Gladys Knight at Mountain Winery

The Empress of Soul is making her phenomenal return to the stage this summer. Gladys Knight has been a prolific force in music since emerging as the lead singer of The Pips. The Atlanta native got her early start opening for renowned R&B artists like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson. Their breakout hit, “Every Beat of My Heart,” peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The family group began rising to prominence, and to take advantage of the hype, they released their follow-up single, “Letter Full of Tears.” Some of the group's more notable hits, released throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, include the Grammy Award-winning single “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye),” “Take Me In Your Arms” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” among others.

Gladys Knight began to pursue her solo career during the ‘70s. Her debut album, Miss Gladys Knight, was dropped in 1978 and enjoyed moderate success. The album featured singles “I’m Coming Home Again” and “I’m Still Caught Up With You,” which reached number 57 on Billboard’s R&B chart. The following year, she followed up with a self-titled sophomore effort, spawning the single, “Am I Too Late.” in 1985, Knight made a phenomenal breakthrough after joining Dionne Warick, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder for the megahit “That’s What Friends Are For.” The singled topped the Billboard Hot 100, the Hot R&B Songs, and the Adult Contemporary chart. It also entered the charts in 15 other countries.

By 1989, Knight had succeeded solo with the single “License to Kill.” The track was the official theme song of the Bond film of the same name. Upon its release, the song entered two Billboard charts and achieved international success after entering the charts in 13 other countries. Knight debuted on the Billboard 200 two years after releasing her third effort, Good Woman. The album also topped the R&B Albums chart, making the record the first number 1 album of her solo career. Good Woman spawned several R&B singles, such as the number 2 R&B hit, “Men,” “Superwoman” with Dionne Warwick & Patti Labelle,” and “Meet Me in the Middle.”

Although Gladys Knight was an incredible icon during the ‘70s and ‘80s, she definitely conquered the ‘90s with her fantastic hits. She even collaborated with a new generation of performers, such as Brandy, Chakan Kan, and Tamia, for the hit single “Missing You.” During the 2000s, she also released a number of chart-performing albums, including her latest effort, Where My Heart Belongs.

Seeing the Empress of Soul perform live should be on your bucket list! So hurry and secure your tickets now by hitting the “Get Tickets” link!