‘Love’ Duet Steams Up Brian McKnight’s Career : Pop music: Singing with Vanessa Williams was the ‘incredible boost’ his career needed. His debut album has just passed the 500,000 sales mark.

Brian McWho?

That was no doubt a common reaction earlier this year when listening to the Vanessa Williams duet on “Love Is,” the No. 1 single from the “Beverly Hills, 90210” soundtrack album.

But Brian McKnight has gone from that early, valuable exposure to assemble some impressive credits of his own, including “One Last Cry,” the hit ballad from his debut Mercury album. The collection, titled simply “Brian McKnight,” has just passed the 500,000 sales mark.

Crooning torch-like soul ballads in a caressing tenor voice is just one of McKnight’s talents. He also co-wrote, co-produced and played nearly all the instruments on his album. He also co-produced eight songs and co-wrote two songs on Boyz II Men’s new “Christmas Interpretations” album, which is expected to be one of the season’s biggest sellers.

“That single with Vanessa gave me an incredible boost,” McKnight, 24, says during breakfast in a West Hollywood diner. “It became easier to get my records played on radio, to get exposure on MTV. Before that I was impatient and a little discouraged.”

Prior to that duet, McKnight’s album had stalled on the sales charts after a promising release in the summer of 1992.

“It stayed at the 250,000 mark for about six months,” recalls the tall, personable singer, who’s been tagged as a young Nat (King) Cole. “You want your career to explode--so you can become famous and do whatever you want to do. I was ready to give up when it didn’t happen right away. I started to focus on writing and producing.”

Fans might have been slow to recognize McKnight’s skills but R&B; colleagues weren’t. Artists such as Vanessa Williams, former Guy member Damien Hall and Tracie Spencer hired him as a producer and writer. The industry buzz about McKnight eventually attracted Boyz II Men.

McKnight is at the point now where he’s rejecting writing and producing offers. “These days,” he jokes, “I can turn down a higher class of artist.”

When he was growing up, first in Buffalo and later Orlando, Fla., McKnight wasn’t even the best singer in his own music-oriented family. That honor belongs to older brother Claude, who’s a member of the acclaimed gospel/jazz vocal group Take 6. Although he’s been singing since was 4, the younger McKnight moved slowly into a music career, first studying computer science at Oakwood College in Alabama.

But when he started composing with college pal Brandon Barnes, who’s still his co-writer, McKnight went after a record deal in earnest, signing with Mercury during his sophomore year in 1989.

When he talks about singing vs. writing/producing, it’s clear which he prefers. “I just love the creative process, nurturing a song from its embryonic stage to a finished product--there’s absolutely nothing like it,” he says.

There’s no doubt about his musical preference either. “I grew up listening to Stevie Wonder, Michael McDonald, Steely Dan--who do songs with great lyrics and nice melodies,” he explains. “My favorite producer is David Foster, who’s considered middle of the road. His stuff has substance and beautiful melodies too.”

Does all this add up to a put-down of rap and hip-hop?

“Let me put it this way,” McKnight says with a grin. “In 30 years, they’ll still be listening to Stevie Wonder songs. But will they be listening to some rap song about shooting people and trashing women? I don’t think so.”