I know Christmas Eve isn’t the best time to start a relatively obscure appreciation thread, and I have no clue how many Gladys Knight fans are doping today, and my thread could sink into oblivian in a matter of hours…
but I luuuurve Gladys Knight. I listen to her a lot, my favorite being “The Ultimate Collection” and she rocks. She has a voice that conveys a lot of emotion while implying the experience of being a strong, in-control woman. I haven’t really done research on her yet, but I hope that, in her day, she inspired millions of fans and that she was as appreciated back then as I appreciate her today. I know Alicia Keys is a fan, but I don’t think that she really does justice. Plus she don’t got no Pips.
Always enjoyed Gladys and her Pips. Loved ‘Midnight Train to Georgia.’
And one of my favorite ever Doonesbury cartoons was the long ago Gladys Knight and the Pips series.
Oh, man, If I Were Your Woman has to be one of the best records ever made, by anybody! It gives me goosebumps. I have all of her singles, except “Daddy Could Swear (I Declare)” because I’ve never been able to find a copy. I’ll have to break down and get a compilation CD.
I’m a fan too. My favorite song of hers (and I haven’t heard them all) is Neither One of Us. I ended a pretty crappy relationship after hearing that song.
I have a great Gladys Knight memory. Several years ago, she performed here in Amishland, as part of a summer festival. Being fans of her music, I bought tickets for my self, sis and bro. We were all living together helping to care for my sick mom, who was just coming out of an extended hospital stay. The day of the concert was the day that we had to transfer mom to a local nursing facility for rehabilitation. We were all strained and drained, not certain if we had the strength to do what we may need to do, or the wisdom to make a difficult choice.
We all sorely needed a break. So we went to the concert. Gladys was amazing. She did most of the hits, and then did a rousing gospel medley. It was a very cathartic moment for me. I knew then that everything would be alright, whatever may happen.
P.S. Mom came home and still lives with us here today.
Glad to hear from every one of you. I’m going to read more about her- even though I listen to her frequently, I don’t know that much about her. You see Patti Labelle and Aretha Franklin pretty often, but you don’t (or at least I don’t) see Gladys all that much.
She has impacted my experience as a grown-up, single woman who’s had her share of nitty-gritty, and often, when I find myself wishing it would rain, I ask myself, What Would Gladys Do?
I loved both the single and the video of License to Kill and thought it was so cool that a lady in the biz as long as she was got such a chance to shine in a major motion picture. Totally still had it.
(I used to want to go to one of her Chicken & Waffles restaurants, but no-can-do due to her partnership with the ultraconservative Winans family in the venture.)
