Gladys Knight was beginning to feel like a second-class citizen at Motown, a label she had never wanted to sign with in the first place. For Knight and the Pips it was a gamble that might not have paid off: their first single, “Where Peaceful Waters Flow”, created few ripples. “Midnight Train to Georgia” came from the prodigious writing talents …
This essay is adapted from Danyel Smith’s new book, “Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop.” My questions have never changed. Of the many Black R&B pop groups to come out of the Motown era — the Supremes, the Shirelles, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Four Tops, the Stylistics, Martha and the Vandellas, …
