Gladys Knight Gladys Knight was seven years old when she started her singing career in 1952 by winning $2000 for her rendition of "Too Young" on the TV show "Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour." Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Gladys joined forces with her brother Merald, her sister Brenda, and their cousins William and Eleanor Guest, to form a vocal group later that year. They started performing gospel at the local church until 1957 when another cousin, James "Pips" Wood, suggested that they turn profesional. Taking his advice, they hired him as their manager and called themselves The Pips in his honor (later on it was used to stand for "Perfection In Performance"). Between 1958 and 1966 the group released records on various different labels, including one song ("Every Beat Of My Heart" in 1961) which was released on three labels and for which they never received royalties. They also toured extensively and had a few personel changes; Brenda Knight and Eleanor Guest left to get married in 1959 and were replaced by cousin Edward Patten and Langston George who left again in 1962. Even Gladys left for a while to get married and start a family. When she returned in 1964, the line-up was final: Gladys Knight, William "Cousin Red" Guest, Edward "Cousin Ed" Patten, and brother Merald "Bubba" Knight. Finally, after being without a recording contract and touring constantly for two years, Gladys Knight & the Pips were signed to the Motown subsidiary Soul in 1966. "They were unstoppable," Otis Williams of the Temptations said about sharing a stage with the group, "To be honest, they chewed up our butts but good....I said, 'Fellas we gotta go back to Detroit and do some more rehearsing!'" Teamed up with songwriters and producers such as Johnny Bristol, Norman Whitfield, and Ashford & Simpson, it wasn't too long before they had their first hit. In 1967 "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," a Norman Whitfield - Barrett Strong composition, hit #2 in the US one year before Marvin Gaye recorded his own version. It stayed at #2 for its first three weeks and was nominated for a Grammy, eventually selling over a million copies. Other hits included "Take Me In Your Arms and Love Me", "The End Of Our Road", "Nitty Gritty", "Friendship Train", "I Don't Want To Do Wrong", and "If I Were Your Woman" which hit US #9 in 1970 and was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 1973 Gladys Knight & the Pips' contract with Motown was drawing to an end. Feeling that her choice of material at Motown didn't allow her to sing enough gospel, country, and blues, Gladys Knight decided not to renew the contract. Feeling left out at Motown, the Pips also didn't want to continue there, and they moved on after having spent seven years at Motown. But they left on a positive note: Before they left, Gladys and her family had one more big hit - "Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)". Not only did this song reach #2 in the US and sell over a million copies, but it also won the group the 1973 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus. After leaving Motown, they did very well, signing first with Buddha and later with CBS and MCA Records. In 1988, at the second annual Soul Train Music Awards, Gladys Knight & the Pips celebrated 30 years of recording by receiving the Heritage Award. Just the next year, though, they parted ways - Edward Patten and William Guest went into the ice-cream business while Gladys and her brother continued to tour. They briefly reunited again the next year to perform on the CBS special "Motown 30: What's Goin' On!" and in 1996 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.