Jerry Knight

Jerry Ernest Knight (April 17, 1952 – December 29, 1996)^[1] was an American R&B vocalist and bassist^[2] who reached prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s, during which he was part of several groups and had a brief solo career.^[1]

A Los Angeles native,^[2] he first gained recognition as a founding member, along with Ray Parker Jr., of the R&B group Raydio, singing vocals on their early hit "Jack and Jill."^[1] Prior to this, he was a session player for many artists, notably providing bass on Bill Withers “Lovely Day.”

Knight left Raydio after before their second album was released to pursue a solo career, going on to release three solo albums and achieving moderate success with minor hits such as "Overnight Sensation," "Perfect Fit" and "Turn It Out".^[1]

In 1983, Knight teamed with session drummer Ollie E. Brown to form Ollie & Jerry. They provided the title track to the soundtrack for the 1984 movie Breakin', which reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[3] They also recorded the title track for Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, which got to #45 on the Billboard R&B chart.^[3]

Shortly after Ollie & Jerry parted ways in 1985, Knight began working with the Jets, co-writing their early hits "Crush On You," "Curiosity," and "Private Number".^[4] Although his career as an artist faded, Knight continued to write and produce for other acts such as the Whispers, Patrice Rushen, DeBarge, Howard Hewett and Elkie Brooks.

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 (Maxine) Knight. Parker added that Knight and Jill had two children together (Dereck and Lindsay).^[5]

Knight died of cancer in Los Angeles on December 29, 1996, at age 44.^[1] He is buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery.

• Jerry Knight discography at Discogs