Mathew Knowles facts for kids

Mathew Knowles (born January 9, 1952) is an American record executive, businessman, and university professor. He is famous for managing the popular music group Destiny's Child. He also managed the solo careers of his daughters, Beyoncé and Solange Knowles.

Knowles started a company called Music World Entertainment. This company has worked with different types of music, including country, gospel, and children's music.

Early Life and Education

Mathew Knowles was born in Gadsden, Alabama. He went to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1974, he earned two degrees there: one in Economics and one in Business Administration. He also later earned an MBA degree.

His Career in Music

Knowles started his career selling office and medical equipment. He worked for companies like Xerox Corporation and Johnson & Johnson. In 1992, he decided to focus on his passion for music. He left his sales job to start his own music company, Music World Entertainment.

Building a Music Empire

Mathew Knowles created several record labels under Music World Entertainment. These included Music World Gospel for religious music, Music World Kids for children's music, and Music World Country for country music. He also worked with big music companies like Sony Music and Universal.

Managing Destiny's Child

Knowles became the manager of the singing group Destiny's Child. He helped produce many of their songs. By 1997, he helped the group get a record deal with Columbia Records. They even had a song on the Men in Black soundtrack.

Knowles brought in famous producers to mix hip hop with R&B music. This helped Destiny's Child reach many different fans. Under his management, Destiny's Child became a very successful group. They won many awards, including Grammy Awards and American Music Awards. Billboard magazine recognized them as one of the top artists of all time.

Knowles also managed the solo careers of other Destiny's Child members, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland.

Other Music Projects

In 2002, Knowles started Spirit Rising Music, which later became Music World Gospel. This label featured many gospel artists. In 2016, he bought the Compadre country music collection. This included music from artists like Johnny Cash.

Knowles also launched Music World Kids, a label for family-friendly music. They released projects like Baby Jamz and music from the cartoon series Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!.

Beyond Music

Besides music, Knowles was an executive producer for the 2009 movie Obsessed, which starred Beyoncé. He also appeared in reality TV shows like Chancers and Breaking From Above.

In 2015, Mathew Knowles released his first book, "The DNA Of Achievers: 10 Traits of Highly Successful Professionals". He also teaches about the entertainment industry at colleges.

In 2018, he released an album called Destiny's Child: The Untold Story Presents Girls Tyme. This album had unreleased music from Destiny's Child when they were a younger group called Girls Tyme. He also wrote a book with the same title.

In 2021, Knowles started his iHeartRadio podcast, "Mathew Knowles Impact". In 2022, he sold Music World Entertainment Group to APX Capital Group. He joined their board of directors and now manages a fund for film and TV projects. One of the first projects will be The Mathew Knowles Story. This will tell how he helped Destiny's Child become famous.

Teaching and Education

Mathew Knowles is a visiting professor at Texas Southern University. He teaches classes about the entertainment industry. In 2018, the university created the Mathew Knowles Institute in his honor. He also teaches at the University of Houston, Prairie View A&M University, and the Art Institute. He is also a visiting professor at the London College of Creative Media. In 2022, a special scholarship was created in his name there.

Personal Life

Knowles married Tina Knowles in 1980. They divorced in 2011. On June 30, 2013, he married Gena Avery.

In 2019, Knowles was treated for male breast cancer and recovered successfully.