Gladys Knight Biography

Gladys Knight was born in Georgia in 1944. While still incredibly young, she, her siblings, and her cousins formed The Pips and by the end of the 1950’s, they’d begun to tour, gaining popularity and establishing a fan base. Their first single to chart came in 1961 with “Every Beat of My Heart,” and “Giving Up” and “Letter Full of Tears” followed.

Eventually, Gladys Knight & the Pips became one of Motown’s most successful acts, with huge hits such as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "It Should Have Been Me,” "The End of Our Road," "If I Were Your Woman," "Midnight Train to Georgia," "I've Got to Use My Imagination," and "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me."  They recorded together through the 1980’s, when Gladys Knight decided to pursue a solo career. The Pips’ final album, All Our Love, was released in 1987.

Gladys Knight released two successful solo albums before Good Woman, in 1991, which featured the singles “Men” and “Superwoman,” both of which became hits. Just for You went gold in 1995 and earned Gladys Knight a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album.  She continued to record for the rest of the decade, and in the new millennium, she won the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Album for At Last (2002.) Gladys Knight also earned a Grammy for Best Gospel Performance for “Heaven Help Us All,” a duet with Ray Charles.

In addition to her career in music, Gladys Knight has also appeared on a number of television shows throughout the decades, including New York Undercover, Benson, A Different World, The Jeffersons, Charlie & Co., The Jamie Foxx Show, and House of Payne. Her cameos include 30 Rock and Las Vegas. Gladys Knight also competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2012.

Gladys Knight is ranked at number eighteen on VH1’s Greatest Women of Rock. She has earned seven Grammies, three with the Pips and four as a solo artist.