Chris Knight | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Chris Knight |
| Born | June 24, 1960 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock Folk rock Country rock Americana |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Decca Dualtone Drifter's Church Productions |
| Website | www |
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]
Knight 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]
Knight 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]
In 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]
Knight is well known and because of his particular fame in Texas, was named an "Honorary Texan" in 2006 by Texas Governor Rick Perry. [9]
He 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]
It 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]
| 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 | ||||||
| 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 |
| 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" | James Weems [22] |
| 2019 | "I'm William Callahan" | Nathaniel Maddux [23] |
In 2015, Chris Knight was featured in Season 1, Episode 2 of CarbonTV's original series, American Elements. [24]