2 on the pop chart in 1997 for LeAnn Rimes and No. McKnight also cited the Diane Warren ballad “How Do I Live,’ which went No. 1 on the pop chart in 1994 for the R&B group All-For-One. 1 country ballad in 1993 for John Michael Montgomery that also went No. A key example from earlier that decade: “I Swear,” a No. He was aware at the time that occasionally, a song could be recorded by two different artists and both can chart in different places. Since the Hot 100 was a combination of radio airplay and single sales at the time, this kept his song from hitting that magical top spot. 1 in radio airplay,” McKnight noted, but his label Motown at the time chose not to release a single because it wanted to drive CD sales back when that was a big deal. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, kept out of the top spot by “Smooth,” another future classic by Santana featuring Rob Thomas. “It’s taken pressure off my life and my career.”īack during his peak hit-making days in the 1990s, he generated one song that has become his signature tune: 1999′s “Back to One.” It spent a whopping eight weeks ironically peaked at No. “We’re together every second of the day,” he said. Leilani does accompany McKnight to all his concerts. My wife and I want to do more things we want to do as opposed to things we have to do.” Now after 18 months off, I think we can be more selective. “I realize I don’t have to work as much,” he said. The pandemic did shift his viewpoint on touring, which involves some solo work at places like City Winery, where he can take requests, and a full-band affair like what he’s doing at Mable House. “It kind of sounds today but it’s still my melodies.” “It’s as close as I could go without crossing that line production wise,” he said. So McKnight’s most recent single from 2021, the ballad “Faithfully,” has some modern elements but remains very much in McKnight’s wheelhouse. “They’ll tell you you’re too old, you’re a has-been.” “If you try to do the music the kids are doing now, they’ll call you out on it,” he said. Then again, he knows getting another big radio hit at his age (53) is not likely, noting that age discrimination remains alive and well when it comes to new music. That’s how I did things the first 10 years.” “Once you have one hit, all you want is more hits. “There’s a difference between writing something for monetary gain and writing from the heart,” he said. He said after writing and recording a series of R&B hits in the early 1990s such as “The Way Love Goes” and his Vanessa Williams duet “Love Is,” he felt the pressure to chase more radio hits. His motives today for writing music are different from what they were when he was building his career. “I couldn’t have done that earlier in my career. (He was previously married to his college sweetheart for 13 years.) “The new music talks about love being forever,” he said. But he said the music he has written since he met his wife explores love in a more meaningful way.
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