Gladys Knight, the Empress of Soul, has had a storied career spanning over sixty years. One of the brightest stars in the Motown lineup, Gladys Knight recorded for many years with her backup singers, The Pips, and later struck out on her own impressive solo career. The seven-time Grammy Award winner is currently on tour, and she will be making one stop here in Florida. She will be performing at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach on Thursday, March 5 at 8 p.m.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Gladys Knight first became known to American audiences when she won Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour in 1952 at the age of 7. The next year, she formed a group called The Pips, in which she sang lead. This group would stay with her for the next 25 years. By 1966, Gladys Knight and the Pips were signed to the Motown label and a string of top ten hits followed, such as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “If I Were Your Woman,” and “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye).” In 1973, Gladys and the Pips switched to the Buddah label and recorded the best-selling single of her career, “Midnight Train to Georgia.” Other memorable hits for Gladys and the Pips during the Buddah years include “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination” and “You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me.”
Gladys Knight and the Pips parted ways in 1987. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she recorded a number of hits, such as the theme song to the James Bond film “Licence to Kill,” the R&B top five hit “Men,” and the song “I Don’t Do Duets” — a duet with fellow noted soul singer Patti LaBelle. Knight has released thirty Top 40 R&B albums in her career, was named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was named one of the top 20 “Women Who Rock” by VH1. She has also earned the BET Living Legend Award and the BET Lifetime Achievement Award.
Tickets are available right now for Gladys Knight’s performance at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos Concert Hall at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Ticket prices start at $25 per person and can be purchased by going to kravis.org, by visiting the Kravis Center Box Office at 701 Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach, or by calling (561) 832-7469.
For more information on Gladys Knight, visit gladysknight.com.
