Take 6

Formed in 1980 on the Oakwood College campus in Huntsville, Alabama, Take 6 originally performed under the name Alliance before adopting its definitive name in the late 1980s upon signing with Warner Alliance. The American sextet developed an a cappella approach that blends gospel, vocal jazz, R&B and contemporary Christian music, with a tight emphasis on harmony, counterpoint, scat, vocal bass and rhythm carried entirely by the voices. Centered on Claude V. McKnight III, Mark Kibble, Alvin Chea and David Thomas, the lineup later stabilized with the arrival of Joey Kibble in 1991 and Khristian Dentley in 2004. Take 6 made an impact with Take 6 (1988) and continued that direction on So Much 2 Say (1990), He Is Christmas (1991) and Join the Band (1994), before broadening its repertoire with arrangements mixing standards, soul and jazz on Brothers (1996), The Standard (2008), One (2012), Believe (2016) and Iconic (2018). Active both in gospel circuits and on jazz stages, Take 6 has collaborated with Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau and The Manhattan Transfer, while maintaining a vocal identity based on ensemble precision and a balance of spirituality, swing and harmonic sophistication.