The group moved to New York, where they auditioned for Bobby Robinson's Fury Records. Lacking a record label, a local Atlanta label, Huntom Records, pushed the single and got a distribution deal with Vee-Jay Records to release it. In 1961, they recorded the Johnny Otis–penned " Every Beat of My Heart". They were replaced by another cousin, Edward Patten, and a friend, Langston George. By 1959, Brunswick dropped the group, and both Brenda Knight and Eleanor Guest left The Pips to begin families. Despite this, the group was now opening for top R&B acts such as Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke. At Brunswick, the group released two recordings that failed to chart. Their success brought them a record contract with Brunswick Records in 1957. By 1955, the group entered the talent show circuit in their hometown of Atlanta, winning each talent show they entered. The group settled on the name The Pips, inspired by the nickname of their cousin James "Pip" Woods. Soon, the quintet agreed to form a group at the urging of Gladys' mother Elizabeth Knight. That same year, Gladys, her brother Bubba, sister Brenda, and their cousins Eleanor and William Guest began performing together during Bubba's tenth birthday party after a record player malfunctioned. She won Ted Mack's The Original Amateur Hour TV show contest on Jat the age of eight. Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, she sang in the church choir. She has a sister, Brenda, one living brother, Merald "Bubba" Knight, Jr., and one deceased brother, David "Billy" Knight. Knight was born in Atlanta to Merald Woodlow Knight Sr., a postal worker, and Sarah Elizabeth (née Woods). She is also a recipient of the National Medal of Arts and Kennedy Center Honors. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Knight among the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. She also recorded the theme song for the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill. Two of her songs (" I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight Train to Georgia") were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and significant" value. She has won seven Grammy Awards (four as a solo artist and three with the Pips) and is an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Vocal Group Hall of Fame along with The Pips. Knight has recorded two number-one Billboard Hot 100 singles (" Midnight Train to Georgia" and " That's What Friends Are For" which she did with Dionne Warwick, Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder), eleven number-one R&B singles and six number-one R&B albums. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins William Guest and Edward Patten. The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation (ETAF) was set up by British-American actress Taylor in 1991 to carry out her vision for an Aids-free world.ĮTAF works to provide the direct care needed for people living with and affected by HIV and Aids.Ĭo-chairs for this year’s Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End Aids include musician, model, actor and ETAF ambassador Paris Jackson as well as entrepreneur, producer and long-time supporter Christine Chiu.Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman. The singer has been honored by numerous organisations, including the NAACP Legal Defence Fund, Congress of Racial Equality and B’Nai Brith as well as being a recipient of BET’s (Black Entertainment Network) Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a supporter of various causes, including the American Diabetes Association – for which she is a national spokesperson – the American Cancer Society, the Minority Aids Project, amFAR and Crisis Intervention and The Boys and Girls Club. The great ones endure, and Gladys Knight is one of the greatest.”Īs well as her career success, Knight is a humanitarian and philanthropist. “We are thrilled to see our friend light up the stage. “Cookie and I are so excited to announce that on the night we are being honored by The Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End Aids, the Empress of Soul Gladys Knight will perform,” said Johnson. Knight, known as ‘The Empress of Soul’, is known for her glittering career on both stage and screen (Martin Rickett/PA) The event, taking place on September 21 at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, will honour basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson and his wife Cookie Johnson. The seven-time Grammy award winner has recorded more than 38 albums, including four solo albums during the past decade. Knight, known as The Empress of Soul, has enjoyed a glittering career on stage and screen. Veteran US singer Gladys Knight will perform at the fourth annual Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End Aids, it has been announced.
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