Nick Knowles earned widespread notice primarily through his hosting duties on BBC television, though he simultaneously cultivates a parallel career as a vocalist, composer, and guitarist whose engagement with the instrument dates back to 1976, when he turned fourteen. After finishing secondary school he entered the building trade, later founding and operating his own construction firm. Entry into broadcasting came in the early 1990s, beginning with work as a runner that progressed to fronting the ITV series Ridge Riders. His longest-standing on-screen affiliation commenced in 1999 upon joining the BBC program DIY SOS. Over the intervening years he appeared regularly at open-mike nights, typically without public disclosure of his participation, until 2017, when his musical activities finally moved into public view. Early that year he secured a deal with Universal, which issued his debut album, Every Kind of People. The collection consisted entirely of covers drawn from artists he admires, among them Robert Palmer’s “Every Kind of People,” John Mayer’s “Your Body Is a Wonderland,” and the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.”
