The renowned singer Gladys Knight, often referred to as the “Empress of Soul,” has released her first album since 2013. The new inspirational gospel album, titled “Where My Heart Belongs,” was released on September 9th by Deseret Book and recently won an NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Gospel Album.” This marks another milestone in Knight’s illustrious career, which spans over fifty years and includes seven Grammy wins.
Knight’s previous solo effort, “Another Journey,” featured the hit song “I Who Have Nothing” and the uptempo track “Settle,” produced by Randy Jackson. Her song “You and I Ain’t Nothin’ No More” was also featured in Lee Daniels’ film THE BUTLER.
A longtime resident of Las Vegas, Knight made history when she became the first African-American performer to have a venue named after her in Las Vegas at the Tropicana Hotel. She had previously enjoyed a successful four-year show run at The Flamingo.
Knight’s early career began in Georgia, where she started performing gospel music at age four. She later formed The Pips with her family members. The group achieved significant success with hits like “Every Beat of My Heart,” “Letter Full of Tears,” and “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.” They continued their success into the mid-1970s with Top 10 singles such as “Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye)” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.”
In addition to her music career, Knight has been involved in various creative undertakings and humanitarian activities. She produced and starred in HBO’s award-winning special “Sisters in the Name of Love” alongside Dionne Warwick and Patti LaBelle. She also appeared on several TV shows including “Benson” and “The Jefferson’s,” recorded the theme for the James Bond movie “License to Kill,” and starred on Broadway in “Smokey Joe’s Café.”
Knight received numerous honors throughout her career including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, induction into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame with The Pips, and multiple Lifetime Achievement Awards from various organizations.
Her philanthropic efforts include work with the American Diabetes Association, American Cancer Society, Minority AIDS Project, amFAR, Crisis Intervention, Boys & Girls Club of America among others.
Today, Knight continues to manage her career from Las Vegas through Shakeji Inc., her personal entertainment corporation. Alongside her husband William and other family members, she remains active as a performer while balancing roles as a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, restaurateur, businesswoman with strong spiritual beliefs guiding her endeavors.
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