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.[
Takin' it to the Streets
Take 6 Lyrics
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I was raised here in this living Hell
You don't know my kind in your world
Fairly soon, the time will tell
You, telling me the things you're gonna do for me
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Take this message to my brother
You will find him everywhere
Wherever people live together
Tied in poverty's despair
You, telling me the things you're gonna do for me
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the
You, telling me the things you're gonna do for me
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
The lyrics of Take 6's song "Takin' it to the Streets" are an urgent call for action and a plea for unity among people who are facing poverty, despair and hardship. The opening lines of the song, "You don't know me but I'm your brother / I was raised here in this living Hell," suggest that despite differences in experience and background, there is a common bond of humanity that connects us all. The singer of the song is asking the listener to take on this perspective and recognize the struggles of others.
The next lines, "You don't know my kind in your world / Fairly soon, the time will tell," highlight the fact that there are social and economic disparities that exist between people, and that these inequalities cannot be ignored or swept under the rug. In the chorus, the singer declares that they are "takin' it to the streets," meaning that they are taking action and advocating for change, even if it means disrupting the status quo.
The second verse continues in this vein, with the singer asking the listener to "take this message to [their] brother" and to "find him everywhere / Wherever people live together / Tied in poverty's despair." The message is clear: we must all come together and work to uplift each other, regardless of our differences. In the bridge, the singer reiterates their resolve to make a difference, stating that they are "takin' it to the streets" once again.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't know me but I'm your brother
We may not be familiar with each other, but we belong to the same human family
I was raised here in this living Hell
My upbringing has been filled with hardship and struggles
You don't know my kind in your world
You may not understand people who come from backgrounds like mine
Fairly soon, the time will tell
We'll see how things turn out in the near future
Take this message to my brother
Please pass along this message to anyone who can relate
You will find him everywhere
People like me can be found in all corners of the world
Wherever people live together
Anywhere that humans coexist
Tied in poverty's despair
Struggling with the heartbreaking burden of poverty
You, telling me the things you're gonna do for me
Your promises to help me sound unconvincing
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see
I'm not naive and I'm skeptical of your intentions
Takin' it to the streets
We're bringing our concerns and hopes out into the public sphere
Takin' it to the streets
We're making our voices heard through public action
Takin' it to the streets
We're taking the initiative to make a meaningful change
Takin' it to the streets
We're stepping out of our comfort zones to make a difference
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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