Mathew Knowles facts for kids

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

Knowles is the person who started Music World Entertainment. This company works with many kinds of music, like country, gospel, and even children's music.

Early Life and Education

Mathew Knowles was born in Gadsden, Alabama. His parents were Lou Helen and Matthew Q. Knowles. He went to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated in 1974 with degrees in economics and business. He also earned an MBA, which is a master's degree in business.

Music Career and Success

Knowles began his career selling office and medical equipment. In 1992, he decided to focus on his music company, Music World Entertainment, which he had just started.

Building Music World Entertainment

Under Music World Entertainment, Knowles created several record labels. These included Music World Gospel, Music World Kids, and Music World Country/Compadre. He also worked with big music companies like Sony Music and Universal.

Managing Destiny's Child

Mathew Knowles became the manager of the singing group Destiny's Child. He worked as a producer or executive producer on many of their songs and albums. By 1997, he helped the group get a record deal with Columbia Records. They even had a song on the Men in Black movie soundtrack.

Knowles brought in famous producers to help Destiny's Child mix hip hop with R&B music. This helped them reach many different fans. Under his management, Destiny's Child became a top-selling group. They won many awards, including Grammy Awards and American Music Awards. Billboard magazine even named them among the All Time Hot 100 Artists. Knowles also managed the solo careers of other Destiny's Child members, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland.

Expanding Music World's Reach

In 2002, Knowles started Spirit Rising Music, which later became Music World Gospel. This label featured gospel artists like Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Brian Courtney Wilson. In 2016, Music World Music bought the Compadre country music catalog. This included music from artists like Johnny Cash.

Knowles also launched Music World Kids, a music label for families. This label released projects like Baby Jamz and Kid's Rap Radio. They also released music from the Nickelodeon cartoon series, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!.

Beyond Music: Movies and Books

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 taught about entrepreneurship at colleges. In 2019, he released an album called Destiny's Child: The Untold Story Presents Girls Tyme. This album featured early music from Destiny's Child when they were known as Girls Tyme. He also wrote a book with the same name.

In 2021, Knowles started his iHeartRadio podcast called "Mathew Knowles Impact." In 2022, he sold Music World Entertainment Group. He then joined the board of directors for APX Capital Group. He also manages a large fund for making movies and TV shows between the United States and Italy. One of the first projects is The Mathew Knowles Story. This will tell how Knowles helped Destiny's Child become successful. It will also show behind-the-scenes looks at the solo careers of Beyoncé, Solange, Michelle Williams, and Kelly Rowland.

Teaching and Education

Mathew Knowles is a visiting professor at Texas Southern University. There, 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. Knowles joined the teaching staff at London College of Contemporary Music as a visiting professor. In 2022, a special scholarship was created in his name.

Personal Life

Mathew Knowles married Tina Beyoncé in 1980. They later divorced in 2011. On June 30, 2013, he married Gena Avery. In 2019, Knowles successfully recovered from a health challenge.