Marquise Knox
"It's just the beginning."
It doesn't take long for the guitar-strumming singer to get the audience on
its feet — stomping, swaying, shouting — or for the old-school blues master to
join them, as he performs songs such as "Old Friend of Mine" and
"Got My Mojo Working". What makes so much about Knox fascinating is
that he's only 16. He's not even 16 going on 17. And you'd also do well not to
question what a 16-year-old can possibly know about the blues. He contends
there's no age or skin-color requirement for knowing about the blues.
"Any time you wake up and think about your troubles, you got the
blues," says Knox, who loves the freedom of expression the music gives
him. He declines to publicly discuss certain aspects of his life, but he is
living some very adult things. The former Berkeley High School student, who
enjoys fishing, traveling and spoiling his 1981 Chevy Malibu, runs his
household. He's schooled at home so he can work full time as a musician. Knox
says he got his first guitar at Christmas when he was 3, but the instrument
took a back seat to his Big Foot Power Wheel and Barney toys. When he used the
guitar as a fly swatter, his family realized he wasn't ready yet. But over the
years, he gravitated toward the guitar. He couldn't help it. He comes from a
family full of musicians, including his uncle Cliff Williams and grandmother
Lillie Knox. His uncle kept on him, and Knox continued perfecting his art. He
cites
Lightning Hopkins
as the first artist to influence him, and
Muddy Waters,
Albert King and
B.B. King
as others whose styles influence his own. The one great often cited is the late
Henry Townsend.
Another blues legend figured into his life:
Bennie Smith,
who died last year. Knox found out shortly after the funeral that they were
cousins, when
Smith's
daughter revealed the family link. Before
Smith
died, they had talked often and worked together. Knox took all his know-how
and become a nightclub fixture in 2005. "I played late and had to get up
early for school, so I got a work permit," says Knox, who never had a
problem getting into clubs. His mother says Knox has always had a level of
maturity, leading him to embrace manhood at a young age. Now that his live act
is nailed down, Knox has shifted some attention to his debut CD, Rise Up
Now. It includes songs such as the title track, rooted in gospel; Where
is My Friend, about growing up and seeing those around him violently
killed; and I'm a Blues Man. That last song has classic blues lyrics
Knox penned: "I was raised on Jimmy Reed, my grandma's cornbread and
collard greens/took my first bath in Muddy Waters/all you mothers better watch
your daughters." Knox says it's just the beginning.
(quoted from Marquise Knox's page at myspace.com)
Visit Marquise Knox's page at myspace.com.
Visit also these related Sites:
Biographical Information on Marquise Knox
Marquise Knox biography at stlblues.net.
Various Articles on Marquise Knox
Article at stlmag.com.
Article by Gary Demuth.
Marquise Knox Interviews
Marquise Knox interview at theblueshoeproject.podbean.com.
Marquise Knox interview at stlblues.net.
Marquise Knox Photos
Several Marquise Knox photos by Michael Newman.
Marquise Knox photos at dickmeijer.web-log.nl.
Marquise Knox Videos
Marquise Knox plays Harmonica. Runtime 00:35.
Several Marquise Knox videos at video.aol.com.
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