Chester Knight

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. "Chester Knight nominated for aboriginal Juno". Canadian Press, February 3, 2000.
  2. "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. "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. "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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