Gladys Knight Biography

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Gladys Knight is a legendary R&B/soul singer and actress. She had many hits in the 1960's and 1970's. She has released records with both Motown and Buddah Record labels with Gladys Knight & the Pips. This group included her brother and two cousins.

When Gladys Knight was seven years old she won Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour television show contest in 1952. The Pips were formed in 1953. In 1960, Knight found out she was pregnant and married her boyfriend, Jimmy Newman. She miscarried and in 1961 Bobby Robinson produced the single "Every Beat of My Heart" for the Pips, which went to number one when it was released with Vee-Jay Records.

In 1962, the Pips had a second hit, "Letter Full of Tears" and Knight became pregnant again and gave birth to a son that same year. She retired from the road and raised her family. The Pips toured on their own. In 1964, she gave birth to a daughter and returned to the Pips to help support her family.

Gladys Knight & the Pips joined Motown in 1966 and released several hits between 1967 and 1973, "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", "The Nitty Gritty", "Friendship Train", "If I Were Your Woman", "I Don't Want To Do Wrong", "Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye)", and "Daddy Could Swear (I Declare)". The Pips left Motown and signed with Buddah Records in 1973. They released Grammy winning "Midnight Train to Georgia", "I've Got to Use My Imagination", and "The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me".

Knight made her acting debut in "Pipe Dreams" a drama set in Alaska. Knight received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her role in the movie. The Pips continued to have hits until the late 1970's-this is when legal issues arose and the band had to record separately.

In 1978, Knight released her first solo LP "Miss Gladys Knight" with Buddah Records and "Gladys Knight" in 1979 with Columbia Records. Knight divorced Jimmy Newman and in 1976 married record producer Barry Hankerson. They were married for three years and had a son, and had a custody battle over their son during the divorce. The Pips returned in the 1980's with number one hits "Save the Overtime (For Me)", and "Love Overboard" in 1987. After a tour in 1988 the Pips retired and Gladys Knight began a solo career. The Pips were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Knight participated in the collaboration for the 1986 AIDS benefit single, "That's What Friends Are For" which went on to win a Grammy. She also recorded a track for the James Bond movie License to Kill.

Knight released "Good Woman" in 1991 and it rose to number one and featured a number two hit "Men". "Just For You" was released and went gold and was nominated for the 1995 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Knight was married to Les Brown at this time, but the marriage was brief.

In 1995, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. In 1997, she joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She created and now directs the LDS (Mormon) choir Saints Unified Voices.

In 2001, "At Last" was released and won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. Knight performed at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas from February 2002 to November 2005. The show was voted best show on the Las Vegas strip in 2003.

Knight has appeared as a celebrity judge for American Idol and as one of the judges for the American Juniors show. In 2005, she won a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance for "Heaven Help Us All" which was a duet with Ray Charles. She also received a Lifetime Achievement award from the BET cable network.

She is ranked 18 in the 2005 Guinness Book of World Records list of most successful female music artists of all time. Knight won her seventh Grammy Award in 2006 for the "One Voice" CD.

Gladys Knight Tickets

Gladys Knight - MCA Records

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