By Courtney Caterino

Despite the bitter cold, seats were packed in Blackman Auditorium on Thursday night when Grammy award-winners Take 6 performed a mix of sweet ballads and foot-thumping favorites – all in a soaring a cappella.

“I could not stop smiling or snapping my fingers. They were a blast to watch and definitely worth braving the cold for,” said Daniela Sloan, a sophomore international affairs major.

The Christian-based sextet warmed up the crowd of about 750 with their raw talent and some hijinks thrown in: they played tricks on each other and the audience. But all of what they did that night was second, they said, to their appreciation for their religion.

“We love the Lord – that’s what Take 6 is all about,” said group member Cedric Dent.

Take 6 has a style of music that attracts a number of diverse groups, making it difficult to categorize. Blackman was packed with people from many different races and a wide variety of ages. The lyrics are motivational and encourage people to rely on God for love and support through life’s hard times.

Take 6 was started by Claude McKnight in 1980 as the Gentlemen’s Estate Quartet at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. Several months later, they were joined by Mark Kibble, a long time friend of McKnight’s, making them into a group of five. The group eventually evolved to six members with the addition of Mervyn Warren, and also changed their name to Sounds of Distinction and later Alliance. In 1987, the group was signed by Warner Brothers and also arranged a separate distribution deal with Reunion Records to get their music into stores. In January 1991, Mervyn Warren left the group and was replaced by Joey Kibble. Now Take 6 has 10 albums and has won numerous awards such as a Dove Award and a Grammy in 2001.

Take 6 was strongly recommended to the Director of the Center of the Arts Susan Jaeger to come to Northeastern. Jaeger felt Take 6 would appeal to many in the Boston area.

“They had the audience in the palm of their hand from their first number,”Jaeger said .

The Center of the Arts is the department that sponsored the event, and said it was a special evening that went better than expected. Jaeger hopes in the future that Take 6 will make another visit.

Towards the end of the show, the excitement was undeniable. The crowd was swaying, singing, clapping and dancing.

“The show was amazing,” said Alvin Carter, a sophomore music industry major. “They moved me to jump out my seat and start dancing. Northeastern needs to have them back on a warmer day, where more students who have never heard them, can get the chance.”

As the audience was filing out, one crowd member said, “That sure was a great way to spend Thursday night.”

At the end, it was obvious the audience enjoyed themselves. As they exited, they were still laughing and singing.