Knight and the Pips continued to release popular singles into the late 1970s. However, because of legal issues, they were compelled to record separately, leading to Knight’s breakthrough solo albums, Gladys Knight (1979) on Columbia Records and Miss Gladys Knight (1978) on Buddah Records.
After divorcing James Newman II, Knight wed Barry Hankerson, the uncle of future R&B and hip-hop artist Aaliyah. In Detroit, Hankerson served as Coleman Young’s personal assistant. Knight and Hankerson welcomed a son they named Shanga Ali after four years of marriage. However, as they got embroiled in a protracted custody battle for Shanga Ali, their bond soured.
In 1980, Johnny Mathis asked Knight to collaborate with him on two duets: “The Lord’s Prayer” and “When A Child Is Born,” which was Mathis’s previous hit.
Following the securing of a record deal with Columbia Records, Gladys Knight & the Pips came back together as a quartet and began writing new music. They collaborated with famed Motown producers Valerie Simpson and Nickolas Ashford on their first two albums, About Love (1980),
How much money did Gladys Knight lose gambling?
Knight struggled for more than ten years with a gambling addiction. She joined Gamblers Anonymous in the late 1980s, which assisted her in breaking her gambling habit when she lost $60,000 in one night at the baccarat table.