Gladys Maria Knight, born on May 28, 1944, is a famous American singer and actress, often called the “Empress of Soul.” She has won seven Grammy Awards, which is a big honor in music. Gladys was part of a group called Gladys Knight & the Pips in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. This group included her brother Merald “Bubba” Knight and her cousins William Guest and Edward Patten.
She sang two very popular songs that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “That’s What Friends Are For” (which she sang with Dionne Warwick, Sir Elton John, and Stevie Wonder). Gladys also had eleven top songs and six top albums in R&B music. She won four of her Grammys as a solo artist and three with the Pips. Both Gladys and the Pips are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
Two of her songs, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Midnight Train to Georgia,” are in the Grammy Hall of Fame because they are important and well-loved. She also sang the theme song for the 1989 James Bond movie, “Licence to Kill.” Rolling Stone, a famous magazine, listed her as one of the top 100 singers ever. She has received important awards like the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors for her contributions to music and arts.
Have you ever wondered how Gladys Knight, the Empress of Soul, maintains her youthful energy and greatness through the years? At what age does this iconic singer stand today, and what are her secrets to a vibrant, age-defying life? Can we learn from her timeless grace and vitality?
Gladys Knight Age
Gladys Knight, an American singer, was born on May 28, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She’s currently 79 years old. Her parents are Merald Woodlow Knight Sr. and Sarah Elizabeth, and she was given the name Gladys Maria Knight at birth.
An American treasure. The legendary Gladys Knight, 79, sings live. (Turn up the sound) pic.twitter.com/ZI5CCEILXC
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) November 13, 2023
Gladys has one living brother, Merald Jr., and another brother, Merald, who passed away. She also has a sister named Brenda. She started singing with her siblings when she was eight years old. She’s an American and her zodiac sign is Gemini.
Gladys Knight Education
Gladys Knight has been vague about her academic background. There is, however, a strong likelihood that she has enrolled in a nearby high school. After finishing high school, Glady enrolled at Shaw.
Gladys Knight Career
Gladys started singing solo when she was just four years old at a church in Atlanta, Georgia. She won an award for singing on a TV show called ‘Ted Mack Amateur Hour’ when she was around 8. Around that time, in 1952, she formed a music group called the Pips with her siblings and cousins, Elenor and William Guest. Gladys was the main singer, and the Pips added great harmonies.
Their first song, ‘Whistle My Love,’ came out in 1957, but they weren’t very famous until they worked with Motown Records in the 1960s. They got more attention with hit songs like ‘Nitty Gritty’, ‘If I Were Your Woman’, and ‘Friendship Train,’ and by performing at shows and on TV.
In 1973, they left Motown Records for Buddha Records. Their last song with Motown, ‘Neither One of Us Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye,’ was a big hit. Now, they were known as Gladys Knight and the Pips. They had more hits like ‘Imagination’ and songs like ‘I’ve Got to Use My Imagination’, ‘Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,’ and ‘Midnight Train to Georgia,’ which won a Grammy.
They signed with Columbia Records and released three more albums: ‘About Love’ in 1980, ‘Touch’ in 1982, and ‘Visions’ in 1983. They also had songs like ‘Landlord’, ‘Save the Overtime for Me’, and ‘You’re Number One’. Their last album together was ‘All Our Love’ in 1988, which had a Grammy-winning song, ‘Love Overboard’.
As for advertising, Gladys hasn’t promoted any brands yet, but she might do so in the future.
Gladys Knight Husband
Gladys Knight has been married four times and has three children. When she was 16, she got pregnant and married a musician named James ‘Jimmy’ Newman in 1960. They lost their first baby, but later had two kids. Unfortunately, Newman had problems with d*ugs and left the family when Knight was 20. They had a son, James ‘Jimmy’ Gaston Newman III, born in 1962, and a daughter, Kenya, born a year later.
Knight and Newman separated and got divorced in 1973, and Newman passed away a few years after that. In 1974, Knight married Barry Hankerson, who was related to the singer Aaliyah. They had a son named Shanga Hankerson, but they got divorced in 1979.
Knight then married Les Brown, a motivational speaker, in 1995, but they split up and divorced in 1997. She married William McDowell in 2001.
Happy Anniversary to Gladys Knight and Her Husband William McDowell Celebrating 20 Years of Marriage…#BlackLove #GladysKnight #RnBSouleffect pic.twitter.com/nGqpkNkFNz
— RnB Souleffect Tv™ (@rnbsouleffec_tv) April 27, 2021
Sadly, her son James, who was also her manager, died in 1999 at the age of 37 due to heart failure.
Gladys Knight’s biggest songs
Songs like “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” and “Neither One of Us” were huge hits for Gladys and The Pips.
She sang the song for the James Bond film Licence to Kill’s theme in 1989.
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Gladys Knight Net Worth
Gladys Knight is a famous American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman who is worth $8 million. Known as the “Empress of Soul,” she’s famous for songs like “Midnight Train to Georgia” and many top R&B hits.
She started singing with her siblings in a group called ‘The Pips’ when she was 8. They performed with famous R&B singers like Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke. They were with Motown Records and then moved to Buddah Records in 1973, where they became popular in pop music too. Their most famous song, “Midnight Train to Georgia,” was recorded in 1973.
The group was very successful in the mid-1970s. They even had their own TV show in 1975. In 1976, Knight acted in the movie “Pipe Dreams” and recorded music for it with The Pips.
In 1988, they joined MCA Records and released their last album together, “All Our Love,” which had a Grammy-winning song, “Love Overboard.” Knight started singing alone in 1989 and even sang for the James Bond movie “License to Kill,” along with Dionne Warwick and Patti Labelle.
Knight’s first husband was Jimmy Newman, a musician from Atlanta, Georgia. They married when she was 16 and had two children. Unfortunately, Newman, who had d*ug problems, left the family and died a few years later.
Her second marriage to producer Barry Hankerson ended in 1979 after fighting over custody of their son, Shanga. Knight then married Les Brown, an author and motivational speaker, in 1995, but they divorced in 1997. In 2001, she married William McDowell, a corporate consultant.
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