[1] His early career began when he started playing the clarinet and saxophone at the Dublin Music School.
His decision to go solo at the peak of the cabaret era, opened up his career.
The two songs were "The Menace from Ennis"[2] and an Irish Gaelic entry "Chuaigh mé suas don chluiche mór"[3] (I Went Up for the Big Game).
In the Irish final of 1971 he would again score no points with his song An fhaid a mhairim.
Knowles twice survived oesophageal cancer and after his most recent battle, curtailed his lifestyle somewhat but still performed.