Like Opening the Door of a Furnace

Gladys Knight and the Pips on the Midnight Special back in 1974. That’s a really live, live performance. Some vocal acts on TV shows like that one would actually sing live, but the backing track was recorded. Plenty simply lip-synced. But you can see that there’s an orchestra off to the left, and they’re really blazing away on that number.

She was born to sing, I guess. She was on Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour in 1952 when she was just seven years old, and won it. The Amateur Hour was a prototype of shows like Star Search. There was a number at the bottom of the screen you could call to vote on your favorite act, and since long distance calls used to cost big money, you could mail in a postcard instead. Now a call is free and a stamp is sixty-eight cents, and the postcard might not get there in a week.

Gladys was originally on Motown, but Berry Gordy, the founder and head honcho, considered her a second stringer. Gladys and the Pips had a bunch of big hits anyway, like I Heard It Through the Grapevine and If I Were Your Woman. Eventually, Gladys and the Pips served as an opening act for Diana Ross and the Supremes. Diana Ross told Berry Gordy to get rid of her, because the audiences went wild for Gladys and sat on their hands for the Supremes. So Gladys went to Buddha Records, and some big paydays, and deserved every one of them.

Many people wondered why Gladys stuck with the Pips, when there was so much pressure on her to be a solo act. Well, one Pip is her brother, and the other two are her cousins. Some things are more important than money, I guess. Besides, someone has to go wooh wooh. Might as well keep it in the family.