In quest of a better deal with Buddah Records, the group left Motown in 1973; nonetheless, that year turned out to be even more successful for them. They gained popularity as a result of their Grammy-winning track “Midnight Train to Georgia” and other singles including “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination,” “The Way We Were/Try to Remember,” and “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me.”
Over the course of the summer of 1974, Knight and the Pips collaborated with producer Curtis Mayfield to make the soundtrack for the film Claudine. The soundtrack contained songs such as “On and On,” “The Makings of You,” and “Make Yours a Happy Home.”
They were successful, especially in Europe and the United Kingdom. Years after their US releases, some of their singles on Buddah Records went on to become hits in the UK. For instance, “Midnight Train to Georgia” reached the Top 5 of the UK singles chart in the summer of 1976, three years after seeing its first success in the US.
During this time of rising renown, Knight agreed to play an acting role in the Alaskan romantic comedy Pipe Dreams. Despite the movie’s lackluster box office performance, Knight received a Golden Globe nomination for Best New Actress.
William McDowell: Who is Gladys Knight’s new husband?
Gladys is 14 years younger than William, who is in his early 60s. Gladys will be 77 years old in 2022. By the year they celebrated their twentieth anniversary, the couple had been married for twenty years. Asheville, North Carolina, is where they currently call home. They jointly own the former Reynolds High School in Canton, where McDowell went to school.
The singer has been married before and divorced, and she is currently wed to William McDowell.