Columnist Joe Delaney: After 50 years Gladys Knight continues to shine

Joe Delaney

Friday, March 24, 2000 | 2:27 a.m.

Joe Delaney's column appears Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at joe@vegas.com or 259-4066.

Gladys Knight stars in "Smokey Joe's Cafe," a celebration of 40 years of hit songs written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, nightly in the Caesars Palace Circus Maximus.

Knight made her solo debut 50 years ago, at the age of 4, singing in a local church choir. ... One year later she was touring Alabama and Florida as a featured soloist with the famed Morris Brown Choir.

Knight was only 7 when she won a $2,500 prize competing on national television's "Ted Mack Amateur Hour." ... When she returned home her parents suggested she and her brother Bubba form a vocal group, a family unit that was later called the Pips.

Still a teenager in 1961, the Pips had a local hit, "Every Beat Of My Heart," on a small Atlanta label. ... A talent scout flew the Pips to New York City to re-record the song for the Fury label.

Six years later

In 1967 the group was signed to Motown's Soul label. ... "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," their first million-record seller, led to Las Vegas and the Flamingo lounge. ... At Motown, they met Cholly Atkins, choreographer for the various Motown acts. ... Atkins became a vital part of their success as performers. ... Recently, in his 80s, Atkins won a Tony award for his choreography in the musical, "Black and Blue."

In 1973 the act signed with the Buddah label to record a new song about a midnight train. ... Gladys suggested a change in the train's destination. ... "Midnight Train To Georgia" earned the group its first Grammy. ... During this period, now Gladys Knight & the Pips, they opened at the LV Hilton for Goldie Hawn. ... Knight closed their portion of the show with "Help Me Make It Through the Night." ... Hawn made the mistake of trying to open with a ballad, substituting an uptempo tune thereafter.

Hallmark of an artist

During the act's Hilton years Knight demonstrated that she could take a song that was a big hit first by another artist and make it hers as well.

Joe Guercio, then Hilton's musical director, and his late wife, Corky, created a special arrangement for her on "The Way We Were," a mega-hit several years earlier for Barbra Streisand. ... The Knight version also went to the top of the charts with sales equal to Streisand's version. ... In 1989 Gladys and the Pips decided to go their separate ways. ... Brother Bubba has a prominent role in "Smokey Joe's Cafe." ... In 1996 the group was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and, two years later, into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame.

Knight is an all-media legend, in her prime and at peace. ... She returns to headline at the Desert Inn this fall. ... As an actress, songwriter and singing performer, her career is still in an ascendant phase.

Hotels, please note

Michael Phillips is the L.A. Times theater critic. ... In the March 12 issue of the Times Calendar, covering Las Vegas shows, he wrote, "And if there is a Las Vegas tradition not worth following, it's the dubious practice of watching a multimillion dollar production unfold to the accompaniment of a pre-recorded synthesized orchestra." To which we say, "Amen."

Local happenings

Golden Rainbow's "Ribbon Of Life 2000," annually the best production show, featuring cast members from almost every LV showroom, returns to Bally's this year at 1 p.m. on June 17 and 18, Father's Day weekend. ... UNLV's Contemporary Dance Theatre's annual spring concert is at 8 o'clock tonight and 2 p.m. Saturday in the Judy Bayley Theatre.

The British Rock Symphony performs in UNLV's Ham Hall, 8 p.m. Saturday . ... Marlena Shaw and Frank Gagliardi are special guests on the Jazz Extravaganza, 2 p.m. Sunday, UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre. ... Sunday at 7 p.m., the very funny Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo performs in UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

"Sentimental Irish," starring Tony Kenny, with comedian Joe Curry, Dermot O'Brien and a full cast of Dublin entertainers, will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday in Arizona Charlie's Palace Grand Theatre, highly recommended.

Marv Koral's All-Stars featuring trombonist Carl Fontana are hot, Sundays from 5-9 p.m. at the Pierce Street Annex. ... Please support the Sun Summer Camp Fund, send every possible deserving youngster to camp this summer. ... See you next Thursday.