R&B

GLADYS KNIGHT

At age 8, Gladys Knight began singing with her siblings and cousins, calling themselves “The Pips.” The group opened for R&B legends in the 1950s and then headed to Motown, later crossing over to pop music. As Gladys Knight and the Pips, they recorded their signature song, “Midnight Train to Georgia.” In 1989, Gladys left the Pips to perform and record as a solo artist.

Very few singers over the last fifty years have matched her unassailable artistry. This seven-time Grammy winner has enjoyed #1 hits in pop, R&B and Adult Contemporary, and has triumphed in film, television and live performance.

A longtime Las Vegas resident, in 2011 Gladys returned to the Strip for a “Welcome Home” special engagement at the famed Tropicana Hotel in the newly named Gladys Knight Theater (formerly the Tiffany Theater), where the “Empress of Soul” reigned supreme, showcasing fan favorites and newer hits alongside an 11-piece band and her always entertaining brother Bubba, one of the original Pips. An incredibly popular hometown performer, Knight was a top draw at the Flamingo for 5 years in the early 2000s, where her show was repeatedly named the Las Vegas Review Journal’s “Show of the Year.”

In 1995, Knight earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the next year, Gladys Knight & The Pips were inducted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. In 1997, she published an autobiography, “Between Each Line of Pain and Glory” (a line taken from her million selling recording “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me”) and in 1998, she and The Pips were presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. In 2004, Knight received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the annual BET Awards ceremony.

All told, Gladys Knight has recorded more than 38 albums over the years, including the solo albums “Good Woman” (1991); “Just for You” (1994); the inspirational “Many Different Roads” (1999); and “At Last” (2001). “At Last” showed the world that she still has what it takes to record a hit album, employing the talents of contemporary producers like Randy Jackson, Gary Brown and James D.C. Williams III, Jon John, Jamey Jaz, Keith Thomas, Tom Dowd and Tiger Roberts. “At Last” won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album in 2002 and adding to her already impressive collection, Knight won another Grammy for her duet with the late Ray Charles on his posthumous album “Genius Loves Company” in 2005. All told, Gladys Knight has won 7 Grammy awards — 4 as a solo artist and 3 with The Pips.

A humanitarian and philanthropist, Knight has devoted to various worthy causes, including the American Diabetes Association – for which she is a national spokesperson, the American Cancer Society, the Minority AIDS Project, amFAR and Crisis Intervention. She has been honored by numerous organizations as well, including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), B’Nai Brith, and is a recent recipient of BET’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

A tireless performer who still wows audiences around the country and the world, Gladys Knight also finds the time to make forays into film and television including appearances in the Tyler Perry film I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF, and in a cameo on the Emmy-winning NBC hit comedy “30 Rock.”

Today, Knight helps oversee her busy career from her personal entertainment corporation. She is a mother, great-grandmother, performer and a businesswoman with a spiritual outlook on her life. Her faith in God has been the driving force behind all of Knight’s endeavors, guiding her through her many successes.

FREDDIE JACKSON
One of the biggest R&B stars in the 1980s and early 1990s, Grammy-nominated singer Freddie Jackson dominated the R&B charts with well-known hits including “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Time’s Sake),” “Jam Tonight,” “Do Me Again,” and “You are My Lady.”

His 1985 debut album Rock Me Tonight stormed the R&B charts. The Laurence-penned title track stormed the R&B charts, spending six weeks at number one, and made Jackson an instant sensation on urban contemporary radio. “You Are My Lady” gave Freddie a second straight R&B chart-topper, and also proved to be his highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #13. With “He’ll Never Love You (Like I Do)” and “Love Is Just a Touch Away” also hitting the R&B Top Ten, Rock Me Tonight topped the R&B album chart and went platinum. Another platinum seller, Just Like the First Time continued Jackson’s dominance of the R&B singles charts; “Tasty Love,” “Have You Ever Loved Somebody,” and “Jam Tonight” all hit #1, while “I Don’t Want to Lose Your Love” went to #2.

In 1985 he received Grammy nominations for Best New Arts and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for “You are My Lady.” He was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Male Artist, Soul/R&B in 1986 and won the 1988 American Music Award for Favorite Soul / R&B Single for “Nice ‘N’ Slow.”

Freddie continues to deliver sophisticated, romantic ballads with low-key releases including Live in Concert and soulful covers on Personal Reflections. His late 2010 release, For You, featured the single, “I Don’t Wanna Go”.