Mathew Knowles is an author, professor, entrepreneur and music executive, who also happens to have two incredibly talented daughters who have found major success in the music industry. Although he’s had massive success in business, he’s also been plagued with personal struggles, including ongoing infidelity issues and a fight with breast cancer.
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While he’s one of the driving forces behind one of the most successful girl groups in history, Knowles has been back in the news lately, accusing the music industry of not giving him his flowers because of the color of his skin.
We’re taking a look at the story of Mathew Knowles, the man who helped create Queen Bey.
A Business Man
Born in Gadsen, Alabama, Knowles graduated from Nashville’s Fisk University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He also holds an MBA in Strategic Planning and Organizational Culture and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Cornerstone Christian Bible College. Before getting into the music industry, he had a successful medical sales career with Xerox Medical Services.
Knowles has shared his knowledge of business and the music industry, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on entertainment and entrepreneurship at Texas Southern University and a course in Music and the Digital Age at The University of Houston.
Meeting Tina
Knowles first met then-Celestine Beyoncé in the late 1970s at a party he threw for his roommate who had just graduated law school. But rather than approach her with a smooth line about her looks, Knowles said he got on her case for putting her hands on some items in his collection of vinyl records.
“I had a strong vinyl collection and I didn’t want no damn fingerprints on my vinyl,” he said in an interview.
Starting a Family
Shortly after they met, Mathew and Tina got married in 1980. They wasted no time growing their family, welcoming daughter Beyoncé in 1981 and Solange in 1986.
Early Issues
Tina Knowles says she noticed problems in her marriage to Mathew early on, but kept convincing herself that staying together was the right thing to do.
“There were already problems in our marriage that first year,” she wrote in her memoir, ‘Matriarch.’ “But the suspicions I had would get washed away by the fact that our love was stronger than a misstep.”
Music Mogul
Tina put her issues with Mathew’s infidelity on the back burner and poured her energy into supporting her daughter Beyoncé and her girl group, Destiny’s Child.
As the group’s manger, Mathew put the ladies to work, pushing them through hours of voice, dance and media training.
In 1992, Knowles founded his artist management and production company, Music World Entertainment Corporation. He has executive producer credits on over 100 award-winning albums.
Divorce
After nearly 30 years of marriage, Tina filed for divorce from Mathew in 2009 when she learned he had fathered a child, son, Nixon Knowles, with former actress Alexsandra Wright. Their divorce was finalized in 2011, but it wouldn’t be the last child Matthew would have outside of their marriage.
Knowles fathered another child, Koi Knowles, with model Taqoya Branscomb in 2010, although the news didn’t come out until years later.
Breaking Off Business With Beyoncé
In 2011, Beyoncé announced that her father would no longer manage her career. At the time, allegations were swirling that Knowles got the boot because he took money from his daughter that he wasn’t entitled to, as TMZ reported.
But both Bey and her father maintained that the decision to stop representing his daughter was strictly business and that there was no love lost on either side.
“The decision for Beyoncé and Music World Entertainment to part was mutual. We did great things together, and I know that she will continue to conquer new territories in music and entertainment,” Mathew Knowles wrote in a statement about the decision. “Business is business and family is family. I love my daughter and am very proud of who she is and all that she has achieved. I look forward to her continued great success.”
Another Chance
Shortly after parting ways, Tina says she and Mathew tried to give their relationship another try for a brief, but unsuccessful period. She says he tried to reassure her that he had gotten help and changed his ways.
“I didn’t believe him, but he was persistent, proved he’d gotten help, and as he courted me, I found myself falling in love again,” she wrote in her memoir, ‘Matriarch.’ “The magnetic pull between us, this cosmic cord I had tried to cut so many times, was stronger than ever.”
Marriage 2.0
In July 2013, Knowles tied the knot again with realtor Gena Charmaine Avery. However, two important guests were missing from the ceremony, daughters Beyoncé and Solange, who issued statements saying they had previous engagements the kept them from being there.
Motivating Others
Over the years, Knowles has used his success in business to motivate others, speaking to employees at leading companies about winning business strategies.
In 2015, Knowles published “The DNA of Achievers, 10 Traits of Highly Successful Professionals.” The book breaks down the traits that are commonly found in people who are at the top of their game in their fields, including risk-taking, work ethic and learning from failure.
Breast Cancer Survivor
In 2019, Knowles revealed that he had been diagnosed with breast cancer. In an interview with Michael Strahan, he said he went to have a mammogram after noticing recurring spots of blood appear on his shirt and his sheets. Fortunately, the cancer was caught at Stage 1A, and Knowles did not need to have chemotherapy, although he did have a mastectomy.
Knowles told Strahan that he wanted to share his story to encourages others, particularly Black men, to make their health a priority.
Overlooked in the Music Business
Although Knowles achieved a great deal of success managing his daughter’s musical careers, he says he never got the respect from the industry he was due because of the color of his skin.
“Beyoncé was the number one female artist of the decade from 2000 to 2009. Don’t take my word, just go research it. Guess who was the number one female group in the world? Destiny’s Child” Knowles said during an episode of the “Bag Fuel” podcast. “But the other part of that, if I was a white manager, I would be considered the number one manager ever. So, I never get that respect that’s deserved.”
He and Mama Tina Are On Good Terms These Days
Although their relationship was rocky, Mathew and Tina say they’re on good terms these days.
“Yes, I had some tumultuous, terrible times with Mathew, but I never questioned whether he loved me or my kids,” Tina told Gayle King in an interview. “We are on good terms because we did a good job. We did some really good stuff too.”
The respect goes both ways. Mathew recently took to social media to congratulate her on the success of her memoir – which included lots of dirt about their relationship.
“Tina, congratulations on your New York Times #1 bestseller ‘Matriarch.’ Mathew,” he captioned a May 1 post on X.
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