![]() ![]() ![]() GK: Most people who ask me what’s my favorite song, expect that it’s “Midnight Train” or “Neither One of Us.” But actually, it’s always kinda’ been “The Need to Be” because of what it says. KW: How did you come to settle on that tune? KW: Your first one was a solo rendition of “The Need to Be” by Jim Weatherly who also wrote “Midnight Train to Georgia” which played a big part in your career. We’ll put ’em together, and out of that we ought to be able to choose.” I thought you were going to pick one.” He started laughing, and said, “Okay, you make a list, and I’ll make a list. When he called me back, he asked me, “What do you want to do?” I said, “I don’t know, because I haven’t given it any thought. He said he wanted me to sing, but that we’d discuss it later. GK: Tyler and I discussed it, after we finished working out my role. KW: Well, you did a terrific job in the film, including delivering a couple of powerful singing performances. Taraji was up for an Academy Award, and Adam is doing so well with his series, and I just didn’t know whether I would measure up. GK: Yeah, because looking at the rest of the cast, I knew that they were great. ![]() I didn’t want to disappoint him, since he had so much faith in me. How about that! And it was really fun making this movie, too, although I was nervous about it in the beginning, because I didn’t feel I had enough experience to pull it off. KW: This is his most music-driven movie so far. Perry called me up and said, “Gladys, I’m sending you a script. KW: What interested you in doing “I Can Do Bad All by Myself” and working with Tyler? I love interacting with different people as I meet them, and I think people are one of God’s greatest creations, I really do. I never get any further past that than that. But I wonder what it is like on the other end, and whether always being approached by fans has been a burden for you. I appreciated your making that encounter a special moment I’d remember for the rest of my life. KW: Yes, and you were quite gracious in speaking to me briefly and signed an autograph. KW: The first time I met you was on an airplane back in the Seventies. Here, she talks about her life and about her co-starring role as Wanda in Tyler Perry’s new movie, “I Can Do Bad All by Myself.” Over the course of her illustrious career, Gladys has recorded nearly 40 albums, earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and been inducted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. She met with phenomenal success throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s with “Gladys Knight & The Pips,” including several Grammys while registering numerous Top 10 hits, perhaps most memorably, “Midnight Train to Georgia. The Georgia-born icon began performing Gospel music at the age of four and won the grand prize on television’s “Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour” just three years later. Knight was awarded yet another Grammy for her duet with the late Ray Charles on his posthumous album “Genius Loves Company,” specifically for “Heaven Help Us All,” and her “At Last” solo album earned a Grammy for “Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album.” Furthermore, her recent four-year run at the Flamingo in Las Vegas was hailed “the number-one show on the Strip” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. She has also recently released a couple of collaborations with the 100-member Saints Unified Voices gospel choir, with whom she landed the “Best Gospel/Choir Album” Grammy. Revered as The Empress of Soul, Gladys is currently basking in the glow of the critical acclaim for her latest album, “Before Me,” a tribute to great legends like Ella, Duke, Billie, Lena. Over the last half-century, this seven-time Grammy-winner has enjoyed #1 hits in pop, R&B and Adult Contemporary, and has triumphed in film, on television and in concert. The great ones endure, and Gladys Knight is a testament to that sage maxim. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |