Brian McKnight singing at LVH

It's impossible to predict what will become of some singers in a decade. But when Brian McKnight first sang on the Strip in 2001, it was fairly easy to tell that he could play Las Vegas for years to come.

The versatile 42-year-old singer and radio host has played Billy Flynn in "Chicago" and later this month will sing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in Washington, D.C. But he still makes it to Las Vegas about once a year, as he does in a Saturday bill at the LVH (the former Las Vegas Hilton) that includes K'Jon ("On the Ocean") and Case ("Happily Ever After").

McKnight, a published songwriter by the time he was 18, has written or produced songs in several musical genres, along with his own hit R&B ballads such as "Back at One" and "One Last Cry."

But he always stayed in line with the Las Vegas tradition of personality-based performing. Years ago, he noted, "I don't really like the shows (that are) all about the visuals, video screens and (people) coming out of the floor and the ceiling and everything. There's not much singing that actually took place."

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.