Post by Kaz ~;~ on Dec 27, 2009 13:20:53 GMT -5
=========================================
Gladys Knight and the Pips - brother Merald “Bubba” Knight and cousins Edward Patten and William Guest - are one of the most respected and longest-lived soul groups, with hits spanning four decades. Knight was born in Atlanta, Georgia, where she began singing at age four with her brother and cousins at Baptist church functions. The group first recorded for the Brunswick label in 1958 and dented the charts with “Every Beat of My Heart” (1961) and “Letter Full of Tears” (1962), both on Fury Records. After a few more singles and personnel changes, which cemented Gladys Knight and the Pips in their most enduring and best-known lineup, the group signed with Motown’s Soul label in 1966. Motown founder Berry Gordy, who saw them perform at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in 1966, made note of Knight’s “class, artistry and stage presence....She could talk to an audience and articulate what she wanted to say with just the right words.”
At Motown, Gladys Knight and the Pips quickly rose to prominence with their version of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (#1 R&B, #2 pop), which boasted more of an uptempo, gospel-style arrangement than Gaye’s own recording of it. Their tenure at Motown yielded a lengthy run of R&B hits, including “Friendship Train” (#2 R&B, #17 pop), “If I Were Your Woman” (#1 R&B, #9 pop) and “I Don’t Want to Do Wrong” (#2 R&B, #17 pop). They exited Motown on a high note with “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)” (#1 R&B, #2 pop) and “Daddy Could Swear, I Declare” (#2 R&B, #19 pop).
The group moved Buddah Records in 1973, where they had their biggest hit, “Midnight Train to Georgia,” a #1 hit for two weeks on the pop chart and four weeks on the R&B chart. Songwriter Jim Weatherly had originally entitled this piece of sultry Southern soul “Midnight Plane to Houston.” Three more Top Ten singles followed in quick succession: “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination,” “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” and “On and On.” Legal problems kept Knight and the Pips from working together in the late Seventies, but they rebounded in 1980 with a move to Columbia and the hits “Landlord” (written and produced by ex-Motown staffers Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson) and “Save the Overtime (for Me)” (a #1 R&B single).
Knight continues to record with and without the Pips, and her old-school soul vocals keep her much in demand on the concert circuit. Along with Elton John and Stevie Wonder, she contributed vocals to Dionne Warwick’s 1985 AIDS benefit record, “That’s What Friends Are For.” Credited to “Dionne and Friends” and produced by Burt Bacharach, it was #1 for fours weeks. In 1988, “Love Overboard” became a #1 R&B hit for Gladys Knight and the Pips. In 1996, Knight joined Chaka Khan, Brandy and Tamia for another round-robin singalong, “Missing You,” a hit single from the movie Set It Off.
Of the longevity of Gladys Knight and the Pips, who are approaching half a century in the music business, Knight had this to say: “One reason we’ve been able to stick together is because we pray before each show – pray for the strength to stay humble, courage to keep pushing, and the ability to reach people with our message.”
TIMELINE::
August 2, 1939: Edward Patten was born.
June 2, 1941: William Guest was born.
September 4, 1942: Merald “Bubba” Knight was born.
May 28, 1944: Gladys Knight is born in Atlanta, Georgia.
July 10, 1961: The Pips hit #1 on the R&B chart and #6 on the pop chart with “Every Beat Of My Heart”.
December 1, 1967: “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and recorded by Gladys Knight and the Pips, rises to Number Two. Exactly a year later, Gaye’s own version will become the top song in the country.
April 7, 1973: Gladys Knight & the Pips hit #2 with “Neither One of Us (Wants To Be the First To Say Goodby)”.
October 27, 1973: “Midnight Train to Georgia,” by Gladys Knight and the Pips, tops the Billboard singles charts. It is their first #1 pop hit, though they’ve previously had 4 chart-toppers on the R&B side.
November 9, 1985: “That’s What Friends Are For,” a collaboration between Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder and Elton John (and credited to “Dionne and Friends") enters the Top Forty. This benefit single for the American Foundation for AIDS Research will hold down the #1 spot for four weeks.
January 9, 1988: “Love Overboard” returns Gladys Knight and the Pips to the pop charts after a 12-year absense. It peaks at #13 pop and #1 R&B.
January 17, 1996: Gladys Knight and the Pips are inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the eleventh annual induction dinner. Mariah Carey is their presenter.
=====================================
Essential Songs::
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Midnight Train to Georgia
Make Me the Woman That You Go Home To
Friendship Train
Every Beat of My Heart
Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me
Neither One of Us Wants to Be the First to Say
Goodbye
I’ve Got to Use My Imagination
Save the Overtime (For Me)
Love Overboard
------------------------------------------------------------------------