Why Gladys Knight & the Pips Almost Didn't Happen

Before Gladys Knight was the frontwoman for the legendary Motown group Gladys Knight & the Pips, she was a teenager who almost chose sports over a career in music. One day in 1960, Gladys was preparing for a track tournament when the other group members told her that they needed to fly to New York immediately to sign a record deal. Gladys was initially hesitant, wanting to attend her track tournament instead.

Finally, her mother convinced her that she needed to go to New York. "She said, 'Babe'—and I'll never forget this—'opportunities are bald-headed. And sometimes when you don't reach out and grab them, they slip right through your fingers,'" Gladys says.

As you might guess, Gladys took her mother's advice, and it changed the course of her life. Here, Gladys recalls how she almost let the opportunity of a lifetime slip away, and explains how Gladys Knight & the Pips got their name.

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