Michelle Knight
Michelle Knight
A brief biography
It was a beautiful Sunday morning in Velvet Ridge, Arkansas. It was spring and there was sunshine, a freshness in the air and the trees were starting to blossom. In the Velvet Ridge Church of God, the congregation could be heard singing and after a brief pause, a little 6-year-old girl named Michelle Basinger came forward to sing for the first time in public. As the congregation buzzed, a scared and nervous Michelle came to the front and belted out her version of “Jesus Loves Me.” The audience was in awe. Michelle has been holding audiences spellbound ever since.
Like many successful singers, Michelle’s powerful and soulful voice can be attributed to her roots in gospel music. She sang in church throughout her life starting in the children’s choir, graduating to the youth choir and finally performing in the singing group, “The Madrigals” at the Bald Knob High School in Arkansas.
Michelle’s love of music started at a very young age, so young in fact she can’t remember not singing. She took piano lessons from the ages of 8 to 10 and by the time she was 16 she had won several talent competitions including three state titles; directed a youth choir; was a featured vocalist with several choirs; was a featured vocalist in school musicals, “The Sound Of Music” and “The Music Man”; had started writing her own songs; and was traveling with her family performing in churches in the mid-West where her father was an evangelist.
After her high school graduation at the age of 17, Michelle continued to travel and sing in churches and at regional fairs and festivals in several states. She also began teaching piano and directed the children’s choir and their musical “A Gift For Santa” at her church.
By age 20, Michelle had recorded both a gospel and country album and was being recognized as a recording artist in studios in Arkansas and in Nashville where she was asked to sing demos, jingles and background vocals. She was also honored to be asked to open a show for “The Isaacs” and has been a featured vocalist at the International Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis for several years.
In April 2004, Michelle released her best recording project to date simply titled “Michelle Knight.” Singles released from the album received international airplay and as a result she was selected by the Tennessee Country Music Association as their “Female Vocalist Of The Year,” in two categories in 2004 and 2005 and “Female Vocalist Of The Year,” for 2005 by the Texas River Music Association. She was featured on “The Morning Show” in Little Rock, Arkansas, a television program that reaches the entire state.
For the past two years Michelle has been gearing up to put together a package to present to the major record companies. She continues to travel and hone her skills as an entertainer, singer and songwriter, but her sights are on bigger things. It seems she has everything going for her – the talent, the personality, the looks and most of all a strong conviction of faith that directs her life daily.