Jerry Knight

Jerry Ernest Knight (April 17, 1952 — December 29, 1996) was an American R&B vocalist and bassist who reached prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Along with Ray Parker Jr., he was a founding member of the group Raydio, singing vocals on their early hit, "Jack and Jill." He then left to pursue a solo career, releasing three solo albums and achieving moderate success with minor hits such as "Overnight Sensation," "Perfect Fit" and "Turn It Out".

A Los Angeles native, in 1983, Knight teamed with session drummer Ollie E. Brown to form Ollie & Jerry. Together, they provided the title track to the soundtrack to the 1984 movie Breakin', which reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. They also recorded the title track for Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, which got up to #45 on the Billboard R&B chart. Although his solo career faded, Knight continued to write and produce for acts such as The Whispers, Patrice Rushen, DeBarge, Howard Hewett and Elkie Brooks.

Knight also co-wrote "Crush On You," "Curiosity," and "Private Number" for The Jets.

According to an interview with his Raydio bandmate, Ray Parker, Jr., Raydio's song "Jack and Jill" was actually written about Knight and his wife, whose real name was Jill. Parker also added that the couple had two children together.

Knight died in Los Angeles on December 29, 1996 at age 44. He's buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery.

Albums

• Jerry Knight (A&M Records, 1980)
  • "Good Times"
  • "Monopoly"
  • "Overnight Sensation"
  • "Sweetest Love"
  • "Joy Ride"
  • "Let Me Be the Reason"
  • "Freek Show"
  • "Now That She's Rockin'"
• Perfect Fit (A&M Records, 1981)
  • "Easier to Run Away"
  • "Higher"
  • "Perfect Fit"
  • "Play Sista"
  • "Rainbow"
  • "Too Busy"
  • "Turn It Out"
  • "Twilight"
• Love's On Your Side (A&M Records, 1982)
  • "Beautiful"
  • "Brand New Fool"
  • "Do It All For You"
  • "Do You Really Mean It"
  • "Fire"
  • "I'm Down For That"
  • "Nothing Can Hold Us Back"
  • "She's Got to Be (A Dancer)"

Singles