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.[
What's Going On
Take 6 Lyrics
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There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, oh
And father, father
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on, oh what's goin' on
Hey, just say
Oh father, father, everybody thinks we're wrong
But who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Come on and talk to me
So you can see
What's going on
Oh, what's going on
What's going on
Just say (what's goin' on)
Just say (what's goin' on) talk to me
Tell me what's going on (just say)
The lyrics to Take 6's song "What's Going On" address the issue of social unrest and violence during the time period in which the song was written (1971). The first verse addresses the issue of crying mothers and dying brothers, emphasizing the idea that there is far too much violence and pain occurring in society. The chorus contains a call to action, insisting that we need to find a way to bring more love into the world. The second verse addresses the issue of war and militarization, noting that violence is not the answer and that only love can truly conquer hate.
The final verse dives deeper into more specific issues of social justice, noting that long hair and other superficial differences should not be used as a basis for judgment or discrimination. Instead, it argues that we need to focus on bringing understanding and compassion into the world.
Overall, "What's Going On" is a powerful call to action for individuals to recognize the issues facing their communities and the world at large, and to work to create a more loving and peaceful world.
Line by Line Meaning
Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
To all the mothers out there crying and mourning. There are too many of you and this needs to stop.
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
To all the brothers out there dying. There are far too many of you and this needs to stop.
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today, oh
We need to find a way to bring love and kindness into this world right now.
And father, father
We don't need to escalate
Fathers, we do not need to use violence or aggression to deal with the issues we face.
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
War is not the solution, but love can overcome hate.
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Instead of using picket lines and signs as a way of retaliation, please do not punish me with violence.
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on, oh what's goin' on
Please talk and communicate with me so we can understand each other and know what is happening in this world. What's happening exactly?
Oh father, father, everybody thinks we're wrong
But who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
Fathers, many people look down upon us, and judge us simply because of our appearance such as long hair.
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh
We must find a way to bring understanding and acceptance in the present world.
Just say (what's goin' on)
Talk to me
Tell me what's going on (just say)
We just have to express ourselves by discussing what's happening right now, so we can work towards solving such problems.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alfred W Cleveland, Marvin P Gaye, Renaldo Benson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind