Gladys Maria Knight, "The Empress of Soul," (born May 28, 1944) is a seven-time Grammy Award-winning American R&B/soul singer, actress, humanitarian and author. She is best known for the hits she recorded during the 1960s and 1970s, for both the Motown and Buddah Records labels, with her group Gladys Knight & the Pips, the most famous incarnation of which also included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and her cousins Edward Patten and William Guest..