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.[
Harmony
Take 6 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the violin to the timpani all the parts play the same melody
Chords of sound timbres resound all arround there's harmony
[Chorus:]
Join the band sing in harmony
Take a stand fight for unity
Strike a chord hear the harmony
From a different place background or race various styles and tastes
But when I love you and you love me
Hand in hand that's the way it should be
Can't we see we could be free why can't the world live in harmony
[Chorus]
I'll hold you up never let you down
If we can work together that's harmony
So let's get along everyone sing the same song
No need to fight no right or wrong
[Alt. Chorus:]
(Come on) join the band and sing in harmony
Take a stand fight for unity
Black and white together we can face all kinds of weather
No storm can sever when we're one family
[Alt. Chorus]
[Rap:]
There's so many flavors in the world
Then you gotta let'em flow, and spread
A little love so they have a chance to grow
And spread more love to the brother
Who's adjacent to another brother of another color, yo!
Don't ya know there's nothin' we can't do
If you stand for me and I stand for you
Cease the perpetuation of hatred in our nation
And star improving our relations
Latifah in the mix with Take 6
Extending the lease on peace, with patience
Hailing the harmony, you arm in arm with me
Showing unity from Kansas to Carnesie
I believe I believe it can be done
But it can't be done unless we can be one
So let the sun shine in friend
Before you reach your end-ing
[Alt. Chorus]
[Chorus]
The song "Harmony" by Take 6 is about the importance of unity and harmony in the world. The first verse likens the harmony found in a symphony to the harmony that should exist between people of different backgrounds, races, and styles. The chorus encourages listeners to join in harmony, and the second verse touches on the power of love to bring people together. The song's bridge features Queen Latifah rapping about the need for love and unity to overcome hate and prejudice.
The lyrics illustrate the idea that despite any differences we may have, we can still come together and find harmony. It emphasizes that we are ultimately all one family and encourages listeners to put aside their differences and find a way to work together towards lasting unity. The song is an uplifting call to action that inspires hope for a more harmonious world.
Line by Line Meaning
In a symphony there's unity all the sounds agree
The different sounds in a symphony all come together as one, creating unity and agreement.
From the violin to the timpani all the parts play the same melody
Even though there are different instruments in a symphony, they all play the same melody to create harmony.
Chords of sound timbres resound all around there's harmony
Different sounds and timbres come together to create a harmonious composition.
Join the band sing in harmony
Encouragement to join in and sing together in order to create harmony.
Take a stand fight for unity
We should fight for unity and stand up for it to help bring people together.
Strike a chord hear the harmony
Playing the right notes and creating chords can lead to harmony.
One accord one family
When we are all in agreement and stand together, we become one big family.
From a different place background or race various styles and tastes
We all come from different places and backgrounds and have different styles and tastes.
But when I love you and you love me
Regardless of our differences, when we love and care for each other, we can come together as one.
Hand in hand that's the way it should be
We should all hold hands and support each other, creating unity.
Can't we see we could be free why can't the world live in harmony
If we could learn to live in harmony and unity, the world would be a more free and peaceful place.
I'll hold you up never let you down
We should support each other and never let each other down.
If we can work together that's harmony
When we can work together and support each other, we create harmony.
So let's get along everyone sing the same song
We should all come together and sing the same song, working towards harmony.
No need to fight no right or wrong
There is no need to fight because there is no right or wrong, just different perspectives and opinions.
Black and white together we can face all kinds of weather
Regardless of race, we can come together and face all challenges as one.
No storm can sever when we're one family
When we view ourselves as one big family, no storm or challenge can defeat us.
There's so many flavors in the world
The world is full of different flavors and diversity.
Then you gotta let'em flow, and spread
We should let diversity flow and spread.
A little love so they have a chance to grow
We should show love and support to help diversity grow and thrive.
And spread more love to the brother
We should continue to spread love and support to those around us, regardless of their differences.
Who's adjacent to another brother of another color, yo!
Even if someone is different from us in terms of race, we should still spread love and support to them.
Don't ya know there's nothin' we can't do
There is nothing we cannot do when we work together as one.
If you stand for me and I stand for you
When we stand up for each other, we create unity and harmony.
Cease the perpetuation of hatred in our nation
We should work to end the spread of hatred in our country.
And star improving our relations
We should work towards improving our relationships with one another.
Latifah in the mix with Take 6
A reference to Queen Latifah, who is featured in the song alongside Take 6.
Extending the lease on peace, with patience
We need to be patient and work towards extending peace.
Hailing the harmony, you arm in arm with me
We should celebrate and hail harmony, standing arm in arm with each other.
Showing unity from Kansas to Carnesie
Unity and harmony should be shown and celebrated everywhere, regardless of location.
I believe I believe it can be done
The belief that we can achieve harmony and unity.
But it can't be done unless we can be one
Unity and oneness is required to achieve harmony.
So let the sun shine in friend
Let's bring light and positivity to the world.
Before you reach your end-ing
Before the end of our lives, we should work towards harmony and unity.
Contributed by Camden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.