Michael Knott

Michael Knott is an American singer-songwriter and frontman for various bands, many of them Christian. He has released some 35 albums, including solo albums and with bands such as LSU and Cush.

Knott's music has sometimes been controversial in Christian circles, particularly due to profanity in the song "Rocket and a Bomb" (from the self-titled release of his former band Aunt Bettys) and original artwork in that album of Jesus Christ as a bartender. Knott's songwriting appealed to many people, particularly flawed Christians, who appreciated the honesty with which he tackled his own shortcomings. Examples include "Double," "Shaded Pain" and the aforementioned "Rocket and a Bomb." Knott explained some of his views in an interview with HM Magazine, saying, "Basically, I'm a human being and I believe in Christ, period. It doesn't make my life rosy, it doesn't make my life terrible, it doesn't do anything with that. I know Christ."

Career highlights include LSU's epic Cornerstone appearance in '93 (band dressed in costumes), Aunt Bettys record-label bidding war and eventual signing with Elektra (1995) and a Jed the Fish "Catch of the Day" spin on KROQ for the Strung Gurus' "Sun-Eyed Girl." Members of Cush and Aunt Bettys joined Knott on stage for a Dennis Danell benefit concert at Verizon Wireless with a line-up that also included Pennywise, Offspring, X and Social Distortion. Aunt Bettys and Mike Knott songs are prominently featured in the 1998 indie film "Boogie Boy" (Imperial), exec-produced by Grammy-winning "Pulp Fiction" co-writer Roger Avary.

Knott is a painter, frequently signing his works under the name 'Gerard'. His artwork has been used for cover art on many of his own releases as well as releases by The Choir, Charity Empressa, and others. When he began touring again in 2000, Knott began creating painting series that he sold at shows and eventually online.

Michael Knott was the founder of the now defunct independent record label, Blonde Vinyl Records, and co-founded Tooth and Nail Records with Brandon Ebel.

After ending their contract with Elektra, Aunt Bettys released their second album Ford Supersonic (originally through Marathon Records). The band quit by the decade's end, and Knott started Strung Gurus with Social Distortion founding-guitarist Dennis Danell. When Danell died in early 2000, Knott began self-releasing several albums (many of which featured previously unreleased tracks) to coincide with a number of solo acoustic tours. In Sept. 2010, Aunt Betty's Ford (using their original name) reformed for a show at the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa, their first show together in 13 years. A handful of other shows have followed.

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