She was paying tribute to Smokey Robinson at the Kennedy Center Honors.
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I'm so over Gladys Knight. Over the last year I have really had my eyes opened to what lurks beneath. I'm in no mood to rehash my disdain for her attitude regarding the national anthem controversy, but that's what pushed me over the edge. For me, a huge fan of Gladys, she can never come back from that.
In regards to this Diana thing, I defended her in a previous thread when people were coming for Gladys' neck when someone posted an interview Gladys did where she talked about Diana. I've seen quite a few Gladys interviews and rarely did I ever hear her address anything about Diana Ross, so I was taken aback by comments that suggested Gladys is always talking about Diana. While I still think Gladys is asked a question and not necessarily volunteering anything first, it's clear that this woman is all over the place with whatever she feels for Diana and that she hasn't moved on. That clip of Gladys mocking Diana makes her look stupid. The whole skit reeks of an old bitter woman doing the only thing she can think to do to get back at another woman for something that may or may not have happened when they were barely adults. Gladys reminds me of one of those women that is always running off at the mouth but if another woman stepped to her she'd back down and shut the hell up.
The story of Gladys being kicked off the tour has clearly changed details a number of times. So which version are we supposed to believe? And she can take that "all the girls at Motown came to me for advice" crap and shove it. By the time Gladys and the guys got to Motown, the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, even the Marvelettes, were all seasoned vets. Half the ladies were as old as Gladys or older. What the hell were they coming to her to talk about? And if this is the case, how come this is the first we've heard about it? Unless I missed the dozens of quotes from old time Motowners about how much of a help Gladys was to the ladies.
And how much bigger did Gladys want to be at Motown? In the interview with Mica, she frames it like Gordy's focus on Diana somehow maligned Gladys. Where? I'd have to look at Gladys Knight and the Pips' chart history during the late 60s and early 70s again, but I'm willing to bet that song for song, Gladys had more hits than DRATS and Diana solo up until Gladys left the label. So what's the real gripe? I get the money issue because everybody had an issue with the money, but what else did Gladys want Gordy's attention to? Clearly somebody at the label was paying attention because Gladys and the Pips were one of the biggest acts at the label during their tenure.
She tries for this "I'm all about positivity" persona, but clearly she on some other type shit. She sounds bitter. And while I'll never stop listening to classic Gladys, hearing her name now just makes me cringe.
No that was Patti Labelle, but even that was a weird story to me. Patti told Oprah that at the ball, Patti and Diana were seated near one another and that it was the first time the two had spoken in years because of rumor mongers. But there was no mention of how close they apparently were in 2001 [[or was it 2002?) when they both participated in something and they were photographed sitting together and holding hands. I read one article that mentioned that Patti was supposed to be in one room but she was running her mouth in another room and it was Diana who came and got Patti and ushered her to where she was supposed to be. But then Patti is framing it as if the feud continued from the 60s to the Legends Ball without any mention of whatever was going on in 2001 or 2002. Strange.
Her speech was in tribute to Smokey. When she mentions that everyone in her neighborhood loved music and that Diana lived there too and began to sing Diana's [[and the Supremes') song, that's what I was referring to as tribute, the same as if she had mentioned any other woman singer in a positive manner and sang her song.
I think some of these women take one incident and it spreads into decades long feuds. Plus Patti paid tribute to Diana in 1995.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CweEA61lATU
My favorite quotes from Gladys had to do with her saying how she and the Pips were given "second string" Motown songs. Most of that was true to an extent but lost in that quote was GK&TP's had an independent streak.
Bubba Knight said they had a better contract than what most of the more "homemade" acts were getting at the time through their former managers. Another thing that separated them was Motown gave them carte blanche...to a certain extent. After their debut single came out in 1966, they told Berry not to have the Andantes overshadowing them and Berry agree to take them out.
Gladys would claim this is why Motown "didn't give them proper promotion". But judging on how they were received after "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" blew up and became the best selling Motown single in history [[before Marvin's iconic version of course), I doubt this. They went on a very successful streak from 1967 until 1973 while at Motown. They got on the shows most crossover artists got. They were probably, in terms of singles, the third most popular act on the label. That's a MAJOR accomplishment.
The Motown acclaim made them legendary, which their Buddah material cemented. Without Motown, few would've known who Gladys was. Both the Supremes AND Diana STRUGGLED with their music after GK&TP's became superstars there.
Gladys Knight was at the Oprah Legends ball and she did have the conversation with Diana at the ball. I agree. Why is Gladys still talking about the past issues she thinks she had with Diana if they made up. Envy is an ugly thing.
L
Patti is another one who lies a lot or she's just delusional. She talked about having issues with Diana but yet,she saluted Diana by singing her songs inducting her into the 1995 soul train awards hall of fame and she sang with Diana on the 01 song we are family and was holding hands and praying together in a clip I saw on YouTube. Yet, Patti claims she had not spoken to Diana in years before the 2006 legends ball. Such a liar. You cant deny the truth. The proof are the videos on YouTube. Anyone can see those clips and see the truth.