 WHITEWELD FOUNDATION PRESENTS GLADYS
KNIGHT IN CONCERT AT CARNEGIE HALL.
New York, NY, October 06, 2006—Popular American R&B/Soul singer and music legend,
Gladys Knight, is slated to perform a benefit concert on Saturday,
February 17th at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The show is a part
of the Whiteweld Foundation Concert Series, and a portion of the net
proceeds from the concert will be donated to The Westchester Medical
Center.
For the past five decades, Gladys Knight's signature
stylings have made a lasting imprint upon the popular music scene,
touching generations of listeners and garnering acclaim from music
critics and audiences alike. In her fifty-eight years in show
business, Knight has received seven total Grammys and released an
impressive catalog of thirty-six albums, securing her place in the
hearts and souls of music fans the world over.
Georgia-born
Knight began performing early, singing gospel tunes at the tender
age of four at the Mount Mariah Baptist Church. By the time she was
eight, Gladys and her two siblings, Bubba and Brenda, and cousins,
William and Elenor Guest, had formed the Pips. Edward Patten and
Langston George would eventually replace Elenor and Brenda, and in
1960, with the group's new line-up securely in place, Gladys Knight
and the Pips debuted their first album. Gladys was just sixteen. In
1962, Langston George left the group, but Gladys Knight & The
Pips continued on as a quartet for seventeen more years. During
Gladys time with the Pips, ten songs reached #1 on the R & B
chart, five became Top 20 pop hits, and two, "Midnight Train to
Georgia " and "Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say
Goodbye) were awarded Grammys. In 1989, Gladys premiered as a solo
artist, in what would become a rich, solo career, earning her much
respect and acclaim.
In addition to her singing career,
Gladys also appeared in on and off-Broadway productions and
guest-starred on several television shows, including "Charlie &
Co. ",""Benson", "The Jeffersons", and "New York Undercover". In
1986, she produced "Sisters In The Name Of Love", an HBO television
special, in which she co-starred with fellow songstresses, Dionne
Warwick and Patti LaBelle. In 1992, Gladys made her off-Broadway
debut, starring in the play "Madam Lily", and by 2000, Knight was
making her Broadway debut starring in "Smokey Joes Café". She also
recorded the soundtrack for "Claudine", the title theme for the
James Bond movie, "License To Kill", and the musical score for "Pipe
Dreams", as well as acting in such films as, "An Enemy Among Us",
"Pipe Dreams" and "Desperado. "
Because of her contribution
to the field of entertainment, Gladys has been the recipient of many
honors. Among these, are receiving a star on the "Hollywood Walk Of
Fame", being inducted (along with the Pips) into the Rock 'n' Roll
Hall Of Fame and the Rhythm 'n' Blues Hall Of Fame, and being asked
twice to sing at the Olympic Games. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in
Atlanta, Knight performed "Georgia on My Mind" and later, at the
2002 Winter Olympics, in Salt Lake City, she sang the self-written,
"This is Our Time to Shine. "
Gladys has also been esteemed
for her extensive philanthropic efforts. In 1999, Gladys established
the American Diabetes Association Elizabeth Knight Fund, a fund in
remembrance of her mother, Elizabeth Knight, who passed away in 1997
from diabetes complications. Gladys also lent her hand to the
American Cancer Society, Minority AIDS Project, programs for
battered women and abused children, AMFAR, homelessness, hunger
prevention, and crisis intervention. For her dedication to helping
the less fortunate, she has been honored by numerous organizations,
including the All State-Insurance Company, NAACP Legal Defense Fund,
Congress Of Racial Equality, Shaw University, and B 'Nair B'
Rith.
Most recently, Gladys Knight filmed her third movie,
Hollywood Homicides, employed her musical expertise to judge Fox's
hit series, American Juniors and of course, continues to inspire
generations with her song.
About The Whiteweld Foundation.
The Whiteweld Foundation's mission is to promote the
health, education, and welfare of children in our communities
throughout the United States and abroad. Funds raised are
distributed directly and through charitable organizations dedicated
to protecting and nurturing children everywhere.
|
