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.[
The Little Drummer Boy
Take 6 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum. rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum
When we come
I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King pa- rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum
on my drum?
Mary nodded pa-rum pum pum pum
The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him pa -rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum
The Little Drummer Boy is a Christmas song that tells the story of a young drummer boy who visits the newborn baby Jesus. As the song begins, "they" tell the little boy to come and see the newborn king. He is then told to bring his "finest gifts" to lay before the king. However, the little drummer boy is poor and has no material possessions to offer. Instead, he offers to play his drum for the baby Jesus as his gift. Mary nods in approval, and the ox and lamb keep time as the drummer boy plays his best for Jesus. When he finishes, Jesus smiles at him, and the little drummer boy is overjoyed that he has been able to honor the newborn king with his music.
The Little Drummer Boy is a poignant tale of the true meaning of Christmas. It emphasizes that what is most important is not material possessions or gifts, but rather the willingness to give of oneself in service to others. The drummer boy's selflessness and generosity highlight the importance of giving for the sake of giving, rather than expecting anything in return.
Line by Line Meaning
Come, they told me pa-rum pum pum pum
They have informed me with urgency pa-rum pum pum pum
Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum
To witness and pay homage to the newly born King pa-rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum
We have come bearing our most exceptional offerings pa-rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum
As an act of reverence, we shall present our treasures to the King pa-rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
The sound of my drum, pa-rum pum pum pum, accompanies my every step
So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum, when we come
Our primary intention is to show respect and reverence, pa-rum pum pum pum, as we approach Him
Little Baby pa-rum pum pum pum
I address you as a little baby, pa-rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum
I, too, am impoverished, pa-rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum
I am wretched and have nothing worthy to present, pa-rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King pa-rum pum pum pum
There is nothing suitable to offer our King, pa-rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum, on my drum?
May I provide musical accompaniment for you on my drum, pa-rum pum pum pum?
Mary nodded pa-rum pum pum pum
Mary agreed with a nod, pa-rum pum pum pum
The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum
The Ox and Lamb provided a beat, pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I struck my drum to perform for Him, pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
My performance was the greatest I could muster for Him, pa-rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
As I continued to play my drum, pa-rum pum pum pum, the sound echoed throughout
Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum
At that moment, He graced me with a smile, pa-rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum
I walked away with my drum as my only treasured possession
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, INTERNATIONAL KORWIN CORP, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Simeone, Henry V Onorati, Katherine Kennicot Davis, Lorenzo Definti
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind