Gladys Knight

Gladys Maria Knight was born on May 28, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Sarah Elizabeth Knight, a nurse's aide, and Merald Woodlow Knight Sr., a postal worker, both of whom sang in church and local choirs. Knight has a sister, Brenda, and two brothers, Merald "Bubba" Jr. and David "Billy." Raised Baptist, she began singing gospel music at age four at Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Atlanta. At eight, she won Ted Mack's The Original Amateur Hour television contest performing Nat King Cole's "Too Young." That same period saw Knight, her brother Bubba, her sister Brenda, and cousins Eleanor and William Guest perform together at Bubba's tenth birthday party after a record player malfunctioned. Encouraged by Knight's mother, the quintet formed a group and took the name The Pips, drawn from the nickname of their cousin and manager, James "Pip" Woods. Knight attended Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta before transferring to and graduating from Archer High School.

The Pips performed at churches, talent shows, and clubs, opening for established acts before signing with Brunswick Records in 1957. After several lineup changes, the group released their debut album in 1960, by which point Knight had recorded five songs and released her first hit single, "Every Beat of My Heart." The group's momentum was interrupted when Knight departed to start a family with husband and musician Jimmy Newman, but she returned and the group resumed recording. Gladys Knight & the Pips joined Motown Records in 1966, bringing with them three prior hits: "Every Beat of My Heart," "Giving Up," and "Letter Full of Tears." Though initially treated as a secondary act by the label, the group produced a string of major singles, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," which reached number one in 1967, "The Nitty Gritty" and "Friendship Train" in 1969, "If I Were Your Woman" in 1970, "I Don't Want To Do Wrong" in 1971, the Grammy Award-winning "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" in 1972, and "Daddy Could Swear (I Declare)" in 1973. During their early Motown years, the group toured as the opening act for Diana Ross and the Supremes.

The group departed Motown for Buddah Records in 1973 and achieved broader mainstream success with the Grammy-winning "Midnight Train to Georgia," which reached number one on both the pop and R&B charts, along with "I've Got to Use My Imagination," "The Way We Were/Try To Remember," and "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me." In the summer of 1974, Knight and the Pips recorded the soundtrack to the film Claudine with producer Curtis Mayfield, contributing songs including "On and On," "The Makings of You," and "Make Yours a Happy Home." The group found particular success in the United Kingdom, where several Buddah singles charted years after their American release; "Midnight Train to Georgia" reached the UK Top 5 in the summer of 1976, three years after its American success. Legal disputes in the late 1970s forced Knight and the Pips to record separately, resulting in her first solo albums: Miss Gladys Knight on Buddah in 1978 and Gladys Knight on Columbia Records in 1979. After divorcing James Newman II in 1973, Knight married Barry Hankerson, then an executive aide to Detroit mayor Coleman Young. The two had a son, Shanga Ali, before their marriage ended in a custody dispute. In 1980, Johnny Mathis invited Knight to record two duets, "When A Child Is Born" and "The Lord's Prayer."

Signing with Columbia Records in 1980 and reunited as a quartet, Gladys Knight & the Pips worked with former Motown producers Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson on About Love in 1980, which included the hit "Landlord," and Touch in 1981. In 1983, the group released "Save the Overtime (For Me)," produced under the artistic direction of Leon Sylvers III in a soulful boogie style. The single reached number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number one on the R&B chart for one week, marking the group's first R&B chart-topper since 1974. Knight decided to pursue a solo career in 1987, and the group recorded their final album together, All Our Love, for MCA Records. Its lead single, "Love Overboard," reached number one on the R&B chart and earned the group another Grammy Award. Following a successful 1988 tour, the Pips retired. In 1989, Knight recorded the theme song for the James Bond film Licence to Kill. That same year, Gladys Knight & the Pips were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. The group was later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.

Across her career, Knight has won seven Grammy Awards, four as a solo artist and three with the Pips. She has recorded two number-one Billboard Hot 100 singles: "Midnight Train to Georgia" and "That's What Friends Are For," the latter recorded with Dionne Warwick, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder. She has also achieved eleven number-one R&B singles and six number-one R&B albums. Two of her recordings, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight Train to Georgia," have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for their historical, artistic, and significant value. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Knight among the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2010. She is a recipient of both the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors.

Knight's work extended to the Broadway stage, where she performed from 1984 to 1995. Her Broadway credits include the play Cafe and Gladys Knight & the Pips & Kashif.