Gladys Knight (1944-present) is a legend known as the “Empress of Soul.” Her repertoire boasts no fewer than seven Grammys, two number-one Billboard Hot 100 Singles, eleven number-one R&B hits, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Gladys Knight (1944-present) is a legend known as the “Empress of Soul.” Her repertoire boasts no fewer than seven Grammys, two number-one Billboard Hot 100 Singles, eleven number-one R&B hits, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Today, we’re talking about a legend known as the “Empress of Soul.” Her repertoire boasts no fewer than seven Grammys, two number-one Billboard Hot 100 Singles, eleven number-one R&B hits, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Let’s talk about Gladys Knight.
Gladys was born in Atlanta, Georgia on May 28, 1944. She is one of four children born to Sarah and Merald Knight, Sr. From a young age, Gladys knew she wanted to sing. She debuted at the age of four at her church, but by the time she was seven, she won a televised performance contest on “Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour.”
In 1952, the Knight siblings formed the group that would dominate music charts for nearly three decades. When a record player scratched to a halt at a family party, Gladys, her brother Bubba, her sister Brenda, and cousins Eleanor and William performed instead. They did so well, they formed a music group. The Pips, as they named themselves, began singing at local venues before recording their first single with Brunswick Records in 1957. They were versatile performers whose pitch-perfect harmonies and extensive choreography attracted audiences. They sang R&B, gospel, soul, and pop music across genres.
In 1959, Brenda and Eleanor left the group to get married and were replaced by Langston George and Edward Patten, another cousin. A year later, Gladys herself also got married to a musician James Newman, Sr. They had two children.
By 1960, the Pips were regularly touring, and in 1966, they experienced major success at famed Motown Records. There, they recorded hits like “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” “If I Were Your Woman,” and “Neither One of Us” and toured as the opening act for the Supremes. It’s said Gladys was the one who sent Motown Records the Jackson 5’s first demo tape after seeing them perform at “Amateur Night” at the Apollo.
In 1973, the Pips moved from Motown to Buddah Records. There, they found immediate success with hits like “Where Peaceful Waters Flow” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.” At Buddah, the Pips recorded a streak of top ten R&B hits, and earned Grammy awards for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Also in 1973, Gladys and her husband divorced. She then married a music producer, named Barry Hankerson, the next year. They would divorce seven years later in 1981.
The Pips continued to produce major hits into the 1980s, though a series of legal issues forced them to record separately until signing a new recording contract. With “Love Overboard,” their first single under MCA Records, The Pips topped both Pop and R&B charts at the end of the decade.
In the 70s and 80s, Gladys began exploring a career beyond her music with the Pips. She made her silver-screen debut in 1976’s “Pipe Dreams.” The Pips recorded the movie’s soundtrack. She also became a familiar face on TV and Film, including guest appearances on Benson, The Jeffersons, A Different World, and Living Single, to name a few.
Gladys also launched into humanitarian work. She appeared in the AIDS benefit anthem, “That’s What Friends Are For” alongside Dionne Warwick, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder.
In 1989, Gladys Knight and the Pips finished their final tour, and Gladys branched out to a solo career. She continued to tour and record throughout the 1990s and experienced no shortage of accolades, including multiple Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, NAACP Image Awards, and Soul Train Awards. She also recorded the theme song for Licence to Kill, the 1989 Bond film. In 1996, she and the Pips were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Gladys had a two-year marriage to author and motivational speaker Les Brown. In 1997, the year of their divorce, Gladys joined the Church of the Latter-Day Saints. She then created and directed the Grammy-Award winning LDS Mormon choir, Saints Unified Voices. In 2001, she married her fourth husband, corporate consultant William McDowell.
Also in 2001, Gladys became a solo Grammy winner with her sixth solo album “At Last.” And three years later, her collaboration with Ray Charles, “Heaven Help Us All," won her another Grammy.
Gladys currently lives in Nevada, where she serves as a judge on BET’s “Apollo Live.” For both her solo work and her time with the Pips, and with no fewer than two songs inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, Gladys is known and revered as a history-defining voice, uninhibited by genre or era.