Take 6 is an influential American a cappella gospel music sextet formed in … Read Full Bio ↴Take 6 is an influential American a cappella gospel music sextet formed in 1985 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama.

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.[

Silent Night
Take 6 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth "

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Take 6's version of "Silent Night" describe the peaceful and miraculous night of Jesus Christ's birth. It begins with describing the atmosphere around the Virgin Mary and her child, who lay calmly and tenderly in her arms. The tone is soothing and serene, with emphasis placed on the gentle and divine nature of the holy infant. The lyrics suggest that there is nothing more peaceful and comforting than the sight of a newborn child.

The second stanza introduces the shepherds who quake at the sight of the newborn Christ, and the heavenly hosts who sing "Alleluia!" The arrival of the son of God is depicted as an event of great magnitude and transcendence, with glorious beams of light shining from his holy face. The lyrics implicitly suggest that the birth of Christ is a revelation to be witnessed and celebrated by all who love him.

In the final stanza, the song affirms the divinity of Christ, and his role as the savior of mankind. The "redeeming grace" that is referenced is likely a reference to the Christian doctrine of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The lyrics are essentially a message of hope and peace, grounding the listener in the knowledge that the birth of Christ represents a beacon of light in the darkness of the world.

Line by Line Meaning

Silent night, holy night
A peaceful and sacred night

All is calm, all is bright
Everything is peaceful and illuminated

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
The Virgin Mary and her baby are close by

Holy Infant so tender and mild
The Child of God is meek and gentle

Sleep in heavenly peace
Rest in a serene and divine peace

Shepherds quake at the sight
The shepherds tremble in awe of what they see

Glories stream from heaven afar
Magnificent displays of light from the distant heavens

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
The angels sing a joyous praise to God

Christ, the Saviour is born
The Messiah has come into the world

Son of God, love's pure light
Jesus is the embodiment of pure love from God

Radiant beams from Thy holy face
The shine from Jesus' face is divine and holy