Nothin' But the Music - Track 4

                To pick back up with my ongoing expose’ of great music, it is high time I paid online tribute to one of my absolute favorite groups – Gladys Knight & the Pips.  They are a group that stood the test of time, evolving with each decade in which they performed and touching on most musical genres with their smooth harmonies and distinct R&B style.  They rank as a favorite musical act of mine on the basis that I could never decide on one favorite song or even narrow down to a truly defined list of favorites. Instead, let’s look at some of the musical niches they have filled and some of the high points of the musical eras in which they recorded and toured as a group.
                After Gladys Knight won first place on “Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour” and the Pips formed as a group at Bubba Knight’s birthday party, the family group began performing locally in the Atlanta area.  When producers took notice of them in the late 1950s, doo-wop was still the popular music of the day alongside the emerging rock ‘n roll style.  Thus, their first hit in 1961 was a doo-wop-esque love song called “Every Beat of My Heart.”  It presented The Pips to the listening public as a very 50s-inspired group whose soul was still building.  Enter the Motown years.  Between the writing of some of Motown’s best scribes, the development of the signature Pips choreography, and the influence of other great acts of the 60s, Gladys and the Pips pumped out some awesome music.  The very soulful tune “Make Me the Woman You Go Home To” let Gladys sing the message of a breakable heart, while “The End of Our Road” let the Pips flaunt their vocal power with a song aimed toward a heart that needs to be broken.  In 1967, they hit their biggest success to date with a little song called “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”  Again, they were singing about a breakable heart but with a fun beat and powerful delivery.  As big of a hit as it was, it became a bigger hit for Marvin Gaye a year later.  He enjoyed joining them on stage to sing it on occasion, though.  It is also still a staple of Gladys’ solo shows and a real treat to hear when she performs it with her brother.  Gladys and the Pips had some other great hits with Motown that keep them cemented in the history of Detroit’s greatest label.  One of the ultimate heartbreak songs, “Neither One of Us,” came from that era (although I’d also add their version of “Sorry Doesn’t Always Make It Right” to their lineup of great break-up songs).  They did some great songs about forbidden love, including “If I Were Your Woman” (Gladys was originally hesitant to record it) and “I Don’t Want To Do Wrong” (co-written by Gladys Knight and her big brother Bubba).  During the Motown years, the resident family group wrote and recorded the semi-biographical tune “Daddy Could Swear, I Declare” and added a few cool feel-good songs to their discography.  The Pips' favorite concert-opener “How Can You Say That Ain’t Love” is an oft forgotten track from the “If I Were Your Woman” album.  “Friendship Train” was a Vietnam-era tune that really didn’t speak directly of the war but served as their general protest to the madness of the late-60s, while songs like "War" and "Ball of Confusion" gave a more focused message.  After leaving Motown in the early-70s, Gladys Knight & the Pips ventured into new territories with multiple record labels.  Their first album with Buddha records truly put them on any maps that Motown had left them off of, with a beautiful cover of Ray Price’s “Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me” and the career-defining Number 1 hit “Midnight Train to Georgia” (originally titled “Midnight Plane to Houston”).  As the 70s progressed, they came out with another soft, beautiful tune called “Where Peaceful Waters Flow” that I still play as I fall asleep sometimes.  As the 70s ended and the 80s began, artists from many genres were adjusting their styles and stage shows to accommodate the disco craze that swept the planet.  Gladys Knight & the Pips were no different, but they still maintained their personal style and already strong stage presence.  “Landlord” was a distinctly soulful hit of this era, while “Taste of Bitter Love” proved that they could handle the disco influence of the time.  As the 80s gave rise to songs of self-reliance and individual power, “My Time” became an anthem for anyone who wanted to feel pumped and positive.  To find a happy medium to the songs of solo strength and typical love songs of the time, they also recorded the Ashford and Simpson-crafted “Still Such A Thing” which talks about the hope of love, not just for an individual but for the whole world.  The final album for Gladys Knight & the Pips as a group would be 1988’s “All Our Love.”  The biggest hit from the album, “Love Overboard,” became a late-80s soul standard.  I also love the video for “Lovin’ On Next To Nothing” as it shows that the Pips still had moves like they did in the Motown years of the 60s. 
                As I said, there’s no way to define one or a few favorites by Gladys Knight & the Pips to me.  They have a song for every mood and virtually every occasion.  If you’re not very familiar with their work, shame on you.  But, check out the songs I’ve linked here, which span most of their years in music, and then look for some of their other hits.  Whether it’s a love song, a sad song, a fast song, or a slow song, Gladys, Bubba, William, and Edward mastered every song they did with class and style.  Rock on, Chuckonia.  And, stay tuned… this post will get a follow-up.