Sonny Knight & The Lakers

Sonny Knight, a powerhouse vocalist born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1948, found his musical footing in Minneapolis, recording his first single at just 17. His promising career took an abrupt pause when he served a three-year tour in the army, including deployment in Vietnam.

Returning to Minnesota in the mid-1970s, Knight joined the funk group Haze, but as opportunities dwindled in the 1980s, he took up work as a long-haul trucker. Despite stepping away from the stage, his passion for music never faded.

In the 1990s, he reunited with friends and former Valdons vocalists Monroe Wright III and Maurice Young, joining their new group, The Bachelors. A chance feature on <a href="spotify:playlist:3AmTgm5FeBkYsa5HOsEehQ" data-name="Secret Stash Records">Secret Stash Records</a>&#39; Twin Cities Funk &amp; Soul compilation in 2012 sparked a revival of <a href="spotify:artist:5cYLUzoshWfZP3MxdYHRhg" data-name="The Valdons">The Valdons</a>, with Knight joining the group and The Lakers backing them — laying the foundation for <a href="spotify:artist:75ojnLFgQMyPHt7OrEJn74" data-name="Sonny Knight &amp; The Lakers">Sonny Knight &amp; The Lakers</a>. The band was run by label head, Eric Foss, AKA Cy Pierpont (<a href="spotify:artist:0vI7Yz6QYPpIpSfS04xrPk" data-name="Pierpont &amp; Helgeson">Pierpont &amp; Helgeson</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:37wHYicAjvvsAamGS9271U" data-name="Ace Box Shift">Ace Box Shift</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2eV826ipLsdMOzQfT1apv5" data-name="The Hi-Bridge Band">The Hi-Bridge Band</a>) and would also go on to back <a href="spotify:artist:6HQHRAb5LpqW0dxJcZ3pg6" data-name="Wanda Davis">Wanda Davis</a> and Jackie Harris. Many of the members also played in <a href="spotify:artist:63aVpA1jGu4mRZNEt0aKvG" data-name="Dérobé Dance Band">Dérobé Dance Band</a>.

Their debut album, I&#39;m Still Here (2014), propelled them onto an intense touring circuit, followed by Do It Live (2015) and Sooner or Later (2016). Tragically, just as the group was hitting its stride, Knight was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2016. Refusing to slow down, he continued delivering electrifying performances until his passing in June 2017.