Gladys Knight & the Pips
Encyclopedia
- "The Pips" redirects here. For the BBC pips, see Greenwich Time SignalGreenwich Time SignalThe Greenwich Time Signal , popularly known as the pips, is a series of six short tones broadcast at one-second intervals by many BBC Radio stations to mark the precise start of each hour...
.
Gladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine
I Heard It through the Grapevine
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a landmark song in the history of Motown. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles...
" (1967) and "Midnight Train to Georgia
Midnight Train to Georgia
"Midnight Train to Georgia" is a 1973 number-one hit single by Gladys Knight & the Pips, their second release after departing Motown Records for Buddah Records...
" (1973). The longest-lived incarnation of the act featured Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
on lead vocals, with The Pips, who included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and their cousins Edward Patten
Edward Patten
Edward "Eddie" Roy Patten was an Atlanta, Georgia-born R&B/soul singer, best known as a member of Gladys Knight & the Pips. He was lead singer Gladys Knight's cousin....
and William Guest, as backup singers.
Forming the Pips
Gladys KnightGladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
was born May 28, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of seven in 1952, she won Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour television show contest. The following year, she, her brother Bubba, sister Brenda, and their cousins William and Eleanor Guest started a singing group called "The Pips" (named after another cousin, James "Pip" Woods). The Pips began to perform and tour, eventually replacing Brenda Knight and Eleanor Guest with cousins Langston George and Edward Patten
Edward Patten
Edward "Eddie" Roy Patten was an Atlanta, Georgia-born R&B/soul singer, best known as a member of Gladys Knight & the Pips. He was lead singer Gladys Knight's cousin....
in 1959.
The Pips scored their first hit in 1961 with "Every Beat of My Heart
Every Beat of My Heart (song)
"Every Beat of My Heart" is the 1961 debut single on the Vee-Jay label by Gladys Knight & the Pips. The song was written by Johnny Otis, and first recorded by his group The Royals in 1954. The single was credited to The Pips and was the first of eleven releases to make it to number one on the...
", a cover of a Hank Ballard & The Midnighters song written by Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis
Johnny Otis is an American singer, musician, talent scout, disc jockey, composer, arranger, recording artist, record producer, vibraphonist, drummer, percussionist, bandleader, and impresario.He is commonly referred to as The Godfather Of Rhythm And Blues.-Personal life:Otis, the son of Alexander...
. The group had recorded the song for a friend in Atlanta, who promptly sold the master to Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
and cut the group out of the record's profits. The Pips recorded a second version of "Every Beat" with Bobby Robinson
Bobby Robinson (record producer)
Bobby Robinson was an African-American independent record producer and songwriter in New York, most active from the 1950s through the mid 1980s. He produced hits by Wilbert Harrison, The Shirelles, Dave "Baby" Cortez, Elmore James, Lee Dorsey, Gladys Knight & The Pips, King Curtis, Spoonie Gee,...
as the producer, and the song became a #1 R&B and #6 pop hit. Shortly afterwards, Langston George left the group, and the remaining members continued as a quartet, now billed as Gladys Knight & the Pips. Typically, most of the act's recordings featured Knight's contralto on lead vocals and the three male members of the group, usually referred to as "The Pips" by themselves, providing characteristic background vocals.
After a second Vee-Jay hit, "Letter Full of Tears", in 1962, Knight quit the group to start a family with husband James Newman, giving birth to James Gaston Newman III in August of that year. Her second child Kenya Maria Newman was born in November the following year. The Pips toured on their own for two years, until Knight returned to the act in 1964 in order to support her two children.
The group developed a reputation for exciting and polished live performances that enabled them to work even without the benefit of best-selling records. Choreographer Cholly Atkins
Cholly Atkins
Charles “Cholly” Atkins was an American dancer and vaudeville performer, who later became noted as the house choreographer for the various artists on the Motown label.-Biography:...
designed "fast-stepping" dance routines that became a signature of the Pips' stage presentation.
Gladys Knight & The Pips join Motown Records
In spite of another hit with 1964's "Giving Up" (later covered by Donny HathawayDonny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
), Knight and the Pips did not achieve widespread success until 1966, after signing to Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
. While at Motown in 1968, Gladys Knight was the first person to suggest that Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
sign an up-and-coming act from Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
called The Jackson Five (later known as The Jacksons).
The group's third Motown single was the Top 40 hit "Everybody Needs Love
Everybody Needs Love (Temptations song)
"Everybody Needs Love" is a 1964 Motown song by Norman Whitfield and Edward Holland, Jr.. The first version released was by The Temptations for their album The Temptin' Temptations in 1965 , but the most successful version was on a single by Gladys Knight & the Pips, which peaked at #39 on the...
", released in 1967. Another 1967 single, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine
I Heard It through the Grapevine
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a landmark song in the history of Motown. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles...
", provided a career-making breakthrough. "Grapevine" became a #2 pop hit on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and a #1 R&B hit for six weeks. The record sold 2.5 million copies, and at the time was Motown's best-selling single ever. Producer Norman Whitfield
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
recorded four versions of the song with various artists for potential single release; Knight and the Pips' version was the only one that Motown chief Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
did not veto. In late 1968, "Grapevine" would become an even bigger hit for Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, whose version, recorded before Knight's but released a year afterwards at Whitfield's insistence, became a #1 pop hit for seven weeks.
Further hits for the group included "The Nitty Gritty" (1969), "Friendship Train" (1969), one of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong
Barrett Strong
Barrett Strong is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best remembered for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfield.-His career:Strong was among the first artists signed to Berry...
's "psychedelic soul
Psychedelic soul
Psychedelic soul, sometimes called black rock, is a sub-genre of soul music, which mixes the characteristics of soul with psychedelic rock...
" songs, the #1 R&B "If I Were Your Woman
If I Were Your Woman (song)
"If I Were Your Woman" is a song recorded Gladys Knight & the Pips. The song was written by Pam Sawyer, Clay McMurray, and Gloria Jones and it was produced by McMurray. Released in late 1970 from the album of the same title, it spent one week at number-one on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart in...
" (1970, later covered by Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times...
, Shanice and Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
), and "I Don't Want To Do Wrong" (1971). Their biggest Motown hit was 1972's #1 R&B/#2 pop hit "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)
Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)
"Neither One of Us " is a song recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Released in 1973 from the album, Neither One of Us, the song spent four weeks at number one on the Soul Singles chart during the spring of that year. The song was also one of their biggest crossover hits, peaking at number 2 on...
", which won the 1973 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus
Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
.
"Neither One of Us" also happened to be one of their last Motown hits, as Knight and the Pips departed Motown for Buddah Records
Buddah Records
Buddah Records was founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding...
in 1973. While at Motown, Knight & the Pips recorded for Soul Records, a label Motown used for acts that recorded material with more of an R&B flavor than a pop flavor. On the A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
television program Biography, Knight stated that she and the Pips were regarded as a second-string act, and that "Diana (Ross) & the Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, and Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
were given all the hits, while we took the leftovers." In Knight's autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
Between Each Line of Pain and Glory: My Life Story, she stated that Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
had the group removed from being The Supremes' opening act on a 1968 tour for, according to Knight, being too good.
Many of Gladys Knight and the Pips' hits in the mid-1970s were written by country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
songwriter Jim Weatherly
Jim Weatherly
James Dexter Weatherly is an American singer-songwriter. Weatherly played quarterback at the University of Mississippi and was an All-American before choosing songwriting over a football career...
. Knight and the Pips charted with five of Weatherly's songs in 1973 and 1974: "Midnight Train to Georgia," "Neither One of Us," "Where Peaceful Waters Flow," "The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me," and "Between Her Goodbye and My Hello."
Taking the "Midnight Train" to Buddah Records
Recording for Buddah in the mid 1970s, the group hit its popular and critical peak with #1 R&B hits such as "I've Got to Use My ImaginationI've Got to Use My Imagination
"I've Got to Use My Imagination" is a song recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Released from the hit album, Imagination, which was their debut album with Buddah Records, the song was a success on the soul and pop charts...
", and "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me
You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me
"You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" — also known simply as "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" — is a song written by Jim Weatherly, and enjoyed two runs of popularity, each by an artist in a different genre.-Ray Price country version:...
". The most notable hit of their career was the #1 pop hit, "Midnight Train to Georgia
Midnight Train to Georgia
"Midnight Train to Georgia" is a 1973 number-one hit single by Gladys Knight & the Pips, their second release after departing Motown Records for Buddah Records...
", which won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances...
of 1973. The song eventually received the Grammy Hall Of Fame Award, which was established by the Recording Academy's National Trustees to honor recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance.
Gladys Knight & the Pips' debut LP on Buddah, Imagination
Imagination (Gladys Knight & the Pips album)
-Charts:AlbumSingles-See also:*List of number-one R&B albums of 1973 *List of number-one R&B albums of 1974 -External links:* at Discogs...
, was certified as a gold record. This began a string of LPs that were awarded gold status: Claudine (1974), I Feel a Song
I Feel a Song
-Charts:AlbumSingles-Later Samples:*"The Way We Were"**"Can It Be All So Simple" by Wu-Tang Clan from the album Enter the Wu-Tang *"Love Finds Its Own Way"**"Susan's House" by Eels from the album Beautiful Freak...
(1974) and 2nd Anniversary (1975). Other hits for Buddah included "Part-Time Love", the R&B #1 "I Feel a Song (In My Heart)
I Feel a Song (In My Heart)
"I Feel a Song " is a song recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips. From the album I Feel a Song, the single spent two weeks at number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart in late 1974. It also peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...
", "Love Finds Its Own Way" and, culled from a live recording, "The Way We Were
The Way We Were (song)
"The Way We Were" is the title song to the 1973 movie The Way We Were, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The song was written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, scored by Marvin Hamlisch and performed by Streisand...
/Try to Remember".
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
served as producer in 1974 when Knight and the Pips recorded the soundtrack to the motion picture Claudine, resulting in a #5 hit in the film's theme song, "On and On". The following year, the group got their own hour-long musical variety television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
program, The Gladys Knight & the Pips Show, which ran for four episodes on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
as a summer-season replacement. During one installment, comedian George Carlin
George Carlin
George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author, who won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
, seated at a piano, performed the doo-wop song "Cherry Pie", accompanied by the Pips.
Later years
Knight and the Pips continued to have R&B hits until the late 1980s, very briefly adding a fourth member, Chris Morante, in 1988. From 1978 to 1980, Knight and the Pips were forced to record separately due to legal problems with Buddah. Knight released two solo albums and the Pips released two albums of their own. In 1977, the Pips (minus Gladys) appeared on comedian Richard PryorRichard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...
's TV special that aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. They sang their normal backup verses for the songs "Heard it Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight Train to Georgia;" during the parts where Gladys would sing, the camera panned on a lone-standing microphone.
In 1980, the Pips signed to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, for which Knight had recorded her second solo album. Teaming up with songwriting husband/wife duo Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Knight & The Pips released the album About Love in 1980, which featured "Landlord" and "Taste Of Bitter Love". Ashford & Simpson continued with Knight and the Pips for the 1981 follow-up, Touch, featuring "I Will Fight" and a cover of "I Will Survive".
Also in 1981, the group provided prominent backing vocals for Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
on his remake of Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Share Your Love with Me
Share Your Love with Me
Aretha Franklin recorded the most successful version of the song for her 1970 album, This Girl's in Love with You. Her single spent five weeks at number-one on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart and peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. ....
". The Pips had appeared on Rogers' television show with the First Edition several times in the early 1970s.
After an international tour, Knight and the Pips recorded the LP Visions (1983), which resulted in a #1 R&B hit with "Save the Overtime (For Me)
Save the Overtime (For Me)
Save the Overtime is a 1983 single by the R&B and pop group, Gladys Knight and the Pips. The single was released from their LP Visions and reached number sixty-six on the Hot 100, but was more successful on the R&B where it hit number one for a single week in mid 1983.. The single was the first...
" and was certified gold. In 1987, Knight and the Pips released their final album, All Our Love, on MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
which was also certified gold. The album's single "Love Overboard" became a #1 R&B hit which won the 1988 Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. In 1988
1988 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1988.-January-March:* January 1 – André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra plays its first concert....
the band also won a Soul Train Music Award for Career Achievement
Soul Train Music Award for Heritage Award - Career Achievement
The Soul Train Music Award winners for Heritage Award - Career Achievement awarded from 1987 to 1997.-Winners:-See also:Quincy Jones Award for Career Achievement...
.
Gladys Knight & the Pips embarked on their final tour in 1988 and disbanded upon its conclusion, as Gladys Knight decided she wanted to pursue a solo career. The Pips retired, while Gladys Knight began scoring hits of her own with singles such as "Men" (1991) and "I Don't Want to Know" (1994).
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1996, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
in 2001 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation in 1998. Ms. Knight, now a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, continues to tour and record occasionally, and leads the Saints Unified Voices
Saints Unified Voices
Saints Unified Voices is an American Gospel music choir. The Saints Unified Voices Foundation, the governing organization of the choir, is directed by a 12-member board of directors, which includes Gladys Knight...
choir. Edward Patten of the Pips died in February 2005, of complications from his long bout with diabetes.
Gladys Knight & the Pips are ranked as the ninth most successful act in The Billboard Top 40 Book of R&B and Hip-Hop Hits (2005). They were also ranked #91 on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Top 100 Artists of Rock n' Roll. In June 2006, Gladys Knight & the Pips were inducted into the Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
's Hall Of Fame in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In 2007, The Pips appeared in a commercial for the auto insurance company Geico
GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company is an auto insurance company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that as of 2007 provided coverage for more than 10 million motor vehicles owned by more than 9 million policy holders. GEICO writes private passenger automobile insurance...
. As Edward Patten had died two years prior, one of Gladys Knight's current backing singers, Neil Taffe, accompanied the remaining Pips.
Members
- Gladys KnightGladys KnightGladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
(1953–1962; 1964–1989) - Merald "Bubba" Knight (1953–1989)
- William Guest (1953–1989)
- Brenda Knight (1953–1959)
- Eleanor Guest (1953–1959)
- Edward PattenEdward PattenEdward "Eddie" Roy Patten was an Atlanta, Georgia-born R&B/soul singer, best known as a member of Gladys Knight & the Pips. He was lead singer Gladys Knight's cousin....
(1959–1989) - Langston George (1959–1962)
- Chris Morante (1988)
Discography
Top Twenty singles
The following singles reached the Top Twenty on either the United States Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
pop singles chart or the United Kingdom UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
- 1961: "Every Beat of My HeartEvery Beat of My Heart (song)"Every Beat of My Heart" is the 1961 debut single on the Vee-Jay label by Gladys Knight & the Pips. The song was written by Johnny Otis, and first recorded by his group The Royals in 1954. The single was credited to The Pips and was the first of eleven releases to make it to number one on the...
" (US #6) - 1961: "Letter Full of Tears" (US #19)
- 1967: "Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me" (UK #13)
- 1967: "I Heard It Through the GrapevineI Heard It through the Grapevine"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a landmark song in the history of Motown. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles...
" (US #2) - 1968: "The End of Our RoadThe End of Our Road"The End of Our Road" is a single written by Roger Penzabene, Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1967. Originally recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips and issued as a single in 1968, the Pips' version of the song, which talked about the demise of a couple's relationship, became another top...
" (US #15) - 1969: "The Nitty Gritty" (US #19)
- 1969: "Friendship Train" (US #17)
- 1970: "If I Were Your WomanIf I Were Your Woman (song)"If I Were Your Woman" is a song recorded Gladys Knight & the Pips. The song was written by Pam Sawyer, Clay McMurray, and Gloria Jones and it was produced by McMurray. Released in late 1970 from the album of the same title, it spent one week at number-one on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart in...
" (US #9) - 1971: "I Don't Want to Do Wrong" (US #17)
- 1972: "Help Me Make It Through the NightHelp Me Make It Through the Night"Help Me Make It Through the Night" is a country music ballad composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album Kristofferson.Kristofferson said that he got the inspiration for the song from an Esquire magazine interview with Frank Sinatra...
" (UK #11) - 1973: "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)"Neither One of Us " is a song recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Released in 1973 from the album, Neither One of Us, the song spent four weeks at number one on the Soul Singles chart during the spring of that year. The song was also one of their biggest crossover hits, peaking at number 2 on...
" (US #2) - 1973: "Daddy Could Swear, I Declare" (US #19)
- 1973: "Midnight Train to GeorgiaMidnight Train to Georgia"Midnight Train to Georgia" is a 1973 number-one hit single by Gladys Knight & the Pips, their second release after departing Motown Records for Buddah Records...
" (US #1; UK #10) - 1973: "I've Got to Use My ImaginationI've Got to Use My Imagination"I've Got to Use My Imagination" is a song recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Released from the hit album, Imagination, which was their debut album with Buddah Records, the song was a success on the soul and pop charts...
" (US #4) - 1974: "Best Thing That Ever Happened to MeYou're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me"You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" — also known simply as "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" — is a song written by Jim Weatherly, and enjoyed two runs of popularity, each by an artist in a different genre.-Ray Price country version:...
" (US #3; UK #7) - 1974: "On and On" (US #5)
- 1975: "The Way We WereThe Way We Were (song)"The Way We Were" is the title song to the 1973 movie The Way We Were, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The song was written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, scored by Marvin Hamlisch and performed by Streisand...
/Try to Remember" (US #11; UK #4) - 1976: "So Sad the Song" (UK #20)
- 1977: "Baby Don't Change Your Mind" (UK #4)
- 1978: "Come Back and Finish What You Started" (UK #15)
- 1987: "Love OverboardLove Overboard"Love Overboard" is a 1987 single by Gladys Knight and the Pips. The single was significant because it was the first Top 40 hit in eleven years, and their final top 40 release as well. "Love Overboard" was the group's last of ten, number one hits on the Hot Black Singles chart, where it stayed...
" (US #13)
Top Forty albums
The following albums reached the Top Forty on either the United States Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
pop albums chart or the United Kingdom UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
- 1971: If I Were Your Woman (US #35)
- 1973: Neither One of UsNeither One of Us (album)-Charts:AlbumSingles-External links:* at Discogs...
(US #9) - 1973: ImaginationImagination (Gladys Knight & the Pips album)-Charts:AlbumSingles-See also:*List of number-one R&B albums of 1973 *List of number-one R&B albums of 1974 -External links:* at Discogs...
(US #9) - 1974: Claudine (US #35)
- 1974: I Feel a SongI Feel a Song-Charts:AlbumSingles-Later Samples:*"The Way We Were"**"Can It Be All So Simple" by Wu-Tang Clan from the album Enter the Wu-Tang *"Love Finds Its Own Way"**"Susan's House" by Eels from the album Beautiful Freak...
(US #17; UK #20) - 1975: 2nd Anniversary2nd Anniversary-Charts:AlbumSingles-External links:* at Discogs...
(US #24) - 1976: The Best of Gladys Knight & the Pips (US #36; UK #6)
- 1977: 30 Greatest (UK #3)
- 1980: The Touch of Love (UK #16)
- 1983: Visions (US #34)
- 1987: All Our Love (US #39)
- 1989: The Singles Album (UK #12)
Compilations
- 1973: Burt Sugarman's Midnight Special - Legendary Performances 1973
- 2004: Kenny Rogers Rollin’ Vol. 1
- 2006: Flashbacks: Soul Sensation
Awards and achievements
- Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s- 1974: R&B Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus - "Midnight Train to Georgia"
- 1974: Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus - "Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)"
- 1986: Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - "That's What Friends Are For" (Dionne Warwick & Friends)
- 1988: Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - "Love Overboard"
- 2001: Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album - "At Last" (Solo)
- 2004: Best Gospel Performance - "Heaven Help Us All" (w/Ray Charles)
- 2005: Best Gospel Choir Or Chorus Album - "One Voice" (Gladys Knight & The Saints Unified Voices)
- American Music Awards
- 1975 Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group.
- 1975 Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo or Group.
- Favorite Soul/R&B Single - "Midnight Train To Georgia"
- Favorite Soul/R&B Album - Imagination.
- 1976 Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo or Group.
- 1984 Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo or Group.
- 1989 Favorite Soul/R&B Band, Duo or Group.
- Other awards
- 1988 Gladys Knight & the Pips received the 2nd Annual Soul TrainSoul TrainSoul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
Heritage Award (Later Renamed To Quincy JonesQuincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
Award for Career Achievement). - 1996 Gladys Knight & the Pips inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
. - 1998 Gladys Knight & the Pips received Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm And Blues Foundation.
- 2001 Gladys Knight & the Pips inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of FameVocal Group Hall of FameThe Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
. - 2006 Gladys Knight & the Pips inducted into the Apollo TheaterApollo TheaterThe Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
's Hall of Fame in New York.
- 1988 Gladys Knight & the Pips received the 2nd Annual Soul Train