chris Knight (born June 24, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter from Slaughters, Kentucky. In addition to releasing solo records of his own material, Knight has had a successful career writing songs that have been recorded by Confederate Railroad, John Anderson, and Randy Travis among others.[1][2]
Chris Knight | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Chris Knight |
| Born | June 24, 1960 St Louis, Missouri United States |
| Genres | Rock Folk rock Country rock Americana |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Decca Dualtone Drifter's Church Productions |
| Website | www |
Biography
editEarly life
editKnight was born in St. Louis, Missouri,[3] and grew up in Slaughters, Kentucky.[1] His extended family lives in the same area of Kentucky. Knight has three brothers and a sister. His father was a pipe liner.[4]
When he was three years old, he asked for a plastic guitar for Christmas. At 15, he became serious and began teaching himself John Prine songs on his older brother's guitar.[5] In an interview, Knight commented "At one point I could play probably 35–40 John Prine songs."[6]
Knight earned a degree in agriculture from Western Kentucky University. He worked for ten years as a mine reclamation inspector and as a miner's consultant for the Kentucky Department of Surface Mining.[7]
Music career
editKnight started composing when he was 26, but didn't start performing until he was 30. He got his first record deal when he was 37.[8]
Nashville
editIn 1986, he heard Steve Earle on the radio and decided to start writing songs. After six years he came to Nashville and won a spot on a songwriters' night at the Bluebird Cafe.[5]
He attracted the interest of music producer Frank Liddell, who signed him to a contract with Bluewater Music. When Decca Records hired Liddell for an A&R position, Knight received a contract and in 1998 Decca released his self-titled debut. Knight still lived in a 10'-x-15' trailer[8] on 90 acres (36 ha) in Slaughters when the album was released.[5] Decca folded at the end of the 1990s, only two years after Knight joined the label. After a couple years without a label, Knight signed with Dualtone Music Group.
Knight licensed his music to Dualtone Records for two records, then decided to release his music independently with the help of his manager.[2]
Texas
editKnight is well known and because of his particular fame in Texas, was named an "Honorary Texan" in 2006 by Texas Governor Rick Perry.[9]
Early releases
editHe recorded his first demo tapes, bootlegged—and then self-released—while living alone in a trailer on his property outside Slaughters.[10] Called The Trailer Tapes, they were officially released in 2007.[11] They were one of his best-selling records.[12]
Little Victories
editIt took Knight four years to release Little Victories in 2012. Knight's former Decca labelmate Lee Ann Womack collaborated with him on "You Lie When You Call My Name."[13] Long-time musical hero John Prine sings on the title track.[14] Buddy Miller plays guitar and sings on two tracks: "Missing You" and "Nothing on Me."[15]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [16] |
US [17] |
US Heat [18] |
US Indie [19] | |||
| Chris Knight |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| A Pretty Good Guy |
|
— | — | — | — | |
| The Jealous Kind |
|
67 | — | — | — | |
| Enough Rope |
|
— | — | 49 | 48 | |
| The Trailer Tapes |
|
68 | — | 40 | — | |
| Heart of Stone |
|
37 | — | 7 | 31 | |
| Trailer II |
|
64 | — | — | — | |
| Little Victories |
|
25 | 148 | 4 | 33 |
|
| Almost Daylight |
|
— | — | 3 | 12 |
|
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||
Singles
edit
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Framed" | Chris Knight |
| "It Ain't Easy Being Me" | ||
| 2001 | "Becky's Bible" | A Pretty Good Guy |
| 2002 | "Oil Patch Town" | |
| 2003 | "The Jealous Kind" | The Jealous Kind |
| 2006 | "Cry Lonely" | Enough Rope |
| 2012 | "In the Mean Time" | Little Victories |
Music videos
edit| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Framed" | Roger Pistole |
| "It Ain't Easy Being Me" | ||
| 2002 | "Oil Patch Town" | |
| 2006 | "Cry Lonely" | Milton Sneed |
| 2013 | "In the Mean Time"[22] | James Weems |
Songs written or co-written by Knight
edit- "A Pretty Good Guy" – Fred Eaglesmith
- "A Train Not Running" – Stacy Dean Campbell
- "Becky's Bible" – Jason Savory
- "Cry Lonely" – Cross Canadian Ragweed
- "Heart of Stone" – Dan Baird
- "Highway Junkie" – Randy Travis, Gary Allan, The Yayhoos, The Von Ehrics
- "I Don't Want to Hang Out With Me" – Confederate Railroad
- "It Ain't Easy Being Me" – John Anderson, Jason McCoy, and Blake Shelton
- "Love and Gasoline" and "She's Leaving This Town" – The Great Divide
- "Love at 90 Miles an Hour" – Ty Herndon
- "She Couldn't Change Me" – Montgomery Gentry
- "The Hammer Goin Down" – The Road Hammers
- "Devil behind the wheel - Matraca Berg
Television appearances
editIn 2015, Chris Knight was featured in Season 1, Episode 2 of CarbonTV's original series, American Elements.[23]
References
edit- ^ a b "Lonesome Highway lines up a treat with Kentucky Chris". Edinburgh Evening News. January 19, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ a b Banister, C. Eric (October 23, 2008). "Something to Keep Me Going – A Conversation with Chris Knight". AmericanRoots.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ shane e. calhoon (February 1, 2017), chris knight 2011 09 30 st louis, mo, archived from the original on December 15, 2021, retrieved March 20, 2017
- ^ Mayshark, Jesse Fox (September–October 2001). "Kentucky straight • Chris Knight has no tall tales to tell, but his characters speak volumes". No Depression. The Long Way Around (Feature) (35). Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ a b c Wahlert, Brian. "Chris Knight – Biography – All Music". Allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ^ "Chris Knight interview & three tracks from Almost Daylight". Americana Music Show. September 2, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ Tarradell, Mario. "Interviews: Chris Knight". Lone Star Music. Archived from the original on April 15, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ a b Lynch, Bill (July 17, 2013). "Chris Knight makes music on his terms". Charleston Gazette, The (WV). Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ^ Nichols, Patrick (July 20, 2006). "Album Review: Chris Knight, Enough Rope". this is texas music. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ Frazier, Chip (September 21, 2012). "Chris Night – Small Victories". Twangville. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ Dickens, Tad (November 16, 2009). "Chris Knight has won over fans". Roanoke Times, The (VA).
- ^ Chancellor, Jennifer (September 14, 2010). "Chris Knight sets Cain's Ballroom show date". Tulsa World (OK).
- ^ Dauphin, Chuck (September 21, 2012). "Chris Knight Scores 'Little Victories,' First Album in 4 Years". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ Shelburne, Craig (September 21, 2012). "Chris Knight Takes Pride in Little Victories". CMT Edge. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ Harrison, Alan (September 20, 2012). "CD Review – Chris Knight "Little Victories"". No Depression. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ^ "Chris Knight > Chart History > Top Country Albums". Billboard.
- ^ "Chris Knight > Chart History > Billboard 200". Billboard.
- ^ "Chris Knight > Chart History > Heatseekers Albums". Billboard.
- ^ "Chris Knight > Chart History > Independent Albums". Billboard.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (September 19, 2019). "Chart News For September 19 2012: A "Tornado" of Success For Little Big Town". RoughStock. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (October 21, 2019). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: October 21, 2019". RoughStock. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Chris Knight : In the Mean Time". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on January 11, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Chris Knight : American Elements". CarbonTV. Retrieved February 4, 2016.