Curtis Knight
musician (1929-1999)
Curtis Knight (May 9, 1929 – November 29, 1999), born Mont Curtis McNear, was an American musician who is known for his association with Jimi Hendrix.
Background
Knight was a singer in the 1960s Harlem R&B music scene, usually fronting his own band, the Squires. In 1965, with Hendrix as guitarist, he recorded some singles and demos for record producer Ed Chalpin. Chalpin also signed Hendrix to a management contract, which Hendrix soon forgot about and left for England in 1966 to form the Jimi Hendrix Experience. After Hendrix became famous, Knight and Chalpin issued hundreds of albums of the recordings with Hendrix, resulting in years of legal action by both sides.
Knight was an accomplished table tennis player who competed locally while living in New York.
Career
It was reported in the 9 May 1970 issue of Billboard that Knight along with Anthony Swete and Ella Moore had been added to the Paramount label, and the album from Knight was to be Down in the Village. The album was released on Paramount PAS 5023 (S) and it was given a four star rating in the 5 December issue of Billboard. The album also received a positive review in the 26 December issue of Record World where the reviewer wrote that some people who encountered Knight will be reminded of Hendrix and Knight was "just about as acid as anyone gets in these post-acid days." The reviewer also noted that Knight had written all of the songs and there was a message that may mean something to young fans of hard rock.
At some stage, Knight moved to London, where he formed the group "Curtis Knight, Zeus", and toured throughout Europe, relying on his Hendrix connection for many years.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Curtis Knight” as musician (1929-1999). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as musician (1929-1999). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3007813. VIAF identifies the subject as 38599157. The Library of Congress control number is n94015423. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1929, 1999, 1965 and 1966.
Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Curtis Knight”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Curtis Knight primary sources, Curtis Knight archive and Curtis research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Curtis Knight”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Curtis Knight” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.