it was great and we kind of grew together uh he did have that music right

here and right here among the many brilliant female mtown musicians of the late 1960s and early 1970s let’s dance

to the music of glattus Knight she was pivotal in the Atlanta musical Family Affair glattus night in the Pips which

propelled them to Fame the musical success of glattus Knight was overshadowed by the pain of her many

broken marriages coming explore the fascinating life of glattus Knight with us today as we delve into the ups and

downs of this remarkable musician whose songs have stood the test of time allow

me to preface this by discussing glattus Knight’s life and the difficulties she overcame beginning at a young age often

called the Empress of Soul gladus Maria Knight came into this world on May 28th

1944 the American Music and entertainment Industries have never been the same because to this legendary

performer composer actress and entrepreneur in perpetuity her impact

will be felt many accolades and distinctions have been bestowed to glattus Knight over her illustrious

career which has lasted for many decades among her many achievements is her time

spent singing lead for the family band glattus Knight and the Pips which also featured her brother Merill Bubba Knight

cousins William guest and Edward Patton and herself they created music together

and their impact is felt even now the path that Gladis Knight took through marriage was replat with highs and lows

despite her professional success she has three children from her four marriages during her lifetime three of her

children were born to her biologically in 1960 she decided to marry James Jimmy

Newman an Atlanta singer and a classmate of hers she found out she was pregnant at the tender age of 16 it was around

this time that she suffered the tragic loss of a pregnancy this early disappointment didn’t stop the couple

from starting a family they had two children the fact that Gladis Knight’s

husband Newman had a drug problem and left the family when she was just 20 years old was a major setback for an

already troubled marriage considering the difficulties they were facing as a couple it is astounding that they

remained married for almost 10 years until 1973 during their marriage they had a

son James Jimmy Gaston Newman III who was born on August 13th

1962 glattus Knight made the courageous choice to temporarily step aside from her singing profession while they were

dealing with the difficulties they were experiencing the Pips her family’s

musical group continued to tour independently but she chose to withdraw

from touring so she and her husband could focus on raising their children

Kenya Maria Newman was born to Gladis Knight and James Newman in November

1963 she was their only daughter Kenya was the sole offspring of this couple

though she had to put her passion for recording and performing with the Pips on hold for a while to tend to her

growing family glattus Knight was able to return to it in due time in the early

1960s glattus James and the Pips relocated to Detroit to start a new

chapter in their lives with this relocation they started a fresh chapter in their life on the western side of

Detroit on Sherborn Road sits the prestigious Sherwood Forest neighborhood

where they have decided to build their house guau Catholic grade school was an institution that Gladis Knight had her

children attend when she resided on Lal Avenue that way people could be sure

they got an excellent education the painful choice to divorce James Newman was taken by glattus Knight in 1973

after a separation of 7 years since their marital problems persisted getting a divorce was a tough choice to

make her personal life came to a terrible end with his premature death which happened a few years after the

couple had split following the ups and downs of her previous marriage glattus

Knight Finally Found Love in 1974 in Detroit when she wed Barry Hankerson

Barry Hankerson was the driving force behind the establishment of blackground records and the label itself his niece

Aliyah a talented R&B singer was signed to a record deal by blackground records

Gladis and Barry were Overjoyed to become parents on August 1st 1976 when their son shanga Ali henerson

was born but there were plenty of obstacles along the way as the couple navigated marriage in 1977 or 1978 the

couple decided to moved to Atlanta but glattus his musical group The Pips stayed in Detroit the mar marriage of

Gladis Knight and Barry Hankerson was unfortunately ruined by a slew of problems that culminated in their

divorce in 1979 their son’s custody fight was drawn out and emotionally draining adding

another layer of complication to her personal life caused by the breakup tragic events continued in 1979

with the Abduction of shanga Ali Hankerson the son of gladus Knight the loss of her kid devastated her to the

point that she would do anything and spend over a million dollar in her Relentless search for him while going

through a lot of personal turmoil in 1995 glattus Knight got married for a second time at this point in her life

she was wed to motivational speaker Les Brown meanwhile her relationships were not immune to Life’s challenges in 1997

she and Les Brown finally split and filed for a divorce among the obstacles

glattus Knight had to overcome was a gambling addiction that she battled for for almost 10 years after losing $60,000

in a single night she nevertheless managed to land a job at the bakarat table in the late 1980s despite a

serious Financial setback after facing the reality of her addiction she courageously decided to

seek help and became a member of Gamblers Anonymous this was the initial move that

helped her break free from her addiction glattus Knight underwent a transformation in her spiritual ity

during her lifetime despite her earlier self-identification as a Baptist she

became a devout Catholic her decision to join the LDS Latter-Day Saints Church in

1997 was a watershed moment in her Spiritual Development her decision often

referred to as religion came when her children left Catholicism to join the LDS church it is worth noting that

glattus Knight’s involvement with the LDS church led to several commed interactions with Gordon B hinley the

leader of the LDS church she joked that the LDS church May benefit from singing

with more enthusiasm when President Hinckley gave his approval she was surprised the

outcome of this was the establishment of the Grammy winning Saints unified voices gospel music choir at the B 140 the

anniversary celebration of the revelation of the priesthood glattus Knight took the lead and conducted the

B1 choir in commemoration of the Revelation this Gathering took place Jimmy Newman who is

the son of Gladis Knight had a pivotal role in overseeing her career management during a pivotal period he had a key

role in her career management via his business Newman Management Inc but on July 10th

1999 a horrible thing happened Jimmy Newman passed away from heart failure he

passed away at the young age of 36 the person sudden death deeply affected

their loved ones Jimmy Newman’s death has left a legacy that includes his wife Micheline and their children who include

daughters Nastasia and Gabrielle boys rishan Stefan and Sterling and daughters

Nastasia and Gabrielle because of this tragedy glattus Knight and her family had to

endure a trying and emotionally draining time with her 2001 wedding to William

McDow glattus Knight ushered in a new chapter in her private life a new

chapter has begun with this occurrence the couple’s marriage allowed them to unite their families which paved the way

for the establishment of a big and extended family with a grand total of 17

grandkids and 10 great grandchildren William and glattus have created a vibrant and close-knit family Network

because of their decision to build a house in Fairview North Carolina the couple became deeply involved with the

community they were the proud proud Proprietors of a sizable piece of land in Asheville the exact location of the

old Reynolds High School if we must be more specific they want to show their

dedication to the neighborhood where they live by using this structure as a community center glattus Knight was a

passionate supporter of several worthy organizations while also being quite busy in her personal life Carol Anne

Rell and Alan Coulter co-hosted a benefit at The Palace Theater in 2017

and and she was a participant in that event funds will be going to a good cause thanks to this event with the help

of this event the critically important Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County were able to raise

$400,000 the path that glattus Knight has taken has been defined by her resiliency her family and her unwavering

determination to make a good difference in the world she manages to navigate life’s ups and downs with poise and

purpose which is a reflection of her resilient character she achieves this via her music and her humanitarian

efforts in the 60s 7s and 88 glattus Knight and the Pips released a string of

hits that captivated listeners around the globe their strong vocals and intricate harmonies propelled them to

fame specifically they were able to create two singles Midnight Train to

Georgia and that’s what friends are for that went on to top the Billboard Hot

100 list the latter of these features the renowned glattus Knight and the Pips

it was clear from her career that glattus KN made an impression on people all across the world impressively the

three not only had hit songs but also six albums that peaked at number one on the R&B charts their total of 11 number

one R&B hits is staggering their phenomenal success is a

testament to their indefatigable talent and exceptional musical skill glattus

Knight has won a total of seven Grammys for her work in the music business this includes four as a solo artist and three

with the Pips she has solidified her position as one of the most renowned artists in the world’s history due to

her exceptional artistic skill and singing Talent two of her most famous songs I Heard it Through the Grapevine

and Midnight Train to Georgia have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for their creative and historical

significance glattus Knight has been successful in many other aspects of the entertainment business and her impact is

felt well beyond the realm of Music the fact that she recorded the theme song for the 1989 James Bond film Licensed to

Kill demonstrates her flexibility as an artist she left an indelible mark on the

music business and Rolling Stone magazine chose to recognize her as one of the 100 greatest vocalists of all

time the many honors bestowed to glad night for her outstanding artistic achievements include the Kennedy Center

Honors the national medal of arts and induction into both the Hall of Fame and

the national medal of Arts receiving the Nobel Prize in song simultaneously is an incredible

Testament to her ability to express herself through song Not only has she won the national Opera and the Nobel

Prize in music but she has also received accolades for her singing and the incredible performances she has

performed on guitar guitar and piano on top of that she and the rest of the Pippin have the honor of being inducted

into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the vocal group Hall of Fame the

Atlanta based Chicken and Waffles establishment with Princess Knight’s name is owned by shanga Hankerson who is

the son of Knight glattus Knight and Ron Winan’s Chicken and Waffles has expanded

to three more sites in the Atlanta region manv of food was an original series that aired on the Travel Channel

and focused on a specific location in June 2016 the company’s

offices in two restaurants were raided by Georgia authorities unpaid taxes fines and interest were the subject of

an investigation into Hankerson in 2016 according to reports from

WSBTV the investigation was solely focused on Hankerson and not Knight

according to Jeff Mitchell the chief of special investigations for the Georgia Department of Revenue who told the

station Sarah Elizabeth nwoods and postal worker Merill woodlow Knight Senor had a daughter named Gladis Maria

in Atlanta Brenda and meral Bubba Knight Jr were two of her siblings with whom she shared her childhood David Billy

Knight was another brother who tragically passed away glattus Knight’s path to music started early in life she

joined her church choir in the late 1940s and early 1950s when her

extraordinary skill initially started to emerge and it was then that she discovered her love for singing when she

reached a major Milestone at the young age of eight her amazing singing talents quickly attracted the attention of a

larger audience an incredible accomplishment that hinted to her Destiny as a music Superstar was her

Victory on Ted Max the original Amateur hour TV show contest on July 1st

1952 it is worth mentioning that the legendary band glattus night amp the Pips came together due to a stroke of

luck it happened by complete chance at Bubba’s 9th birthday celebration glattus

her brother Bubba sister Brenda cousins Elanor and William guest and themselves formed the group after a record player

broke down based on their impromptu performance at Bubba’s birthday they

decided to start a formal group glattus his mother Elizabeth Knight was very

much in favor of this decision the Pips was the group’s chosen moniker after

drawing inspiration from from their relative James pip Woods’s nickname they started competing in talent shows in

Atlanta where they grew up and won time and time again as they worked to perfect their musical

talents in 1957 they obtained a record deal with Brunswick records after their

achievements caught the attention of music business professionals the band released two albums during their

performance at Brunswick because they were not successful at the time in the charts regardless they began their

ascent to stardom by serving as support acts for legendary R&B artists like Sam

Cook and Jackie Wilson the party continued on their way despite the early setbacks the Pips 1959

contract with Brunswick records was cancelled and ellanor guest and Brenda Knight chose to leave the group to

concentrate on having families they welcomed new members into the organization eagerly hoping to fill the

hole among the new members were a buddy named Langston George and a second cousin named Edward

Patton this was the beginning of the band’s storied career which would alter

Soul music as we know it glattus Knight and the Pips entered a critical period

in their career in 1961 Every Beat of My Heart written by

Johnny Otis was one of the songs they recorded there wasn’t a record company that could Market the band songs Back

Then the good news is that a small label based in Atlanta named hunam record records rallied behind them and sealed a

distribution agreement with VJ records to release the song in order to audition

for Bobby Robinson’s record company Fury records They uprooted their lives and

relocated to New York while their Breakthrough song Every Beat of My Heart was gaining popularity the band quickly

realized that they weren’t receiving a fair amount of money reflecting on the situation Robinson chose to re-record

the song alongside the Pips and put it out on the fury records label because of

this calculated approach the song’s two versions were able to reach number one on the billboard charts with a peak

position of hash six on the Billboard Hot 100 list the hunam VJ rendition of

Every Beat of My Heart accomplished this incredible achievement at the same time that they became famous overnight the

band changed their name to glattus Knight and the Pips Letter Full of Tears was written and recorded by the group

around the end of 1961 when their Renown was beginning to rise it became another top 40 Smash in

early 1962 the band’s meteoric rise was sustained with the release of many

singles on the fury records label Langston George who had already left by

that year was also present for the 1962 event it was in the same year that

Gladis Knight and her husband musician Jimmy Newman decided to leave the group in in order to establish a family after

over a decade as an ensemble member glattus Knight’s departure was significant if visible came back to the

fold in 1964 after a brief sabatical as a result of this historic reunion the

band embarked on a new chapter in their Musical Adventure when they signed with Max label which is owned by Larry

Maxwell they worked with producer van McCoy on a series of popular songs released on the max label those songs

songs released when the Pips were signed to Max label not only heralded the start of Gladis Knight in the Pip’s legendary

career but also revealed the maturation of their sound in

1966 Gladis Knight and the Pips became members of mtown Records despite the fact that they were not yet having a

Surefire success their career took a dramatic shift at this juncture the

label first treated them as a supporting act because of how obscure they were yet they managed to achieve tremendous

success with a string of modest singles on one of their tours The Supremes and

the renowned Diana Ross asked Gladis Knight and the Pips who were just beginning their mtown career to open for

them glattus Knight’s Memoirs state that Diana Ross decided to cut them from the

tour after seeing how much more Applause Knight’s genuine performance had compared to

Ross’s after a while the head of mtown Records warned Knight that she was far

better than his main Talent a watershed moment came in 1973 when instead of

mtown records They opted to bargain for a more advantageous deal with Buddha

records this was a turning point in their career and they went on to achieve even greater success in the

mainstream among the several top charting singles of 1973 the grammy-winning cover of

Midnight Train to Georgia reached a Flawless rating on the R&B and mainstream charts respectively with the

assistance of several songs including I’ve got to use my imagination The Way We Were try to remember and best thing

that ever happened to me they were able to keep winning the iconic producer

Curtis Mayfield collaborated with glattus Knight in the Pips in the summer of 1974 to compose the soundtrack for

the film Claudine the soundtrack showcase songs such as on and on the

makings of you and make yours a happy home in particularly prominent positions

their talents were admired by a devoted European audience particularly in the UK

despite being released in the US first their Buddha singles frequently found success in the UK although this was

sometimes quite some time after the fact when it first appeared on the UK singles chart in the summer of

1976 Midnight Train to Georgia established a record that stayed for 3 years this is transpiring as a result of

its first Triumph in the United United States separate recording sessions between glattus Knight and the Pips were

necessary as the late 1970s approached due to Legal concerns in the end this change brought

about by Gladis Knight’s debut solo double album was the Catalyst for a dramatic change in their careers in 1978

Buddha records released Miss gladus KN and in 1979 Colombia records released Gladis kn

Gladis Knight’s personal life also underwent Transformations during this time even as her singing career

progressed marriage to Barry Hankerson followed her 1973 divorce from James

Newman II Hankerson was elia’s Uncle Aaliyah would later become a hipop and R&B

Superstar it was around this period that Barry Hankerson was working as Coleman Young’s executive assistant in Detroit

Barry Hankerson and glattus Knight welcomed a son shanga Ali into the world

on August 1st 1976 this happened when they were married however they did not have an

easy relationship they were embroiled in a heated custody battle for their son

shanga Ali which further complicated their personal lives at the time the

1980 murder of their son shanga Ali by a man called Johnny matys was a watershed

moment in Gladis KN and the Pip’s careers the PIP son was shanga Ali

initially Johnny matys extended an invitation to glattus Knight to collaborate with him on two Duets when a

child is born a duet that matthys had previously popularized was the first and the Lord’s Prayer was the second at this

point the Pips had begun because they worked together the group was able to experience a pivotal moment Colombia

records was the right choice for glattus Knight and the Pips when they signed them to a recording deal with this

lineup shift the band could once again play as a quartet and it also signaled

the start of their career as a recording artist they brought in Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson who had previously

worked as producers for modown to give their new songs energy Columbia Records

released the band’s first two albums 1980s about love and 1981’s touch fans

have been raving about the band’s new tracks such as landlord from about love

which has been a huge hit the Pips were at the height of their creative skills at this period fans have been raving

about the band’s new tracks such as landlord from about love which has been

a huge hit returning to join the team in 1983 glattus Knight and the Pips

produced the smash hit save the overtime for me which solidified their influence

on the music business even further there was an album release in 1983 Leon silver the thir thirdd became

famous as a result of the song’s unique deep Boogie Sound the song was quite

popular it peaked at hash 66 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list the prominence

he achieved was primarily due to his contributions to shalomar singles

however it truly excelled on the R&B chart where one of its singles spent a week in the middle of 1983 at the top of

the charts this was a huge win for the group because they hadn’t had a number one R&B single since

1974 adjacent to save the overtime for me was one of the first R&B music videos

to use hip-hop elements it is a significant piece of music because of this reason their album Visions which

featured this pioneering track was a great way to display their ability your number one another R&B smash off the

Record and my favorite of the bunch help cement their legendary status an

important develop was glattus Knight’s choice to become a solo artist in 1987 as it represented a shift in her

story their final joint effort was 1987’s all our love an album they made

for MCA records with the Pips the album standout single Love Overboard became an

R&B sensation and reached number one another Grammy Award was bestowed upon

the group in recognition of their achievements adding to their already Stellar CV glad night in the Pips

launched their solo careers after a successful tour in 1988 following that they made the

decision to retire as a group bringing an end to an Era of remarkable performances in music glattus Knight

chose to get back into her solo career with all the energy and determination she had after her incredible success

with the trio glattus Knight and the Pips will live on in perpetuity because

to the indelible Mark they left on music history this Legendary Trio was inducted

into three Halls of Fame for their many accomplishments in the music industry the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996

the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the vocal group Hall of Fame in 2001

while still a member of the Pips Gladis Knight worked with Dion Warwick Stevie Wonder and Elton John on the legendary

AIDS benefit album in 1985 which was a crucial part of the campaign pain to bring attention to the

condition friendships are important to us because of this with its triple

number Smash and Grammy for Best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal

instrumentation this song did more than merely bring attention to the cause the next year in 1986 Knight

joined Dion Warwick Patty Lael and herself on the HBO program sisters in

the Name of Love the remarkable singing abilities of these three perform performers were the inspiration for this

presentation she absolutely nailed her performance of America the Beautiful during WrestleMania 4 which took place

in Atlantic City New Jersey on March 27th 1988 in this show she demonstrated her

flexibility as an artist even more when glattus Knight recorded the theme song for the 1989 James Bond film Licensed to

Kill based on the same name she finally had a chance to Showcase her musical Talent

her already solid worldwide status was further cemented when this song reached number 10 in both the UK and Germany

good woman Knight’s third solo album marked a turning point in her career when it was released in

1991 the album became her most successful solo effort to that moment topping the R&B album chart and

including the number two R&B hit men it peaked at hash 45 on Billboard’s General

album list this album by Baby Face had a number one success in the UK with the

track Superwoman which featured Dion Warwick and Patty lebel among the tracks

on Patty lael’s album bernon was a duet with night titled I don’t do Duets

during the first World Series game she performed the national anthem demonstrating her astonishing vocal

abilities on stage her 1995 Platinum certified fourth solo album just for you

was nominated for best R andb album at the Grammys this solidified her position

as a leading figure in the music industry even further through her involvement in several collaborative

projects and philanthropic events Knight was able to highlight her love of music while also demonstrating her commitment

to numerous causes to support the Save the Music Foundation she performed at the 2004 VH1 Divas Live benefit event

among many other notable female performers Ray Charles’s duet CD featured her rendition of you were there

a duet with the iconic musician one method that Knight might help fund cardiac research was by

performing at the Divas With Heart concert the knight’s lineup also included Chaka Khan Diana Ross and Patty

label in addition she sang on American Idol among other renowned individuals

including Ben Stiller Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr to raise money for

charity the most moving event of her career was performing his eye is on the pharaoh and the Lord’s Prayer during the

2009 Memorial ceremony for Michael Jackson the King of Pop glattus Knight

never stopped honing her musical style even as her Fame grew she recorded Lenny

Kravitz’s you and I ain’t nothing no more a song he wrote and produced in

2013 thought to have been composed for Lee daniels’s the butler this song was

scrapped this song was one of several that used previous songs sung by other artists and was included in the film

soundtrack in the hopes of getting a best song Oscar nomination in 2014 she

dropped where my heart belongs her 31st R&B album to reach the top 40 it

included the work of several musicians including Gladis night and empty Pips that same year she gave an interview in

which she denounced the practice of and vowed to dress correctly hoping that other celebrity women would follow

suit in additional recognition of her influence uence on the music business glattus Knight was featured in the VH1

Network’s collection of the 100 greatest women of rock at number 18 in 2019 amid the continuing

controversy over Colin Kaepernick’s demonstrations against police brutality during pregame Anthem ceremonies a

decision was made that divided opinion in 2019 she graciously accepted a

request to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl Lee we came to this conclusion after considering the

continuing debate Knight laid up the reasons why the VH1 Network should

consider her a member although Knight was critical of the way the protest was carried out she stuck by her choice

stating that she understood Kaepernick’s intentions we will be right back accompanied by her spouse adding to her

impeccable reputation she was asked to play at the Delaware State Fair in 2019

which was honoring its Centennial in 2022 she was honored with the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors for

her remarkable achievements in music and culture the awards were presented to her

by Joe Biden the vice president of the United States at a dinner the White

House sponsored as part of the US Africa leaders Summit she proceeded to create headlines across the world with her

performance how do you feel about the hardships that glattus KN night endured during her life it’s encouraging to see

that she hasn’t let age dampen her enus enthusiasm for music leave a comment

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