Jonathan Rashleigh Knight (born November 29, 1968) is an American singer. He is part of
the boy band New Kids on the Block. The band also includes Donnie Wahlberg, Joey
McIntyre, Danny Wood and his younger brother Jordan. He is the oldest member of the group
and the first to leave in 1994 before their official disbandment.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts on November 29, 1968, Knight was the fifth child of six
children in total. Both of her parents, Marlene and Allan Knight, were from Ontario, Canada.
Knight grew up attending the local Episcopal Church regularly and was a member of the
church choir. It was there that her singing talent was discovered, along with that of her
younger brother Jordan.
Knight joined New Kids on the Block at the age of 16 after his younger brother, Jordan, was
invited to the group by band member Donnie Wahlberg. Wahlberg had been discovered by
talented agent Mary Alford, who was asked by producer Maurice Starr to help form the next
big boy group, having found success with bands like New Edition.
Wahlberg and the two Knight brothers, along with Wahlberg’s younger brother Mark, and
friends Jamie Kelly and Danny Wood were the first five members of the group. However, after
a few months Mark and Jaime decided to go out and Joey McIntyre, who was only 12 at the
time, was added.
Under Starr’s direction, the band rehearsed after school and on weekends and were originally
called Nynuk until Columbia Records, who signed the band, asked to change their name to
New Kids on the Block (NKOTB). They released their self-titled debut album in 1986, which
was not very successful despite Starr’s best efforts.
The band members were more involved in the direction and sound of their second album,
hoping to move away from Starr’s bubblegum pop sound. They released the single “Please
Don’t Go Girl” in 1988, which ultimately topped the charts at No. 1.10 on the Billboard 100
singles chart.
The song’s success contributed to the success of their second album “Hangin ‘Tough”, which
steadily grew in popularity as the band began touring and MTV began to release more of
some of the album’s singles…
The early 90s were a huge success for NKOTB. They released their third album, Step by
Step, “in 1990, which contained several songs written by the band members. The band toured
the United States, as well as Europe and Asia.
During this time, Knight began to rehearse with heightened anxiety and eventually decided to
quit the band while they were on tour with their fourth album, “Face the Music”.
After a few unsuccessful reunion attempts over the years, Knight and the other four members
of NKOTB announced in 2008 that the group would reunite. Later that year, they released
“The Block”, the band’s first album in fourteen years. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard
Top Pop Albums chart and was followed by an extensive tour of the United States, Canada
and parts of Europe. They were supported on the tour by Lady Gaga and Natasha
Bedingfield.
The group continued to tour the world together and was supported by other major groups
including Backstreet Boys, Jordin Sparks, 98 Degrees, Boyz II Men, TLC and Nelly. In 2014,
they received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2019, NKOTB released a new music video for the song “Boys in the Band (Boy Band
Anthem)”, a sort of tribute track to some famous boy bands over the years. The video featured
many cameos from other band members New Edition, NSync and Naughty by Nature, among
others.
Several years after leaving NKOTB, Knight spoke of anxiety and panic attacks in the group.
He revealed in 2000 that he suffered from Generalized Anxiety Disorder while performing with
the band, which was made worse by their busy touring schedule and constant audience
attention.
A 2009 National Enquirer article also revealed that Knight was gay, which Knight had yet to
confirm.
Two years later, in 2011, former pop icon Tiffany, who Knight reportedly dated years earlier,
also revealed he was gay, which Knight confirmed that year. Knight denies hiding the fact that
he was gay, stating only that he chose never to go out in public.
Since 2008, Knight has been in a relationship with Harley Rodriguez, a personal trainer.
In 2015, the couple appeared on the reality show The Amazing Race, placing ninth in the
competition.
A year later, in 2016, Knight proposed to Rodriguez while on vacation in Africa and the two
have been engaged since. The two live together on Knight’s Farm in Massachusetts.
Jonathan Knight is an American singer who has a net worth of $ 14 million. Jonathan Knight is
best known as a member of the boy group New Kids on the Block. The pop group has sold
over 70 million albums worldwide, with their self-titled debut album being three times platinum
in the United States. The group originally disbanded in 1994 when Knight left on the group’s
“Face the Music” tour. The group received one Grammy nomination and two American Music
Awards.
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