English (UK) 
Nederlands 1988
In March, first album Take 6 is released at Reprise Records.
Cover designer Kav DeLuxe will clarify later: “The phrase “do be doo wop bop" was included simply as a design element."
The songs ‘Spread Love', ‘David & Goliath', ‘Milky-White Way' and ‘Goldmine' (https://www.discogs.com/Take-6-Gold-Mine/master/267649) are released as singles.
Cedric: “Philadelphia was one of the first cities to embrace Take 6's self-titled debut CD in 1988", he says. “For that, we will always be grateful. Philly will always have a special place in our hearts."
Take 6 opens for jazz legend Andy Williams at his concerts in 12 American cities.
Warner Brothers arranges a promotion video, called “Take 6" (nicknamed by fans: “A Great Report").
Video: Take 6 (WB)
Warner Brothers is proficiant in taking Take 6 to Japan. Cedric in a 2008 interview :
In March, David marries Marla Davis.
Mark and Mervyn collaborate vocally (but indistinguishably) with BeBe & CeCe Winans on track 4, ‘You', of their album Heaven.
Performances
- 01- ?-88 Chicago, IL (3rd Stellar Awards)
- The group is nominated for two Stellar Awards:
- winner in the category Jazz/Gospel: Best New Artist
- winner in the category Jazz/Gospel: Best Performance by a Duo or Group, Contemporary: album ‘Take 6'
They probably do not sing this evening. They do in 1990.
- 01- ?-88 (TV) 20th NAACP Image Awards
- (NAACP stands for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
The group is nominated for a NAACP Image Award:
- nominated in the category Jazz/Gospel: Outstanding Gospel Artist
- 02-03-88 New York City, NY (Radio City Music Hall: 30th Grammy Awards)
- Immediately after the record release they are invited to perform at the Grammies.
- 09-09-88 until 10-09 Orlando, FL (Walt Disney World Resort: Night of Joy)
- Performers are, next to Take 6: Stryper (main act), Geoff Moore & The Distance, Mylon & Broken Heart, Russ Taff, White Heart and Bebe & CeCe Winans.
- 10-16-88 Los Angeles, CA (Dodger Stadium: World Series; Oakland Athletics against the Los Angeles Dodgers)
- At one of the Games (most certainly not at Game 1, October 15) Take 6 sings the National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)
- 06-11-88 (TV) New York, NY (Chelsea Television Studios: TV-show ‘Night Music' (previously ‘Sunday Night', NBC); episode 6)
- This late-night TV show is hosted by Jools Holland (UK, organ player) and David Sanborn (US, saxophone player). Other guests tonight are Randy Newman, Mark Knopfler and Slim Gaillard.
Video: Spread Love
- 17-12-88 (TV) Lou Rawls Parade of Stars
- (“The United Negro College Fund's 9th annual fund-raiser, with appearances by members of the casts of the TV shows Amen, Cosby, Head of the Class, 21 Jump Street and the film Dirty Dancing.")
Video: Gold Mine
Collaborations
- Growing Pains (Theme from “Growing Pains" and Other Hit TV Themes) – Steve Dorff & Friends
- 4. Murphy Brown Suite: Like the Whole World's Watching / F.Y.I. (The Newsroom Theme)
‘ Like The Whole World's Watching' is the leader of “Murphy Brown", which is half a cappella, half accompanied.
8. Just the Ten of Us Suite: Just the Six of Us / Doin' It the Best I Can
This is the theme song to the TV show “Just The Ten of Us", cleverly titled ‘Just The Six of Us' (written by Mark and Mervyn).
- The Sounds Of Murphy Brown (Original Television Soundtrack Album)
- 14. Like The Whole World's Watching
Just Take 6.
- Bigger World – Donna McElroy
- 5. Come Sunday
Mervyn (rhythm arrangement, strings arrangement, electric piano (midi acoustic piano));
Cedric (rhythm arrangement).
By the way, J.D. Blair is drumming!
7. Take It Away
Mervyn (bass, keyboards, background vocals, producer, vocal arrangement, drum programming);
Mark (background vocals, together with Amy Grant);
Cedric (synth solo; rhythm arrangements of ‘Part of Me', ‘Come Sunday', ‘Everything to Me')
- River of Time – Michael Martin Murphey
- 3. River of Time
A quiet country song; Take 6 is barely audible.
- Kartsonakis – Dino Kartsonakis
- 4. Bach To The Future [Solfeggietto by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Back]
6. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
The arrangement of ‘Turn Your Eyes' is by Mervyn and Mark. Everyone sings except for Cedric.
- Larnelle Christmas – Larnelle Harris
- Mark, Claude and Mervyn collaborate vocally on this album.
On the album Spike & Co.: Do It A Cappella (Original Soundtrack Recording) appears the Take 6 song ‘Get Away Jordan' (track 10).
1989
The new album So Much 2 Say was originally planned for release this year, but the group's quick rise in popularity after the release of the first album opened doors to work on a string of collaborations with other artists, including Dianne Reeves, Quincy Jones, Spike Lee, Steve Dorff, Joe Sample and others. The album has to be postponed to next year.
Stevie Wonder buys 200 copies of the Take 6 album and gives them away to family and friends, and even puts ‘Spread Love' on his answering machine. The single ‘Spread Love' is very well received in the US.
Music legend Quincy Jones seems to have said: “Take 6 are the baddest vocal cats on the planet. On this subject there is nothing else to discuss. That's the way it be's."
The day after graduation, they start touring with Al Jarreau. They tour through Europe, visiting London, Milton Keynes and Rotterdam, as well as 40 American cities. During the tour, they're out playing basketball and goofing around during the day - wondering why Al spends all day sleeping and resting up in his room...
July 11, the RIAA grants the Gold certification to the album ‘Take 6' (500.000 copies sold).
They make a second appearance in the Night Music show (of Jools Holland and David Sanborn) and sing this time: Get Away Jordan
Performances
- 01- ?-89 Chicago, IL (Arie Crown Theater: 4th Stellar Gospel Music Awards)
- Take 6 sings their own version of ‘The Rules'.
- 02-22-89 Los Angeles, CA (Shrine Auditorium: 31st Annual Grammy Awards)
- The group is nominated for three Grammy Awards for the year 1988:
- nominated in category Jazz/Gospel: Best New Artist
- winner in category Jazz/Gospel: Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus: album ‘Take 6'
- winner in category Jazz: Best Jazz Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group: song ‘Spread Love'
The sextet is still in college, so during the Awards show they have their books with them to be able to study backstage!
Video: Get Away Jordan
Video: If We Ever
Video: If We Ever, with the awarding of the ‘Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo, Group, Choir or Chorus' to Take 6 at 7:55
At this show, Bobby McFerrin receives two with his ‘Don't Worry, Be Happy' song (‘Best Pop Vocal Performance' and ‘Song of the Year').
- 02-23-89 (TV) Pat Sajak Show
- Video: Spread Love
Video: Mary
- 04-13-89 Nashville, TN (20th GMA Dove Awards)
- The group is nominated for four Dove Awards for the year 1988:
- winner in category Jazz/Gospel: Contemporary Black Gospel Album of the Year: album ‘Take 6'
Video: Dove Awards
- winner in category Jazz/Gospel: Contemporary Black Gospel Song of the Year: ‘If We Ever'
Video: Dove Awards
- winner: Group of the Year
Video: Dove Awards
- winner: New Artist of the Year
Video: Dove Awards
Video: If We Ever, without introduction
(note: a few years later they've taken the word “Black" out of the category titles)
- 04-13-89 Los Angeles, CA (Santa Monica Civic Auditorium)
- During the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards (a live broadcast) the group is nominated for a Soul Train Award for the year 1988:
- winner in category Jazz/Gospel: Best Gospel Album: ‘Take 6'
- 04-27-89 Greeley, CO (The UNC/Greeley Jazz Fest)
- Video: Walk On The Wild Side (Six To One)
- 05-14-89 Philadelphia, PA (Uptown Theater: “Voices...We Don't Need No Music")
- An “a cappella and poetry concert".
- 05-29-89 (TV) Arsenio Hall Show (season 1, episode 105)
- They sing ‘The Star Spangled Banner'
- 06-04-89 (TV) Freedom Festival
- Artists sing in the Independence Hall, Philadelphia, on occasion of Independence Day.
- 06-11-89 Hollywood, CA (Hollywood Bowl, Playboy Jazz Festival)
- 08-??-89 (TV) Lonesome Pine Special (season 4, episode 14)
- Appeared on video
They sing: ‘6 to 1', ‘Get Away Jordan', ‘David and Goliath', ‘A Quiet Place', ‘Milky White Way', ‘Sunday's On The Way', ‘If We Ever', ‘Gold Mine' and ‘Spread Love'.
- 09-11 until 09-12 Orlando, FL (Walt Disney World Resort: Night of Joy)
- Performers are, next to headliner Take 6: Petra, Michael W. Smith, Margaret Becker & The Reckoning, Shirley Caesar, Phil Keaggy and Rex Band.
- 10-06-89 (TV) Ebony/Jet Showcase
- Take6 stars on this talk show tonight, along with En Vogue.
"Conversations with black Americans who have achieved success in the fields of entertainment, sports and business. In 1983 the show began as ‘Ebony/Jet Celebrity Showcase', but after a one-year hiatus it returned to syndication with a shortened title and a format that was expanded to include segments on diet, fashion and health."
- 10-10-89 (TV) Arsenio Hall Show (season 2, episode 22)
- Video: Mary
Video: Spread Love
Video: Spread Love
- 11-??-89 (TV) Good Morning America (ABC)
- 11-06-89 Barcelona, Spain (Palau de la Música, XXI Festival Internacional de Jazz de Barcelona)
- A performance of the Jan Garbarek Group + Take 6, 9:30 pm.
Video: Mary
Video: Spread Love
Video: A Quiet Place
- 12-18-89 (TV) Christmas in Washington (NBC)
- Hosted by Olivia Newton-John. They sing ‘If We Ever' (according to www.tcm.com )
Collaborations
- Shag (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- 3. Our Day Will Come
Merv, Claude and Mark, with k.d. lang.
- Do The Right Thing (Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- 7. Don't Shoot Me
12. WE LOVE (108 FM)
This is a 15-second jingle.
Written by Mervyn and Mark Kibble; (p) 1989 Motown Record Company L.P.
- Back On The Block – Quincy Jones
- 1. Prologue (20's Rap) (Quincy's Rap)
2. Back on the Block
6. Wee B. Dooinit (Acapella Party by the Human Bean Band)
9. Birdland
10. Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)
- Spellbound – Joe Sample
- 6. U-Turn
Music video
- Home – Stephanie Mills
- 3. Home
- In The Still Of The Night – Johnny Mathis
- 1. In The Still Of The Night
2. It's All In The Game
- The End of The Innocence – Don Henley
- 5. New York Minute
6. Shangri-La
They're barely audible on ‘New York Minute'; you can't hear them on ‘Shangri-La' at all...
- While The Serpent Lies Sleeping – Pierce Pettis
- 9. Legacy
Collaboration with guitarist and singer Pierce Pettis. Style: singer-songwriter, a bit country.
“The production on ‘While the Serpent Lies Sleeping' is erratic, apparently trying to balance a folk-rock sound with Pierce's mostly introspective and introverted lyrics. Pettis and producer Doug Jansen Smith argued often over the production, and did not work with each other subsequently."
This song re-appears this year on album ‘Legacy: A Collection Of New Folk Music' (various artists) as track 1.
- Something Inside So Strong – Kenny Rogers
- 4. One Night
Merv, Claude, Mark and David.
On several websites, Take 6 (barely audible on this album) is “extended" with John Andrew Parks, a country singer. But he wrote the song “Planet Texas", which is covered on this album by Kenny Rogers. That's probably why John Andrew is quoted there.
Track 5 (There Lies The Difference), 9 (Maybe) and 10 (Love The Way You Do) have BGV's but they do not sound like Take 6.
- Strong Medicine – Bryan Duncan
- 4. Strong Medicine
6. Inside Out
Just Mervyn (arranger + vocals), Mark and Alvin.
Album Our Hymns (various artists), side B, has ‘The Saviour Is Waiting' as 4th track.
Mark sings on the soundtrack of Heart of Dixie.
One David Thomas is collaborating on William Aura's New Age album Half Moon Bay; this is not David Thomas of Take 6!