The Knudsen Brothers

Biography

The Knudsen Brothers intense high-octane energy, electrifying stage presence, and powerhouse vocals combine to create a truly amazing entertainment experience. They have thrilled and stunned audiences in show rooms, arenas, and stadiums from North America to South America and from Europe to Asia. The Knudsen Brothers have appeared with artists, such as Trisha Yearwood, Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, The Doobie Brothers, Olivia Newton John, and Tower of Power. They have also entertained America's biggest political heavyweights and Hollywood's hottest icons. Because they could not afford to purchase musical instruments in 1975, the five oldest Knudsens (Barry, Kevin, Lynn, Jak, and Owen), most not yet teen-agers, began singing a cappella music barbershop-style as a quintet under the direction of their gifted father. It began as a family hobby in a two-bedroom house to help give the young boys something to do with their spare time and to keep them "off the streets". Barry, age 14 sang Bass (because no one else's voice had begun to develop, yet). Kevin, age 12 sang Lead. Lynn and Jak, ages 11 and 9 sang Baritone and Owen, age 8 sang tenor with Jak occasionally switching off of Baritone to help Owen out. They had three younger brothers at the time, but their father felt they were too young to be in the group. They made their debut that summer at a family reunion and from there began performing locally for church and civic groups, as well as, charities, school assemblies, talent shows, company parties, and anyone else who would hire them. Most of the group's talent fee would be applied to supporting the family financially through the ensuing years. In 1976, the Knudsen brothers were discovered by a local barbershop chapter of the international men's barbershop fraternity (SPEBSQSA) and began appearing as a guest group on various chapter shows throughout the region. They were a big hit. In 1978, the Knudsen brothers got a huge thrill when they appeared on national television on the Donnie & Marie Show. When the oldest brother, Barry left the group in 1980 to pursue other interests, The Knudsen Bros reorganized as a quartet with Kevin on baritone, Lynn on lead, Jak on bass and Owen on tenor and they began competing in contests sponsored by SPEBSQSA (The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America). They quickly gained national recognition as one of the society's youngest groups and began performing around the country at varioius chapter shows and functions. (Over the next six years, the group would gain international recognition as one of the Society's top show and competition quartets despite over seven personnel changes.) In 1983, the oldest brother Barry returned to the group from Canada to replace Kevin as the baritone while Kevin moved to Japan. When the entire family moved from Provo, Utah to Phoenix, Arizona six months later, Barry stayed behind to again pursue other interests (of the female variety) and consequently, Curtis, a sixth brother, was recruited to fill the vacancy left by Barry. Owen replaced Barry as the baritone and Curtis took Owen's place as the new tenor. With this new configuration, the young Knudsen Bros (all still teen-agers) qualified at a District level to compete at SPEBSQSA's International Competition in 1984 at St Louis, Missouri placing eighth (beating out approximately forty other accomplished adult barbershop quartets across the United States and Canada)--a task not easily achieved. In 1986, the group took a hiatus from singing and in 1987, the group reformed with a new quartet configuration (Barry, Kevin, Lynn, and Jak) and moved from Phoenix to Los Angeles and began performing popular music from the Big Band Era a cappella-style on the steps of the Los Angeles Music Center while scheduled performances of various high-profile productions were letting out. They gained quick exposure and soon were performing at private parties for some of Hollywood's biggest celebrities. From 1987 to 1994, the group would experience another three personnel changes. In 1989, the band began experimenting with electronic rhythmic backup (more commonly referred to as a drum machine) which added a new dimension. They liked the concept, but after working with the electronic backup for almost three years, it still didn't feel "right". In 1992, the Knudsens dropped the electronic backup and returned to singing strictly a cappella as a quintet (Barry, Kevin, Lynn, Jak, and Curtis). In 1993, the Knudsens dropped back down to a quartet (Barry, Kevin, Lynn, and Jak), changed their name to The Hollywood Argyles under the advice of an associate and began touring with a three piece backup ensemble and achieved much success, but in 1994, all six brothers who had been in and out of the band expressed a desire to become a permanent sextet, so they changed their name back to The Knudsen Bros and began experimenting with one brother (Owen) performing vocal percussion and another brother (Jak) performing a sort-of vocal stand up bass with the other four (Barry, Kevin, Lynn, and Curtis) providing necessary vocal and instrumental lines. This new configuration was introduced into the corporate market in late 1995 and began gaining widespread recognition as one of the industry's premier entertainment packages. Since then, the Knudsen Bros's popularity has literally exploded. Their act appeals to audiences and crowds ranging from seasoned citizens and baby boomers to teen-agers and children.