Eric Knight (musician)

Eric Knight is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, artist manager, entrepreneur, and entertainment industry professional originally from the Miami suburb of Hialeah. He is the founder and lead singer for Los Angeles rock group Disciples of Babylon as well as Founder and CEO of artist management agency, Persistent Management.[1]

Eric Knight
Eric Knight performing 2015
Background information
Birth nameEric Diaz
BornHialeah, Florida, USA
GenresRock, Hard Rock
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, lyricist, record producer, actor, artist manager, entrepreneur, music industry consultant, conference speaker and music education advocate
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussion, piano
Years active1995–present
Labels28 Records, Symbiotic Records
Associated actsAerosmith, Dave Matthews Band, Kid Rock, KISS, Vandal, Ignacio Val, David Bisbal, Alejandra Guzmán, Luis Fonsi, Alejandro Fernández, Ana Isabelle, Anahí, Chenoa, Norman Brown (guitarist), Disciples of Babylon
Websiteericknightonline.com www.persistentmanagement.com www.symbioticnation.com

Early life

Eric Knight is the son of Cuban immigrants, Carlos Diaz, former rhythm guitarist for the Miami-based band Shango, and Nerida Diaz. At age 13, Knight was performing in night clubs in the greater Miami area.[2]

Music career

Eric Knight was the lead singer of the Miami hard rock act Vandal from 1990 to 1995.[3] In 1990 he met John Tovar who had discovered and was managing Marilyn Manson and The Mavericks, and was interested in working with Knight's band. Tovar ultimately took on Vandal as one of his new clients. Knight then became the publicist, booking agent, fan club organizer, and spokesperson for the band.[4] In 1991 John Tovar left as manager and Knight took control of managerial responsibilities for the group. Vandal's 1994 release Julian Day credited Persistent (see below) as the group's official management. Vandal disbanded in 1995 due to creative differences.

Knight released his debut album Near Life Experience in October 1998. He wrote and arranged all of the tracks and also co-produced the album with Keith Rose at Criteria Studios in North Miami.[5] The album went on to spawn the first single and video for Play On Words which received substantial airplay internationally and favorable reviews.[6]

In 1999 while promoting his album, Knight opened for the Dave Matthews Band and began in music education with Music Business 101, speaking at 20 high schools in South Florida. Knight has also conducted workshops and guest spoke at Berklee College of Music in Boston and Musicians Institute in Los Angeles.

Knight contributed Foolin to the Def Leppard tribute album Tributized: Tribute to Def Leppard which was released in 2000. In the summer of that same year, Knight opened for Kiss (band) on the Florida leg of the Kiss Farewell Tour.[7]

In 2001, Eric Knight performed a songwriter showcase for BMI after the September 11 attacks in New York City.[8]

He released his second album Fractured Fairy Tales in 2002 with engineer and co-producer Keith Rose. Singles Silly Love Song and Crux of the Matter then received airplay nationally and internationally. In October 2002 Knight opened for Aerosmith and Kid Rock for the Girls of Summer Tour.[9]

Knight relocated to Los Angeles in 2006, where he arranged a new band lineup and performed across the Los Angeles/Hollywood club circuit.

In 2008, Knight accepted the L.A. Rockies award in Hollywood for Best Male Solo Artist after receiving the most votes in his category from the public. In September he organized a series of concerts in Los Angeles, including the City Of Nations industry showcase which consisted of several bands and artists from different countries.[10]

Knight went on to the process of finalizing his third studio album titled Delusions Of Grandeur.[11]

In 2012 he formed rock group Disciples of Babylon and is the band's lead singer and rhythm guitarist. In January 2015 the band released their first single entitled Karma, from the group's debut EP Welcome to Babylon. Welcome to Babylon was due out in the spring of 2015.[12]

Music industry career

In 2004, Eric Knight attended Musicians Institute in Hollywood where he graduated with a degree in Music Business in 2006. In 2008 he was offered a job at Universal Music in their Latin division. With that he worked with well known people in Latin music like David Bisbal, Luis Fonsi, Academy Award-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla and his project Bajofondo. Knight also performed with Alejandra Guzmán, Alejandro Fernández, Bisbal & Fonsi.[13]

In February 2008 Eric Knight began working on a new entertainment company titled Symbiotic Nation. His plans for the organization included creating an interconnected structure of industry channels that can be used by artists to better connect with entertainment industry officials. The launch of the company also includes sister divisions Symbiotic Records and Symbiotic Agency.[1] In April of the same year, Knight launched his own entertainment management company Persistent Management. Knight worked with several independent Los Angeles area bands before managing Latin pop-rock artist, Ignacio Val.[14]

Since 2008 Eric Knight provided articles, interviews, and expertise for journalists and authors regarding his personal experiences as an entrepreneur in the music industry, including contributions to author Neil Tortorella's Starting Your Career As A Musician; Times Beach' magazine; and Making Music magazine.[15]

During the summer of 2012, Eric co-founded the music industry media network MUBUTV (Music Business Television) with music industry expert Ritch Esra.[16] He has since overseen creative direction and development of all of MUBUTV's productions including its flagship program The Insider Series, which features interviews with industry professionals including Kenny Werner, Eric Sheinkop, John Houlihan and Tom Callahan.[17]

Eric Knight is a voting member of both the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Grammy Award boards.[18] Knight also works with Grammy Award-winning Jazz guitarist, Norman Brown, on media related projects. He has also been in the process of authoring his first industry related book entitled How To Manage Your Career in the New Music Industry.

Discography
  • Near Life Experience (1998)
  • Tributized (Def Leppard Tribute album) (2000)
  • Fractured Fairy Tales (2002)
  • Delusions Of Grandeur (TBA)
gollark: Nooooo! It's down! We are doomed!
gollark: I want one of my dragons to hatch so I can call it `Llanfairpwllgwyngyll`.
gollark: Lack of proper group handling, what else.
gollark: Oh, TJ09...
gollark: Is there some way to have groups autoupdate when you get new dragons of the same breeds?

References
  1. "Persistent Management – Eric Knight". Business Interviews.
  2. Omar Perez (October 17, 2002). "I Am the Product – Page 1 – Music – Miami". Miami New Times. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  3. Christina Henriques (October 23, 2006). "L.A.'s Boulevard of Dreams". miaminewtimes.com.
  4. Todd Anthony (October 23, 2006). "On the Booze". miaminewtimes.com.
  5. "Eric Knight Latest Albums". MTV Artists.
  6. Hans Morgenstern (October 23, 2006). "Knight in Metal Armor". miaminewtimes.com.
  7. Carlos Diaz. "Photo Promo". ericknightonline.com.
  8. "BMI Acoustic Roundup: New York". BMI.com.
  9. "Aerosmith's Back In The Saddle Aerosmith". Sun Sentinel.
  10. Eric Knight. "Eric Knight | Set to perform at International event City Of Nations Sept 8th @ The Viper Room". ericknightonline.com.
  11. Super User. "Kendall Minter Defines a 360 Deal". persistentmanagement.com.
  12. "News" Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. disciplesofbabylon.com.
  13. "Entertainment Entities Persistent Management And Symbiotic Nation Unite To Present A Music Industry Showcase Featuring Eric Knight, Ignacio Val And Satellite Sky". Top40-Charts.com.
  14. Super User. "Ignacio Val". persistentmanagement.com.
  15. "Starting Your Career As A Musician" Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. tortorelladesign.com.
  16. "About" Archived February 19, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. mubutv.com.
  17. Carlos Diaz. "MUBUTV | Insider Series" Archived February 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. mubutv.com.
  18. Carlos Diaz. "Recent Press". ericknightonline.com.
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