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.[
Walk On the Wild Side
Take 6 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sinner you been swingin' not prayin'
One day of prayin' and six nights of fun
The odds of goin' to heaven are six to one
You walk on the wild side
The devil is waitin'
He's waitin' to take your hand
You're walkin' with satan
Away from the promised land
One day of prayin' and six nights of fun
The odds of goin' to heaven are six to one
You better cross over
You better walk humble
Or you're gonna stumble
And satan is waitin' to take your hand
You walk on the wild side
You walk on the wild side
Away from the promised land
One day of prayin' and six nights of fun
The odds of goin' to heaven are six to one
The lyrics to Take 6's song "Walk On the Wild Side" serve as a warning to those who have been "swingin' not prayin'," urging them to turn away from a life of sin and instead walk towards salvation. Through the repeated refrain of "You walk on the wild side," the song paints a picture of a life lived in defiance of what is right, with the devil lurking in the shadows waiting to take hold of those who fall too far from God's grace. The odds of making it to heaven are slim for those who continue to indulge in their vices, with "one day of prayin' and six nights of fun" leaving a measly six to one chance of reaching paradise.
The lyrics to this song hold powerful religious connotations, with the message being clear: turn away from sin or face eternal damnation. Take 6's use of strong imagery and repetition drive this message home, hammering it into the listener's mind until it can no longer be ignored. The song leaves no room for ambiguity or interpretation, laying out the dangers of a life lived on the wild side in stark terms.
Line by Line Meaning
Sinner hear what I'm sayin'
I'm urging you to listen, sinner
Sinner you been swingin' not prayin'
You've been living a sinful life, not praying
One day of prayin' and six nights of fun
If you pray for one day and have fun for six nights, the chances of going to heaven are low (6 to 1)
You walk on the wild side
You're living a reckless, dangerous life
The devil is waitin'
Satan is ready and waiting for you to falter
He's waitin' to take your hand
He's ready to entice you into sin
You're walkin' with satan
You're heading down a path that leads away from the teachings of God
Away from the promised land
You're straying away from the path that leads to eternal life in heaven
You better cross over
You need to change your ways and seek righteousness
You better walk humble
You need to adopt a humble attitude and seek forgiveness for your sins
Or you're gonna stumble
If you don't change your ways, you will falter and sin
And satan is waitin' to take your hand
Satan is ready and waiting for you to falter and lead you astray
You walk on the wild side
You're living recklessly and dangerously
Away from the promised land
You're straying away from the path that leads to eternal life in heaven
One day of prayin' and six nights of fun
If you prioritize fun and neglect prayer, the chances of going to heaven are low (6 to 1)
Contributed by Amelia C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bishop Colding
These people are much better than Pentatonix by a long shot
Eric Magee
These guys are awesome
Kangwa Chanda
No they're not
Jermell Feagin sr
@Bishop Colding by the 13 Gramm awards they've won mighty men of God they are they represent the kingdom
Bishop Colding
@svenproud Does it look like I care? I judge them on the same scale as everyone else, so if they don'y like it, too bad
svenproud
dude no comparison. Most of Take 6 singers have studied music, from music theory to performing arts and arranging. Pentatonix are literally kids!
Marlin Sanders
Absolutely Brilliant. INCREDIBLE. Splendid, marvelous, beautiful....
C Gorham
💜