The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff football team will be competing in the Southern Heritage Classic and four our-time Grammy-Award Winning songstress Gladys Knight will headline the Southern Heritage Classic Concert on Thursday, September 7th, at 8 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, TN. Ticket sales begin Friday, March 24th at Ticketmaster.com.
The Classic Concert is a fan favorite and continues to bring beloved artists year after year. Classic Founder Fred Jones is happy to have Gladys Knight join them again during one of several exciting events leading up to the Classic football game between HBCU’s University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Tennessee State University. “Gladys Knight never disappoints. She puts on a high-energy show with hits we know and love. This is a big year for the Classic, and it only makes sense to bring one of the best. She’s stood the test of time just like the Classic,” said Jones.
Known as the “Empress of Soul” Knight is a tireless performer who wows audiences around the country and the world. She has recorded more than 38 albums during her career. Born in Georgia, Knight began performing at the age of four and debuted her first album as The Pips in 1960 at 16. The group was renamed Gladys Knight & The Pips in 1962. They have recorded some of the most memorable songs of the 60’s, 70’s, and ’80s. Top 20 hits, like “Every Beat of My Heart,” “Letter Full of Tears,” “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” and “If I Were Your Woman,” set the stage for an amazing run in the mid-1970s, with Top 10 gold-certified singles like “Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye),” “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination,” “Best Thing to Ever Happen to Me” and the #1 smash “Midnight Train to Georgia” established Gladys Knight & The Pips as one of the premiere pop/R&B vocal ensembles in the world. She later embarked on a successful solo career and has appeared on television, film, and the stage.
Knight’s accolades are many. In addition to four Grammys, in 1995, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1996, Gladys Knight & The Pips were inducted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame, and 1997, they were presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. In 2004, Knight received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from BET, and in 2022, her contributions as an artist and philanthropist were honored at the Kennedy Center Honors.
Gladys Knight’s star shines brightly, and everyone is invited to see it live in Memphis, TN on September 7th during the Southern Heritage Classic Concert.
