Singer Jordan Knight Still Has ‘The Right Stuff’

By Kim Hall

            Jordan Knight, former member of the popular 80s music group New Kids on the Block, gave Celebration a special holiday performance at the Dec. 16 Now Snowing Nightly event on Main Street. In front of the Christmas tree, the falling snow and a crowd of hundreds, Knight performed an array of carols, NKOTB songs and selections from his new album, “Love Songs”, as the fans in the audience swooned.

            Kerri Van Buskirk, a local mother who brought her two young children to Knight’s show, said she was 15 when NKOTB were at the height of their popularity. Throughout the show, her 4-year-old daughter Julie feverishly waved Van Buskirk’s copy of a NKOTB CD in the air in an attempt to grab Knight’s attention, while her 1-year-old brother, whom Van Buskirk actually named Jordan in honor of her favorite singer, watched with wide-eyes from his mother’s arms.

            “I’m reliving my teenage years,” Van Buskirk blushed.

            Knight, 36, who had never been to Celebration before, said that performing in front of intimate crowds like this one gives him more opportunities to talk to the people and hear what they are saying.

            “It’s more of a personal experience,” Knight said.

            After opening the performance with a rendition of “The Christmas Song” with the help of his guitarist, Brian Selby, Knight sang some of the NKOTB songs that first made him popular.

            The crowd swayed and danced to the music and raised its arms to clap as the show progressed. A few giddy women were hoisted onto some of the men’s shoulders, their eyes lighting up as they remembered the songs of their younger years. Several children were also lifted onto their fathers’ shoulders, and one Celebration father actually taught his 10-year-old son some NKOTB dance moves during the show.

            Even some curious 50-something moms moved forward into the crowd during the concert, likely reminiscing about when their daughters’ bedrooms were plastered with Jordan Knight posters and their beds were covered with NKOTB toys, sleeping bags and pillows.

            NKOTB first began performing in 1986 and continued through 1994. Although their self-titled debut album was not initially popular, it eventually went triple platinum, following the success of their next album, “Hangin’ Tough.” By 1989, the album’s single, “I’ll Be Loving You Forever,” had risen to number one in the Billboard Hot 100 list. “Hangin’ Tough” rose to the number one album that year and went platinum eight times. The band released three more albums after that.

            In 1999, Knight released his self-titled solo album, which went gold, selling more than 500,000 copies. He has since opened for ’N Sync and appeared on VH1’s “The Surreal Life” in 2004 and on an episode of NBC’s game show “Identity” in December 2006.

            With the release this year of his second solo album, which features strictly love songs, Knight hopes people will begin to see him in a different light.

            “In the past, my albums and shows combined love songs with upbeat songs, dance tunes and the like,” Knight said, “but I always made sure to include a set on stage where I went to the piano alone and sang love songs. The funny thing was that more and more people told me that this was their favorite part of my show.”

            He said that inspiration for the album, which features covers of Billy Joel’s “She’s Got a Way” and Phil Collin’s “One More Night” in addition to some of his original songs, came from a variety of sources.

            “It comes from the little moments, past loves, current loves. I have a wife and family now, so that played into it a lot,” he said.

            Knight said the he and Debbie Gibson, who sings a duet with him on “Love Songs,” are planning a tour together for sometime next year. He also plans to release another solo album in a few months and will be appearing on Broadway next year in the musical Hairspray as Corny Collins.

            Knight and his wife, Evelyn, have a 7-year-old son, Dante, and are expecting another child in February. Fans can visit Knight’s MySpace Web page at www.myspace.com/jordan_knight or www.jordanknight.com.