Ravinia 2026 Issue 3

FEELINGASONG ROYALTY RETURNS TO RAVINIA on August , when Gladys Knight, “ e Empress of Soul,” takes the Hunter Pa- vilion stage with Brian McKnight. Now in her seventh decade as a per- former, Gladys Knight has received the music industry’s—and the nation’s— highest honors. She is the winner of seven Grammys (four as a solo artist and three with her iconic Pips) as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. is year marks the th anni- versary of her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was among the Kennedy Center Honors inductees in , and in a ceremony the follow- ing year, President Joe Biden presented her a National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her among the Greatest Singers of All Time, calling her “the queen of loving and losing, but lasting.” And did we mention she earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Two of Knight’s signature songs, “Midnight Train to Georgia” (which, along with “I Heard It rough the Grapevine,” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame) and the AIDS bene t classic “ at’s What Friends Are For,” reached number one on the Billboard Hot singles chart. She also amassed number-one R&B singles and six number-one R&B albums. While inducting Knight into the Rock Hall in , Mariah Carey noted, “Gladys Knight is a singer’s singer. She’s as real as it gets. All she has to do is stand there and sing and she’ll blow you away. It’s all about that voice.” at voice is imbued “with the wisdom of a woman who has seen it all,” according to the Hall’s tribute to Knight. From the twilight of the doo-wop era through the golden age of Motown and the ’ s up to the present, Knight’s unimpeachable artistry has set the stan- dard for longevity and quality. Knight’s enduring appeal transcends genres. e versatile singer has had number-one hits on the pop, gospel, R&B, and adult contemporary charts. She also memorably crossed over into country music, collaborating with Old Dominion on “Lonely Side of Town” on the band’s top- ve album Time, Tequila & erapy . She later dueted with coun- try superstar Vince Gill on a cover of the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell hit “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real ing” on the album Rhythm, Country and Blues . On her album, At Last , she covered the classic country song “Please Help Me, I’m Falling.” And—fun fact—“Midnight Train to Georgia” began its life as a country song called “Midnight Plane to Houston.” It re ects the diversity of her song stylings that at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony, a range of artists— including Garth Brooks, Patti LaBelle, Ariana DeBose and Mickey Guyton— serenaded and celebrated her. Knight has said that her voice was a RAVINIAMAGAZINE • AUGUST 3 – AUGUST 16 , 2026 6