Making music since 1975

It was in 1975 that Ted Knight did his first gig as a leader, a trio for a wedding in his adopted home town of Delray Beach. Now Ted plays dates from Miami and the Florida Keys to Naples, Tampa, Boca Raton, Palm Beach, and St. Augustine, often with an eight-piece orchestra or a sixteen-piece big band.

His father's footsteps

Ted's late father, Vic Knight, led a successful big band in Indianapolis in the 1950s and early 60s.

Dad let his young son help with the time-consuming but vital job of sorting the music, and started bringing him along on to help set up the equipment for gigs.

He arranged for Ted to take piano lessons, joking that one day, with Ted on hand, he'd never have to scramble to find a pianist again.

In 1965, Vic moved his family to Florida. He started a new band, sometimes with young Ted on keyboard and vocals.

But Ted started his own band while studying music in college, and the joke was on dad as Ted became so popular that he could only play occasionally with his father.

By 1980, Ted's big band and smaller combos were featuring the best musicians in the area. An article in the Palm Beach Daily News compared Ted Knight with older established society bandleaders like Joe René, Marshall Grant and Neal Smith.

Just the same, Ted loved playing with his father, whether it was with his sixteen-piece big band or his free-wheeling Dixieland jazz group. Above, Vic leads his band for a charity ball at the Flagler Museum in Palm Beach and at right, he sings at Lantana Airport.

On the air

A radio connection helped both father and son.

Vic owned Delray Beach station WDBF, long devoted to swing and jazz, and Ted was a disc jockey who became the station's program director. Vic and Ted were a natural draw at promotional events, and played jazz at restaurants such as Erny's in Delray Beach and Cypress Manor in Boynton Beach.

In 1983, Ted put his radio programming experience to use by offering mobile disc jockey service. Although many musicians resented DJs, Ted believed there would always be a place for live as well as recorded music.

Repeats and referrals

Many clients return for repeat bookings. His father's band played for Mutual of America, the billion-dollar New York insurance company, whenever they came to Florida. Ted's band has continued the tradition since Vic's death in 2000. At right, Ted is pictured with now-retired corporate chairman William Flynn.

Private clubs like St. Andrews of Delray Beach and the Little Club in Gulf Stream book Ted several times a year, and Ted's band is recommended by the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, the Delray Beach Club, and Boca West Country Club.

The brothers and sisters of brides and grooms have called on Ted for their own weddings. Ted played weddings for three siblings from Palm Beach and three others for a family from Delray Beach. A few years after playing with his father's big band for a wedding at the Breakers in Palm Beach, Ted's own eight-piece orchestra played for the bride's sister's wedding at a Boynton Beach country club.

On the web 

Most clients now find Knight Music on the Internet. A corporate executive booked Ted's band for his father's 70th birthday party at a country club in Margate (pictured at left) after searching Google for "Florida big band." Wedding clients from New York, Colorado, Georgia, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Virginia have booked Ted's band for Florida weddings after finding him on the Internet. Ted played a wedding in Gulf Shores, Alabama after the bride's mother found his web site and alerted her daughter, who was coming home from Spain for the affair.

Closer to home, an attorney from West Palm Beach, just half an hour from Delray Beach, found Ted's jazz group on Google and booked him for his wedding at a gourmet restaurant in Lake Worth.

Marie makes a difference

As Ted's reputation led to steadily increasing demand, it got to the point where he could hardly keep up with the business as well as the music. In 1999, Ted's wife, Marie, went to work full time as manager of the business.

Now she talks to clients on the phone, responds to email, sends out demo CDs, issues contracts, and makes sure the musicians have all the information they need.

Her attention to detail and her courteous manner have made the business more successful than ever, and her contribution lets Ted concentrate on making the best music he can.

The legacy

Ted's father died in the year 2000, leaving Ted a rich legacy of musical knowledge as well as his extraordinary collection of big band arrangements. When Ted sings "Wind Beneath My Wings," he dedicates it to his father's memory.