Take 6 a cappella group to perform Jan. 16 at Lied Center

            The vocal group with the most Grammy nominations in history, Take 6, will bring swinging harmonies and a rich gospel sound to Nebraska's "Home of the Arts," the Lied Center for Performing Arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Jan. 16.

            "Take 6 sets the standard for a cappella groups," said Bill Stephan, executive director of the Lied Center. "They've shared the stage with countless musical legends and have been nominated for nearly every prestigious music award imaginable. We are absolutely thrilled to have them for a single performance in Lincoln."

            Take 6 defies category. The instantly recognizable and irrepressible Grammy and Dove award winner is a perfect representation of what Duke Ellington called "Beyond Category." Six angelic and refined voices united in crystal clear harmony, against a rip tide of syncopated rhythms, ornate arrangements and funky grooves that bubble into an intoxicating brew of gospel, jazz, R&B and pop flavor.

            The Take 6 story began in 1980 at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala., when Claude McKnight formed a quartet known as the Gentleman's Estate Club. When tenor Mark Kibble heard the group rehearsing in the campus bathroom, he joined in the harmonies and performed on stage with the group that same night. Mervyn Warren joined shortly after, and they briefly took the name of Alliance, performing locally for several years, as older members graduated and new voices arrived on campus.

            In 1987, the group signed with Warner Brothers and changed its name to Take 6. Its self-titled debut album, released the following year, scored two Grammy awards and landed in the top 10 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz and Contemporary Christian charts.

            Take 6 has garnered 10 Grammys, 10 Dove awards, a Soul Train Award, and two NAACP Image Award nominations. It has won praise and recorded or performed with such luminaries as Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder, as well as the late Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and Whitney Houston.

            The multi-platinum selling sextet returned to its roots with its highly anticipated Shanachie Entertainment debut, "One," in 2012. The first single and title track, "One," captured the genius behind what has made the a cappella powerhouse a phenomenon for decades.

            The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, starting at $32 for adults and $16 for students, are available at http://www.liedcenter.org, at the Lied Center, 301 N. 12th St., or by phone at 402-472-4747.

Writer: Carrie Christensen