Gladys Maria Knight, dubbed the “Empress of Soul,” was born in America on May 28, 1944. She is also an actress, businesswoman, singer, and songwriter. Seven-time Grammy Award winner Gladys Knight and the Pips, which also included her brother Merald “Bubba” Knight, cousins William Guest, and Edward Patten, recorded popular songs during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. With Dionne Warwick, Sir Elton John, and Stevie Wonder, Knight co-wrote two Billboard Hot 100 number one singles, “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” as well as eleven other number one R&B singles and six other number one R&B albums.

Gladys Knight parent: Meet Merald Woodlow Knight Sr., Sarah Elizabeth

Atlanta, Georgia, is where Gladys Maria Knight was born. She is the daughter of postal worker Merald Woodrow Knight Sr. and Sarah Elizabeth. Brenda, an older sister, Merald “Bubba” Jr., a live brother, and David, a deceased brother, are her siblings. She sang in the church choir in the late 1940s and the early 1950s. At the age of seven, Gladys Knight won a talent competition on Ted Mack’s “Original Amateur Hour” television program.