The Boomer REport - Music Fun Facts

Gladys Knight and the Pips

10 Fun Facts

  1. They started as a family group – The Pips were made up of Gladys’ brother Merald “Bubba” Knight and cousins William and Edward Patten, plus one early female member.
  2. Gladys Knight won a TV talent contest at age 7 – She gained early fame on Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour in 1952 and never looked back.
  3. They were signed to Motown, but often overlooked – Despite hits like If I Were Your Woman, the group didn’t get the same support as The Supremes or Temptations.
  4. They scored their biggest hit after Motown – Midnight Train to Georgia (1973) was released on Buddah Records and became a No. 1 smash, winning a Grammy.
  5. “Midnight Train” was originally a country song – Written as Midnight Plane to Houston, it was changed to suit Gladys’s soulful vocal and personal storytelling.
  6. They were known for choreographed precision – The Pips’ smooth moves and harmonies perfectly framed Gladys’s lead vocals, creating a classy, unified sound.
  7. They refused to lip-sync on Soul Train – Instead, they insisted on performing live—an unusual move that impressed Don Cornelius.
  8. They had 11 No. 1 R&B hits – Including I’ve Got to Use My Imagination, Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me, and Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye).
  9. Gladys Knight acted in film and TV – She appeared in Pipe Dreams and TV shows like Empire and Hawaii Five-O, expanding her reach beyond music.
  10. Gladys runs a chicken and waffles restaurant – “Gladys Knight’s Chicken & Waffles” opened in Atlanta and became a soul food favorite.