Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Take 6 fuses R&B, pop, gospel and more to create unique renditions of seasonal favorites. The sextet will perform a holiday show at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N. 12th St.
Tickets are available now at http://liedcenter.org, by phone at 402-472-4747 or at the box office at 12th and Q streets. Tickets are available to students at a 50 percent discount with a valid NCard.
Take 6 is the most awarded a cappella group in history, with 10 Grammys, 10 Dove Awards (Gospel Music Awards), Best Jazz Vocal Group honors for seven consecutive years in Downbeat’s prestigious Reader’s and Critic’s Poll, a Soul Train Music Award, Black Radio Exclusive Vocal Group of the Year, two NAACP Image Award nominations and induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Heralded by Quincy Jones as the “baddest vocal cats on the planet,” Take 6 (Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley) is the quintessential a cappella group. Six voices unite in harmony against a backdrop of syncopated rhythms, innovative arrangements and funky grooves. With praise from such artists as Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald and Whitney Houston, the multi-platinum-selling group has toured across the globe and collaborated across genres.
Take 6 has come a long way from their days at Huntsville, Alabama’s Oakwood College, where McKnight formed the group as The Gentleman’s Estate Quartet in 1980. When tenor Mark Kibble heard the group rehearsing in the dorm bathroom, he joined in the harmonies and performed on stage that night. When Mervyn Warren joined shortly afterward, they took the name Alliance. Yet, when they signed to Reprise Records/Warner Bros. in 1987, they found that there was another group with the same name, so they became Take 6.
The group last performed at the Lied Center during the 2013-14 season. This year, they return to the Lied with a new program of holiday tunes showcasing their signature sound.
“We encourage everyone to consider making a live performing arts experience part of their family’s holiday traditions,” said Bill Stephan, executive director of the Lied Center. “Seeing a performance on the Lied Center stage is something you and your loved ones will remember forever, long after the holiday season has passed.”
