The trio decided on the moniker The Pips after taking inspiration from their relative James “Pip” Woods. They started taking part in talent contests in their hometown of Atlanta in 1955 and won each one they entered. Their ongoing success gained Brunswick Records’ notice, which resulted in a record deal in 1957.
The two albums they put out under Brunswick, however, did not have much of an impact on the charts. Despite this setback, The Pips were given the opportunity to support notable R&B performers like Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke. Both Brenda Knight and Eleanor Guest quit The Pips in 1959 to concentrate on starting families after Brunswick dropped the group.
They were then replaced by Langston George, a close friend of the group, and Edward Patten, another cousin. Johnny Otis wrote the song “Every Beat of My Heart,” which Gladys Knight & the Pips recorded in 1961. Because they lacked a record company to back them, a small Atlanta label by the name of Huntom Records took up the single’s promotion and negotiated a distribution arrangement with Vee-Jay Records for its release.
The group moved to New York where they gave a Fury Records audition. They soon learned, however, that “Every Beat of My Heart” was already gaining fame while depriving them of their legitimate earnings. Robinson ordered The Pips to redo the song in order to fix the problem; the new version was then made available on Fury Records.
What disease does Gladys Knight have?
How is Gladys Knight’s health? The singer of “Respect” was coping with pancreatic cancer at the time. Gladys told WDIV, according to Essence, about a chat she had with Aretha in which “we shared the fact that we had the same disease.” The discovery that Gladys too has pancreatic cancer terrified the audience as a whole.