In 1961 the group scored their first rhythm-and-blues (R&B) top twenty hit with “Every Beat of My Heart.”Īfter devoting a couple of years to her husband, fellow musician Jimmy Newman, and their new baby, Knight returned to the music business in 1964. During these tours they performed as the opening act for some of the biggest names in rhythm and blues-Sam Cooke, Ike and Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Little Richard, Jackie Wilson, and B. After the departure of Brenda and Elenor, cousin Edward Patten filled out the family quartet during the group’s heyday.īy 1957 Gladys Knight and the Pips were touring nationally on the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” playing exclusively to Black audiences in clubs and theaters throughout the segregated South. From these humble beginnings, the Pips emerged-the name was taken from the nickname of a cousin (“Pip”) who encouraged the youngsters to become professionals. Joining an impromptu performance with Knight were her older brother, Merald “Bubba” her sister, Brenda and two cousins, Elenor and William Guest. In 1952 the family music group was born during a child’s birthday celebration at the Knight home. As a seven-year-old prodigy, she achieved national recognition by winning top honors on Ted Mack’s The Original Amateur Hour, a popular television talent show in which winners were selected by mail-in votes. She began her musical career at the age of four with a church recital, then toured and sang in southern churches with the Morris Brown College choir, an Atlanta gospel group, from 1950 to 1953. Knight was born on May 28, 1944, into a family that was part of Atlanta’s growing Black middle class. The group attracted a worldwide audience and won numerous awards during its forty-year career, scoring its only number-one pop hit in 1973 with the soul classic “Midnight Train to Georgia.” And I just love people.As one of Motown’s leading ladies of soul in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Gladys Knight was the driving force behind Gladys Knight and the Pips, an all-family music group from Atlanta. So I’m always looking for things to do and ways to get it done so you can touch a broader sense of what people like. But when they called me, I never would’ve guessed they were calling me to do it! And I’m kinda brave like that, being a Gemini who’s all over the place.
Now, I had never heard of The Masked Singer, but they had all kinds of information about it, and that’s how I knew it was such a big thing in Europe,” she told EW back in February, “so when I was over there I got a chance to see it, because I’ve been over there this year. One of my granddaughters is my assistant manager, and then I have Steve Walker is also part of my team - he used to do the Backstreet Boys and more - I have a great team.
The music icon also recently starred on the hit singing contest “The Masked Singer.”
Back in March, Gladys and William shared a photo of them dancing together at a party (see below).
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