The group sings in a contemporary style, integrating R&B and jazz influences into their devotional songs and has 10 Grammy wins, 10 Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two NAACP Image Award nominations. They won Grammy Awards in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, and 2003 and have collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Don Henley, Ray Charles, Queen Latifah, Joe Sample, Quincy Jones, Marcus Miller and Gordon Goodwin.
In 1980, Claude McKnight formed an a cappella quartet, The Gentlemen's Estate Quartet, at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, a Seventh-Day Adventist College, where he was a freshman. He auditioned fellow students for the hobby group. The Gentlemen were rehearsing in a campus bathroom (later said to be in Peterson Hall), getting ready for a performance, when Mark Kibble walked by and heard them singing. He joined the harmonizing, adding a fifth part, and ended up singing with them onstage that very night.[1] Mark later invited Mervyn Warren to join the group. The group performed under the moniker "Alliance".
The group performed in local churches and on campus over the next years, with members changing due to college's inevitable comings and goings. In 1985, the lower half of the group (bass, baritone, and second tenor) left upon graduating. At that time, Alvin Chea, Cedric Dent, and David Thomas joined.
The group was signed to Warner Brothers in 1987, and quickly changed its name to "Take 6" after a name search revealed that "Alliance" was already being used. Their eponymous debut album, released in 1988, won them two Grammy Awards and resulted in top ten appearances on both the Billboard Contemporary Jazz and Contemporary Christian Charts. Take 6's swinging, harmony-rich gospel sound attracted a flurry of attention, and the group went on to record or appear with a number of luminaries, including Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald and Stevie Wonder.
In 1991, after the release of their second album, So Much 2 Say, Mervyn Warren left the group to pursue a career as a producer. Joey Kibble, Mark's younger brother, was invited to round out the vocal lineup. The group added instrumentation to their purely a cappella sound beginning with the record He Is Christmas; Join The Band and Brothers continued their streak of success, and Take 6 amassed a total of seven Grammys and eight Dove awards, as well as topping the Downbeat Magazine's Reader's and Critic's poll for seven years' consecutively.
Take 6's 1998 release, So Cool, brought the group back to its a cappella origins.
In 2006 the group launched Take 6 Records and the 2006 release Feels Good was released on that label.
The group currently lists Nashville, Tennessee as its home.[2] All members grew up Seventh-Day Adventist.[
A Tisket A Tasket
Take 6 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A green and yellow basket
I send a letter to my mommy
On the way I dropped it
I dropped it, I dropped it
Yes, on the way I dropped it
A little girlie picked it up
She was truckin' on down the avenue
Without a single thing to do
She went peck, peck, peckin' all around
When she spied it on the ground
She took it, she took it
She took my yellow basket
And if she doesn't bring it back
I think that I would die
A-tisket, a-tasket
A green and yellow basket
And if that girlie don't return it
Don't know what I'll do
Oh dear, I wonder where my basket can be
Oh gee, I wish that little girl I could see
Oh, why was I so careless with that basket of mine
That itty-bitty basket was a joy of mine
A-tisket, a-tasket
I lost my yellow basket
Won't someone help me find my basket
And make me happy again
(Was it green?) no no no no
(Was it red?) no no no no
(Was it blue?) no no no no
Just a little yellow basket
A little yellow basket
The lyrics of "A Tisket A Tasket" by Take 6 is about a person who lost their green and yellow basket while sending a letter to their mother. As they were walking, they accidentally dropped it, and a little girl picked it up and took it with her. The person then becomes worried that the girl may not return it and wonders where their basket could be. They ask for help in finding it and becoming happy again.
The lyrics describe the importance and value that people place on their possessions. The little yellow basket was not just an ordinary object; it was a joy to the person who lost it. It also shows how something seemingly small and insignificant can hold so much meaning to a person. The use of repetition in the lyrics such as "I dropped it, I dropped it" and "no no no no" adds a catchy rhythm to the song, making it more memorable to the listener.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was originally a 1938 song recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and written by Fitzgerald and the song's arranger, Van Alexander. It was based on a nursery rhyme that was popular in the United States in the late 1800s. Another interesting fact is that the song became popular again in the 1990s when it was used in a commercial for a grocery store chain, Big Y World Class Markets. The song was also featured in various films and TV shows, including an episode of The Simpsons.
Line by Line Meaning
A-tisket, a-tasket
I was carrying a yellow basket
A green and yellow basket
The basket was colored green and yellow
I send a letter to my mommy
I was on my way to send a letter to my mom
On the way I dropped it
I accidentally dropped the basket along the way
I dropped it, I dropped it
Yes, I really did drop it
Yes, on the way I dropped it
I'm not lying, the basket fell out of my hands
A little girlie picked it up
A young girl saw the basket on the ground and picked it up
And took put it in her pocket
She put the basket in her pocket and continued walking
She was truckin' on down the avenue
The girl was walking quickly down the street
Without a single thing to do
She didn't have anything else to occupy her time with
She went peck, peck, peckin' all around
As she walked, she kept looking around
When she spied it on the ground
Finally, she noticed the basket on the ground
She took it, she took it
The girl took my basket
And if she doesn't bring it back
If she doesn't return the basket
I think that I would die
I will be very upset and distraught
And if that girlie don't return it
If that girl doesn't bring back my basket
Don't know what I'll do
I am unsure of how to proceed
Oh dear, I wonder where my basket can be
I am worried and concerned about the whereabouts of my basket
Oh gee, I wish that little girl I could see
I want to meet the girl who picked up my basket
Oh, why was I so careless with that basket of mine
I regret being careless and dropping my basket
That itty-bitty basket was a joy of mine
The small basket brought me happiness
I lost my yellow basket
I misplaced or dropped the yellow basket
Won't someone help me find my basket
I am asking for assistance in locating the basket
And make me happy again
I will be happy if the basket is returned to me
(Was it green?) no no no no
The basket was not green
(Was it red?) no no no no
The basket was not red
(Was it blue?) no no no no
The basket was not blue
Just a little yellow basket
The basket was small and yellow
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ELLA FITZGERALD, VAN ALEXANDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind