Six Brothers, Zero Instruments, Twenty Years: The Story Behind Branson’s SIX
Some Branson shows are built on sets, bands, and big production budgets. SIX is built on six voices. That’s it. No instruments, no backing tracks, no autotune. Just the Knudsen brothers, six microphones, and a sound so full that first-time audiences often look around for the band that isn’t there.
In 2026, SIX celebrates 20 years of performing in Branson, their longest run anywhere. To mark the occasion, we sat down with Jak Knudsen to hear how a family act that started in 1975 ended up as one of Branson’s signature shows.
It Started with One Summer Morning
The Knudsen family had ten boys and no girls. Their parents wanted a daughter, and as Jak puts it, “nobody can say they didn’t try.” One summer morning in 1975, their dad sat the brothers down and announced that they weren’t going out to play that day. They were going to learn some songs. That first rehearsal lasted eight hours.
It stuck. By 1978 the brothers were making their national television debut on a Donny and Marie special alongside the Osmond Brothers. The group bills itself as the longest-running vocal group in the world still performing with its original members, and after five decades together, it’s hard to argue with the sentiment.
The Pickup Truck Years
The road to Branson was not glamorous. In their early Los Angeles days, the brothers lived in the back of a pickup truck, singing on street corners at night and handing out business cards to anyone who would take one. Their mom had no idea.
Then came the gig that changed everything: a twelve-person birthday party in Beverly Hills. During the performance, a woman pulled them aside and told them to sit by their phone, because they had no idea who was in the room. She was right. Movie producer Joel Silver, the man behind Lethal Weapon and 48 Hrs., was a guest. He cast them in Action Jackson, where four hours of filming earned them about ten seconds of screen time. Soon after, they were singing at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 40th birthday party in front of, as Jak remembers it, everybody who was anybody in Hollywood.
Years in Las Vegas followed, including a run at the Aladdin starting in 2003. But being stranded overseas on 9/11, when every flight was grounded, became a turning point that reshaped how the brothers thought about their career. Eventually that path led them to the Ozarks, and they’ve been here ever since. Their kids grew up in town and graduated from Branson High School.
What Makes the Show Different
Everything you hear at a SIX show comes from a human voice. Brother Owen handles percussion, and he’ll tell you he doesn’t beatbox. His goal is to sound exactly like a real drum kit and close your eyes during the show and you’ll believe he’s succeeded.
The comedy is just as much a part of the act. Jak jokes that he parlayed his in-school suspension career as a class clown into a living, though his official advice for kids is “don’t do it.”
The 20th Anniversary Show
This year’s production is a best-of built from an actual fan survey of favorite moments across two decades. There’s also a bit of intrigue: a fan-favorite song that was pulled from the show years ago, and asked about at every meet and greet since, is finally back in the lineup. The brothers aren’t saying which one ahead of time.
SIX performs at the Pepsi Legends Theater, located right across from Dolly Parton’s Stampede, with evening shows Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8 PM and matinees Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 3 PM. If you’re planning a Branson trip this year, this anniversary season is a fitting time to see a show that’s been earning its applause one note at a time for twenty years.For tickets, visit our ticketing service partner: https://ibranson.com/shows-in-branson-missouri/six/