Barry Hankerson is the second husband of Gladys Knight. Gladys Knight & the Pips joined the Motown Records family in 1966 despite not having a “sure hit” at the time. The label first saw them as a supporting act, but after scoring several hit singles, they had tremendous success.
They wrote a number of well-known songs, such as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” which Marvin Gaye later popularized, “Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me,” “The Nitty Gritty,” “Friendship Train,” and others.
In the early days of Motown, Gladys Knight, and the Pips served as The Supremes’ opening act. In her memoirs, Knight claims that Ross terminated her participation in the tour due to her potent performance. Later, Berry Gordy, who founded Motown, expressed his concern about how Knight’s behavior hampered his performance.
Barry Hankerson: Meet Gladys Knight second husband
Gladys married Barry Hankerson, her second husband, after divorcing her first husband, Newman. Hankerson is a manager, record label owner, and music producer from the United States. He founded Blackground Records and is also the label’s manager.
In October 1974, they got married, and Shanga-Ali Hankerson was born. Jomo Hankerson, Barry’s child from a previous relationship, also adopted Gladys as his stepmother. Sadly, they were only married for less than five years, and they got divorced in 1979. There was a contentious custody dispute during the divorce process.