Chris Knight (musician)

Chris Knight ( * June 24, 1960 in Slaughters, Kentucky) is an American singer and songwriter of alternative country.

Life

Chris Knight grew up in the mining town of Slaughters on in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Even as a three year old and he wanted a plastic guitar for Christmas - and at 15 he taught himself on the guitar his older brother dozens of John Prine songs on. After graduating in Agricultural Science at Western Kentucky University, he worked for ten years as an auditor and consultant in the field of restoration and reclamation of land which was burdened by mining. This activity continues to characterize his songs, as well as his growing up in rather poor circumstances: His work is permeated by characters who lost their land, live in trailer parks, who never had a chance or can no longer cope in changed circumstances.

In 1986, he heard Steve Earle on the radio - that changed his life radically. Because he started under this influence to start writing songs. It took another six years before he went to Nashville, where he immediately won the Songwriter's Night Contest at the legendary Bluebird Cafe. That brought him equal a record deal - with the mini- Label Bluewater Music. The producer, who had become aware in Nashville on Chris Knight, was hired shortly thereafter by Decca Records - and took the unknown songwriter. So the debut of Knight was released in 1998 on Decca. When the CD was released, Knight lived again in his home town in a caravan. But soon his name became known in the scene of alternative country, mainly in Texas - and in Europe. He was already after the first publications as a talented author and composer that grows a rare balancing act succeeds Chris Knight tells extremely concise, well-structured stories of real people, but they are packed in handy melodies and quite catchy song structures at Singer -songwriter genre are rare.

A larger audience but Knight was not at first known by its own publications. It was his songs that were recorded by other artists, and so gave him Reputation: Confederate Railroad, John Anderson, Fred Eaglesmith and Randy Travis took advantage of his compositions. His most famous song was She Could not Change Me, which was in the version of Montgomery Gentry to be a hit. Since he was especially popular in Texas, Governor Rick Perry appointed him an honorary Texan.

Discography

• Chris Knight ( 1998)
• A Pretty Good Guy ( 2001)
• The Jealous Kind (2003)
• Enough Rome ( 2006)
• The Trailer Tapes ( 2007)
• Heart Of Stone (2008)
• Trailer II (2009)
• Little Victories (2012 )