Who is this unknown member of gladys knight & the pips ????

This article lists all members of Gladys Knight & the Pips from 1953 through their disbandment in 1988. The last member listed is Chris Morante. I never heard of him. Who is he? Did one of the Pips leave just before the Pips officially disbanded and this guy had to step in to finish the tour?

I found the information below in this article. But it is on Facebook, and info there is sometimes not that reliable.

https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.fi.../4101786520881


Members
Gladys Knight [[1953–1962, 1964–1989)
Merald "Bubba" Knight [[1953–1989)
William Guest [[1953–1989)
Brenda Knight [[1953–1959)
Eleanor Guest [[1953–1959)
Edward Patten [[1959–1989; died 2005)
Langston George [[1959–1962)
Chris Morante [[1988)

I just checked Wikopedia and noticed that most of that article on Facebook came from Wikopedia But it still does not answer who was Chris Morante who is listed as the last Pip.

Interesting to see that Bubba Knight was the only Pip to be in the group from the beginning [[1953) to the end [[1988). Not even Gladys Knight can say that.

To my knowledge, the group disbanded once Gladys decided she wanted to go solo. So it would seem that she, Bubba, and William are the members who lasted from beginning to end.

I read William's book and it sounded like initially, he and Bubba were going to continue as a duo but that didn't happen.

Re Chris Morante, I never heard of him. Maybe he was one of the additional backup vocalists on their last tour.

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Originally Posted by reese

To my knowledge, the group disbanded once Gladys decided she wanted to go solo. So it would seem that she, Bubba, and William are the members who lasted from beginning to end.

I read William's book and it sounded like initially, he and Bubba were going to continue as a duo but that didn't happen.

Re Chris Morante, I never heard of him. Maybe he was one of the additional backup vocalists on their last tour.

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You are right. How did I overlook William Guest? He and Bubba were the only two who were in the group from beginning to end. Gladys left the Pips for a couple of years, probably to have babies, but then returned. I think she returned for financial reasons. Her first husband was not a great provider. In her autobiography Gladys claimed that her first husband had been a drug addict. She said that dependency created serious problems in their marriage. So she rejoined the Pips to put bread on the table

But, Chris Morante remains a mystery

Only thing I've been able to find is reference that a 4th Pip was added to their last tour. Perhaps someone wasn't feeling well and was brought out just in case?

Chris probably replaced Edward onstage. Wasn't Edward suffering from diabetes?

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Originally Posted by midnightman

Chris probably replaced Edward onstage. Wasn't Edward suffering from diabetes?

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that sounds like a logical explanation. Possibly also a reason why the group broke up. They did not have any farewell tour, or make an official announcement at the time. In fact, I believe that in interviews, if asked, Gladys would just say that they were taking a break.

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Originally Posted by milven

This article lists all members of Gladys Knight & the Pips from 1953 through their disbandment in 1988. The last member listed is Chris Morante. I never heard of him. Who is he? Did one of the Pips leave just before the Pips officially disbanded and this guy had to step in to finish the tour?

I found the information below in this article. But it is on Facebook, and info there is sometimes not that reliable.

https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.fi.../4101786520881


Members
Gladys Knight [[1953–1962, 1964–1989)
Merald "Bubba" Knight [[1953–1989)
William Guest [[1953–1989)
Brenda Knight [[1953–1959)
Eleanor Guest [[1953–1959)
Edward Patten [[1959–1989; died 2005)
Langston George [[1959–1962)
Chris Morante [[1988)

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I think, I recall a gentleman standing in for Edward after he became ill. The guy was with them on television once. Can't say for sure what his name was.

This is the last time I saw them all together. Their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od3fX6R_cFA

Did not know that Edward was already declining while they were still together. They did kind of keep the break up of the group a secret and at one point, even denied the group had permanently broken up. Maybe they were hoping that Edward's health would improve.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by milven

Did not know that Edward was already declining while they were still together. They did kind of keep the break up of the group a secret and at one point, even denied the group had permanently broken up. Maybe they were hoping that Edward's health would improve.

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I think William alluded to this in his book and it is probably one of the reasons why he and Bubba were going to continue just as a duo.

I do remember attending a concert on their last tour and noticing that the tempos had been slowed down a bit. But more than that, I was surprised to see that there were three additional back up vocalists besides the Pips.