Jonathan Knight

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Jonathan Knight
Jonathan Knight 2011 (cropped).jpg
Knight in 2011
Background information
Birth nameJonathan Rashleigh Knight
Born (1968-11-29) November 29, 1968 (age 55)
Origin Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres Pop
OccupationsSinger
Years active1984–1994, 2008–present
Labels Columbia (1984–1994)
Interscope (2008–present)
Member of New Kids on the Block
Spouse(s)
Harley Rodriguez
(m. 2022)
Website www.nkotb.com

Jonathan Rashleigh Knight-Rodriguez (born November 29, 1968) [1] is an American pop singer. He is best known for being a member of the boy band New Kids on the Block. The band also includes his younger brother Jordan, and members Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, and Danny Wood. He is the oldest member of the band and the first to leave it in 1994 prior to their official split.

Contents

Early life

Jonathan Knight was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Canadian parents. (His father, an Episcopal priest, is from Meaford, Ontario; his mother is from Dunnville, Ontario. [2] ) He is one of six children, including Allison, Sharon, David, Christopher and Jordan.

New Kids on the Block

From 1986 until 1994, Knight was a member of the American boy band New Kids on the Block (NKOTB). They went on to sell over 80 million records worldwide before splitting in 1994 after he left during the tour for their 1994 album Face the Music . The group attempted to continue the tour claiming Jonathan had been badly hurt by a horse, but in a press conference a few weeks later, they revealed that they were actually splitting. [3]

Knight at the 1990 Grammy Awards Jonathan Knight at the 1990 Grammy Awards cropped.jpg
Knight at the 1990 Grammy Awards

In the spring of 2008, Knight returned to show business, reuniting with the other four members of New Kids on the Block. They released their seventh album (and first in 14 years), The Block , on September 2, 2008. To confirm their reunion and announce the new album, they performed live together for the first time in fifteen years on the Today show [4] [5] on May 16, 2008.

A world tour was scheduled to follow the new release and began in Toronto on September 18, 2008. The first single from it, "Summertime", performed well worldwide peaking at #9 in Canada and breaking the top 30 in the U.S. charts (#24 as a digital download). They released "Single", their second single from The Block in August 2008. [6]

Personal life

Jonathan is the older brother of fellow New Kids on the Block band mate Jordan Knight.

In the years after the group first disbanded, Knight worked as a real estate investor living in Essex, Massachusetts; no longer in the spotlight, he rarely made public appearances or gave interviews. In 2000, he revealed that he suffered from generalized anxiety disorder since his early career with New Kids on the Block. [3] He has since sought medical help and his health has improved. [7] In 2011, he appeared on MTV reality series True Life to help a fan suffering from panic disorder.

In 2009, the National Enquirer published an article from his ex-boyfriend Kyle Wilker, who outed him as gay without his consent. Jonathan Knight said, "I have lived my life very openly and have never hidden the fact that I am gay." [8] In a statement on the New Kids on the Block blog, he added, "Apparently the prerequisite to being a gay public figure is to appear on the cover of a magazine with the caption 'I am gay'. I apologize for not doing so if this is what was expected!" [9]

Since 2008, Knight has been in a relationship with Harley Rodriguez, best known for playing Manny Lopez in the Sweet Valley High television series. [10] [11] The two participated in the 26th season of the reality competition series The Amazing Race , which aired on CBS in early 2015, where they placed 9th. [12] On November 15, 2016, while vacationing in Africa, the two became engaged when Knight proposed to Rodriguez. [13] In March 2021, Knight began hosting the HGTV television show Farmhouse Fixer, in which he restores old New England farmhouses for clients. [14]

In an August 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Knight revealed that he and Rodriguez had married. [15]

Discography

New Kids on the Block albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Kids on the Block</span> American boy band

New Kids on the Block is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and early 1990s and have sold more than 80 million records worldwide, and are often credited for paving the way for future boy bands such as Take That, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. They won two American Music Awards in 1990 for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group and Favorite Pop/Rock Album. In 1991, they performed the halftime show at Super Bowl XXV, a first for a popular music group.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donnie Wahlberg</span> American singer and actor (born 1969)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Knight</span> American pop singer (born 1970)

Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight is an American pop singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist of the boy band New Kids on the Block (NKOTB), which rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, using a falsetto style of singing influenced by The Stylistics. After New Kids on the Block split in 1994, he launched a solo career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey McIntyre</span> American singer and actor (born 1972)

Joseph Mulrey McIntyre is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the youngest member of the pioneering boy band New Kids on the Block. He has sold over one million records worldwide as a solo artist and worked in film, television, and stage, including performing on Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Please Don't Go Girl</span> 1988 single by New Kids on the Block

"Please Don't Go Girl" is a 1988 song by American boyband New Kids on the Block. The lead vocals were sung by Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight, and spoken by Danny Wood, but the majority of the lyrics were sung by Joey McIntyre. Written and produced by Maurice Starr, it was the first release from their second album, Hangin' Tough (1988), and also became the group's first commercial hit. "Please Don't Go Girl" first rose from #62 to #46, on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart during the week of July 30, 1988. The single was the first major commercial exposure of the group, resulting in somewhat of a slow, but steady climb. The single eventually peaked at #10 the week of October 8, 1988. In 1997, Aaron Carter covered this song and was featured on his international self-titled debut album.

Larry Curtis Johnson, better known by his stage name Maurice Starr, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his production work for boy bands New Edition and New Kids on the Block. He was fired by New Edition for embezzling funds.

<i>Face the Music</i> (New Kids on the Block album) 1994 studio album by NKOTB

Face the Music is the fifth studio album by American boyband New Kids on the Block, released on January 25, 1994. The album debuted at number 37 on the Billboard 200 in the United States, with first-week sales of 27,000 copies. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album had sold 138,000 copies in the US as of 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If You Go Away (New Kids on the Block song)</span> 1991 single by NKOTB

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirty Dawg</span> 1993 single by NKOTB

"Dirty Dawg" is a song by American boyband NKOTB, which became their final single to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 until the 2008 single "Summertime". It was featured on their 1994 album Face the Music. The lead vocals were sung by Jordan Knight and Donnie Wahlberg rapped in the song, but he rapped only small bits during the instrumental breaks. There was another rap in the song featured by the former East Coast hip hop duo Nice & Smooth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summertime (New Kids on the Block song)</span> 2008 single by New Kids on the Block

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Never Let You Go (New Kids on the Block song)</span> 1994 single by NKOTB

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References

  1. "UPI Almanac for Friday, Nov. 29, 2019". United Press International . November 29, 2019. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020. …singer Jonathan Knight in 1968 (age 51)
  2. "New Kids on the Block member Jordan Knight talks to omg! Canada about his Canadian connection". OMG! . October 1, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2022 via Yahoo! News.
  3. 1 2 Tauber, Michelle (November 20, 2000). "Renewed Kid". People . Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  4. Mascia, Kristen (September 19, 2008). "NKOTB's Danny Wood: 'Opening Night Was Amazing'". People. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  5. Premuto, Nicole (May 16, 2008). "New Kids on the Block Return to Today for First Show in 15 Years". Rolling Stone . Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  6. "Artist Chart History — New Kids on the Block". Billboard . Retrieved February 8, 2009.
  7. Bottomley, C. (April 11, 2001). "Older Kids on the Comeback". MTV . Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  8. Wenn (January 29, 2011). "Knight: 'I never hid my sexuality'". contactmusic.com . Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  9. Pep, Steve (January 29, 2011). "Jonathan Knight: I have never hidden the fact that I am gay". Towleroad . Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  10. "Celebrity gossip juicy celebrity rumors Hollywood gossip blog from Perez Hilton » Blog Archive » Introducing…". perezhilton.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008.
  11. "Sounds like my first time". June 30, 2013.
  12. Nordyke, Kimberly (January 20, 2015). "'Amazing Race': NKOTB's Jonathan Knight Among Cast, New 'Date Night' Reward Added". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  13. Kimble, Elizabeth (November 15, 2016). "Making It Official: NKOTB's Jonathan Knight and Harley Rodriguez Are Engaged!". People. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  14. "Jonathan Knight Brings His Renovation Expertise to a New Show on HGTV". HGTV. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  15. "Jonathan Knight Reveals He Secretly Married His Longtime Boyfriend". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved January 22, 2024.