1. Gladys Maria Knight was born on May 28,1944 and is an American singer.
47 Facts About Gladys Knight
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Gladys Knight has won seven Grammy Awards, and is often referred to as the "Empress of Soul".
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In 1989, Gladys Knight recorded the theme song for the James Bond film Licence to Kill.
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Gladys Knight is an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Vocal Group Hall of Fame along with The Pips.
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Gladys Knight is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts and Kennedy Center Honors.
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Gladys Knight was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 28,1944, to Sarah Elizabeth, a nurse's aide, and Merald Woodlow Knight Sr.
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Gladys Knight's parents were members of both the church choir and a local choir group.
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Gladys Knight has a sister, Brenda, and two brothers, Merald "Bubba" Jr.
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Gladys Knight was raised Baptist and began singing gospel music at age four at the Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Atlanta.
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Gladys Knight stated in her memoirs that Ross kicked her off the tour because the audience's reception to Knight's soulful performance overshadowed her.
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Hankerson and Gladys Knight became embroiled in a heated custody battle over Shanga Ali.
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In 1987, Gladys Knight decided to pursue a solo career, and she and the Pips recorded their final LP together, All Our Love, for MCA Records.
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Gladys Knight shared a stage with Dionne Warwick and Patti LaBelle for the 1986 HBO special Sisters in the Name of Love, which she co-executive produced and received three ACE Awards for Performance in a Music Special, as well as nominations for Best Music Special and Costume Design in 1987.
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On March 27,1988, Gladys Knight performed a rendition of "America the Beautiful" at Wrestlemania 4 in Atlantic City, NJ.
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Also in 1991, Gladys Knight performed the national anthem at Game 1 of the World Series.
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Gladys Knight created and directs the Mormon-themed choir Saints Unified Voices.
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In 2009, Gladys Knight sang "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" and "The Lord's Prayer" at the funeral service for Michael Jackson.
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In 2013, Gladys Knight recorded the Lenny Kravitz-written and -produced song "You And I Ain't Nothin' No More" for the soundtrack from Lee Daniels' motion picture The Butler.
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Gladys Knight commented that the growing trend saddened her heart and that she had been taught to dress respectfully for her audiences.
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In 2019, Gladys Knight accepted an invitation to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl LIII.
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Gladys Knight faced criticism for agreeing to perform due to the alleged blacklisting of Colin Kaepernick by the National Football League after he began protesting police brutality during pre-game anthem ceremonies.
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Gladys Knight defended her decision to sing, claiming to understand Kaepernick's reasons for protesting but criticizing him for kneeling during the national anthem.
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In 2019, Gladys Knight was invited to play at the 100th Anniversary of Delaware State Fair, located in Harrington, Delaware.
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In 2022, Gladys Knight received Kennedy Center Honors, presented by US President Joe Biden.
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Gladys Knight headlined a US-Africa Leaders Summit Dinner at the White House.
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In October 2009, Gladys Knight started her farewell tour of the United Kingdom, which featured Tito Jackson as her supporting act and special appearances by Dionne Warwick.
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In spite of her "farewell", Gladys Knight started touring the UK again a few years later, playing gigs in Scotland and England in 2015,2016,2017,2019,2022 and 2024.
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In 2009, Gladys Knight was featured in Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself, the film version of a play he had dramatized, and performed her song "The Need To Be" from the 1974 album I Feel a Song.
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Gladys Knight guest-starred on several TV series throughout the 1980s and 1990s, appearing on Benson, The Jeffersons, A Different World, Living Single, The Jamie Foxx Show, and New York Undercover.
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Gladys Knight has made a number of cameo appearances, including on Las Vegas and 30 Rock.
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In 2012, Gladys Knight competed on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars, partnered with Tristan MacManus.
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Gladys Knight finished behind Donny Osmond as "Peacock" and T-Pain as "Monster".
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In 1960, Gladys Knight married Atlanta musician and high school sweetheart James "Jimmy" Newman.
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Gladys Knight retired from the road to raise their children while the Pips toured on their own, later returning with Newman as the group's musical director.
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In 1974, Gladys Knight married Barry Hankerson, founder of Blackground Records, in Detroit.
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Gladys Knight spent over a million dollars searching for her son after he was kidnapped.
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In 1995, Gladys Knight married motivational speaker Les Brown, divorcing in 1997.
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Gladys Knight was raised a Baptist, later was a Catholic, and was baptized in 1997 into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, inspired by her daughter and son who had left Catholicism to join.
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Gladys Knight had occasionally teased LDS president Gordon B Hinckley, saying they needed to inject some "pep" into their music.
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Gladys Knight agreed, which resulted in the founding of the Saints Unified Voices gospel choir directed by Knight.
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In 2018, Gladys Knight led the Be One Choir at the "Be One" event in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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Gladys Knight has an honorary doctorate from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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In 2017, Gladys Knight helped raise $400,000 for the Children's Learning Centers of Fairfield County.
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Gladys Knight had a gambling addiction that lasted more than a decade.
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One year before, Gladys Knight had received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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In 2007, Gladys Knight received the Society of Singers ELLA Award at which time she was declared the "Empress of Soul".
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Gladys Knight is listed on Rolling Stones list of the Greatest Singers of All Time.