Brian McKnight

In my family on my mother’s side we’re all church musicians first so I don’t remember a time when we weren’t doing something musical. My brothers and I sang in a little quartet, my aunts and uncles sang and my grandfather was a minister of music in our church, so walking and talking was like doing music for us.

I’m not like a legend that – so I’m sort of in the middle in this sort of gray area where, you know, I’m creating music, and I’m not saying there isn’t an audience, because there is; because all of those people go out and spend $80 to $150 on a concert ticket.

I was a nerd academically. But I was also an athlete and a musician. I never wanted to be shut out of any situation. I think it was that more than anything.

I think they can co-exist. You don’t have to put one down for another. I’ve been bitten by the acting bug, and where it takes me, it won’t take away from the music.

My fans are the best in the world! They’ve grown up with me and stayed with me through this entire journey.

I went back and listened to the first three albums I made and tried to figure out what was special about them, why people keep going back to them. I think it was because I didn’t know what I was doing. I had no idea if they were going to play it on the radio or anything. All I did was write songs, so that’s what I got back to.

I have no elitist concepts about Jazz. I would not be the musician I am today without experiencing invaluable music styles that are at the roots of African American black life and culture.

Jazz music is the real deal.

The more you listen, the more your hear.

It’s always Jazz. You can put a new dress on her, a new hat, but no matter what kind of clothes she’s the same old broad.

[on Glastonbury] I started off the show and I completely messed up the music. And me, as you can imagine by this phone call, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. So it really put me into a slightly depressed state.

A great song can pull me out of a slump and lighten my heart.

I don’t really look at my career in terms of highlights and low lights. I think I’m at this place right now and to be at this place right now I’ve had to go through many obstacles and lots of highs and lows and for me it’s about the entire journey.

Jazz is played from the heart. You can even live by it. Always love it.

It’s all music.

Music comes from the moment, it is spontaneous, it exists at the time it is created.

I don’t do something because I think it will sell 30 million albums. I couldn’t care less. If it sells one, it sells one.

If you’re gonna sing meaningful songs, you have to be committed to living a life that backs that up.

I’ve never written a political song. Songs can’t save the world. I’ve gone through all that.

Know the business; you need to know the business side of things.

Music and song are, in my opinion, so fine and necessary a part of life that without them we cannot be said really to live at all.