Courtesy of Michael J. Media Group

It's easy for someone to say he'll fight for his art. Singer/songwriter Chris Knight has literally done it.

Of course, that happened in the days when Knight was playing his original tunes in honky-tonk pickup joints, and he wasn't exactly writing conformist-brand country music.

At least one listener didn't care for it years ago in a joint Knight was playing in Nashville, Tenn. A 1998 New York Times story reported that Knight knocked the man out.

"I didn't exactly knock him out, but it was a pretty good fight," Knight remembers.

These days, the people at Knight's shows want to hear his songs, and they love him. A bunch of those folks are likely to be out Wednesday, when Knight hits Kirk Avenue Music Hall.

"I've got enough of a following; people come to the shows come to see the show, for the most part," he said.

He does a lot of listening rooms but still plays some honky-tonks and dives, and his fans go there, too.

"I'm really surprised at how nice the rednecks are when they're listening to music," Knight said in his deep, western Kentucky twang.

That kind of respect tends to follow someone with a quality, yet down-to-earth vocal style who writes smart lyrics over simple chord changes. He's been doing it professionally over the course of seven albums in about a decade.

His past couple of records gave new spins to old material. "The Trailer Tapes" are literally that -- recorded solo in a single-wide trailer in 1996, as demos for his debut, self-titled disc.

"Trailer II" took it a step further, moving from mostly tunes that didn't get on a record to tunes that Knight fans already knew and loved. Those records sandwiched "Heart of Stone," a full-band record of new tough-and-tight originals.

He's played his tunes stripped down in a couple of previous gigs at Kirk Avenue -- just Knight and an accompanying guitarist. After his last performance, he stood at his merchandise table, surrounded by folks who wanted to say "hi," shake his hand and tell him how much they loved his music. Knight says he is grateful for them.

"You'll go through periods of time where ... you might just be out there playing -- you know -- and doing your show, doing the best you can and not really thinking about it that much," he said. "And then you realize that music means a whole lot to people.

"I've had people say, 'You say things in your songs that we can't say. We don't know how to say them, but you say 'em in your songs,' " Knight said. "It always makes it worth it."

His past couple of records gave new spins to old material. "The Trailer Tapes" are literally that -- recorded solo in a single-wide trailer in 1996, as demos for his debut, self-titled disc.

"Trailer II" took it a step further, moving from mostly tunes that didn't get on a record to tunes that Knight fans already knew and loved. Those records sandwiched "Heart of Stone," a full-band record of new tough-and-tight originals.

He's played his tunes stripped down in a couple of previous gigs at Kirk Avenue -- just Knight and an accompanying guitarist. After his last performance, he stood at his merchandise table, surrounded by folks who wanted to say "hi," shake his hand and tell him how much they loved his music. Knight says he is grateful for them.

"You'll go through periods of time where ... you might just be out there playing -- you know -- and doing your show, doing the best you can and not really thinking about it that much," he said. "And then you realize that music means a whole lot to people.

"I've had people say, 'You say things in your songs that we can't say. We don't know how to say them, but you say 'em in your songs.' " "It always makes it worth it."