Chester Knight is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter from Saskatchewan.[1] He is most noted for the 1999 album Falling Down, which won the Juno Award for Best Aboriginal Recording at the Juno Awards of 2000.[2]

Background

A Cree musician originally from the Muskoday First Nation near Prince Albert,[3] Knight also worked as an academic counsellor at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, later known as First Nations University of Canada, in Saskatoon.[1]

He is the uncle of musician Eekwol.[4]

Musical career

He was initially active in music as leader of the band Chester Knight and the Wind, in which he was the sole constant member; other supporting musicians over the band's lifetime included his brother Vernon Knight on backing vocals,[2] bass player Darryl Ross,[2] lead guitarists Malcolm Pooyak[2] and Todd Duncan,[5] and drummers K.K. Nogada,[2] Robin Turner[5] and Hal Schrenk.[6]

In 1996 the band released its debut album Freedom,[7] which was shortlisted for Best Aboriginal Recording at the Juno Awards of 1997.[8] Falling Down followed in 1999;[9] in addition to its Juno Award win, the album won a Prairie Music Award[10] and an Aboriginal Music Award.[11] The following year, Falling Down was reissued in the United States with the alternate title Windfall.[12]

Knight released the album Standing Strong in 2002 as a solo artist,[13] although he still toured under the band name.[14] Guest musicians on the album included Brandon Friesen, Lucie Idlout, Derek Miller and Paul Carrack. The album was again a Juno nominee for Aboriginal Recording at the Juno Awards of 2003,[15] and Knight won Songwriter of the Year for "Cochise Was a Warrior" at the Aboriginal Music Awards.[16] In 2004, his music video for "Love Fades Away" won the award for Best Music Video at the American Indian Film Festival.[17]

With his band now consisting of his sons Lancelot and Daniel, a new album was in the planning stages in 2004.[14] The album did not materialize, although Knight continued to perform selected festival tour dates in Western Canada.[18][19]

In 2013, he released "Idle No More (Tomahawk)", a song inspired by the Idle No More activist movement which was his first new release since Standing Strong.[20] He followed up in 2015 with the single "Indian Girl".[21]

References

  1. 1 2 "Chester Knight nominated for aboriginal Juno". Canadian Press, February 3, 2000.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Local band wins Juno: Chester Knight and the Wind claims award". Prince Albert Daily Herald, March 13, 2000.
  3. ↑ "Knight eagerly awaited Juno nomination". Moose Jaw Times-Herald, February 3, 2000.
  4. ↑ "Artist no longer low key: Local rapper mixes prairie roots into her music". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, June 28, 2005.
  5. 1 2 "Knight, band take L.A. by storm". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, March 7, 2002.
  6. ↑ "Making memories with sights and sounds". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, July 15, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Hype". The Province, October 7, 1996.
  8. ↑ "Nominees in major Juno categories". Montreal Gazette, January 30, 1997.
  9. ↑ "Knight is no fortune teller". Cornwall Standard Freeholder, October 30, 1999.
  10. ↑ "Knight's knack nabs music award: Songs for second album passed audience test first". Prince Albert Daily Herald, October 29, 1999.
  11. ↑ "Local band wins again". Prince Albert Daily Herald, December 16, 1999.
  12. ↑ "Chester Knight and the Wind: Windfall". AllMusic.
  13. ↑ "Chester Knight Standing Strong with new album". Saskatchewan Sage, Vol. 7 No. 8 (2003).
  14. 1 2 "Loyal to 'the gift': Art at the heart of society". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, May 22, 2004.
  15. ↑ "Knight takes Juno nomination in stride". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, April 3, 2003.
  16. ↑ "Six Nations rappers take two awards". Hamilton Spectator, November 29, 2003.
  17. ↑ "Chester Knight wins film festival award". Prince Albert Daily Herald, November 16, 2004.
  18. ↑ "Atlin strives for festival perfection". Whitehorse Star, July 13, 2005.
  19. ↑ "Chester Knight sings on birthday". Courtenay Comox Valley Record, June 24, 2008.
  20. ↑ "Knight returns with song inspired by Idle No More". Regina Leader-Post, January 22, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Don't miss". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, May 7, 2015.
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