Every Beat of My Heart by Gladys Knight

Album: Anthology (1961)

Charted: 6

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Long before Bryan Adams said "Everything I do, I do it for you," Gladys Knight expressed that devotion in this song, where every heartbeat thrums for the one she loves.
This song was originally recorded by Johnny Otis in 1952. Knight recorded it for local label Huntom Records, then had singles on two other labels sink without a trace before having their fortunes change in a most unusual way. With Dave "Baby" Cortez, who had a #1 hit with "The Happy Organ" in 1959 playing on organ, they re-recorded "Every Beat of My Heart" for Fury Records. As the new version, credited to "Gladys Knight & The Pips," started climbing the charts, Vee Jay Records bought the original from Huntom and issued it credited to "Pips." Eventually, the original Vee Jay single hit #6 as the newer Fury single stalled at #45.

Comments: 5

Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 20, 1961, Gladys Knight and the Pips performed "Every Beat of My Heart'" on Dick Clark ABC-TV network weekday-afternoon program ' American Bandstand'...
At the time the song was at #7 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; ten days earlier it had peaked at #6 {for 1 week} and it spent 13 weeks on the Top 100...
And on June 20th, 1961 it reached #1 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart...
Between 1961 and 1987 they had forty records on the Hot Top 100 chart; eight made the Top 10 with one reaching #1*, "Midnight Train To Georgia", for 2 weeks on October 21st, 1973...
Gladys Maria Knight, aka 'The Empress of Soul', celebrated her 73rd birthday two months ago on May 28th, 2017...
*They just missed having two more #1 records when both "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" {1967} and "Neither One of Us" {1973} peaked at #2.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 15th 1952, eight-year-old Gladys Knight appeared on the NBC-TV program ‘The Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour’; she won first prize* for singing her version of Nat 'King' Cole's "Too Young"...
And exactly one year earlier on July 15th, 1951 Nat 'King' Cole's version of the song was in its fifth and final week at #1 on Billboard's Best Selling Pop Singles chart...
Nine years later on July 15th, 1961 Ms, Knight, as a member of the Pips, was on the Top 100 with her debut charted record, "Every Beat of My Heart", it was at #6 at the time and that was also its peak position on the Top 100...
* First prize was $2,000.00
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 3rd 1963, James Brown and the Famous Flames' covered version of "Every Beat of My Heart" " entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart for a one week stay, peaking at #99...
The record's B-side, "Like a Baby", reached #24 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
May the 'Godfather of Soul' R.I.P. {1933 - 2006}.
Randy from Fayettevile, ArThis 45 rpm single was in the record collection I inherited from my Dad. The label says THE PIPS. My Dad tells me that when he went to college at University of Missouri there was a DJ at their radio station who always called the group "Gladys Knight & The PIMPS" just to be contrary. I still love this song. It's slow and has a good beat. Vocals by Gladys and the guys are terrific. I love their later hits when they became superstars.
Rotunda from Tulsa, OkI loved this '61 hit by Gladys Knigh. In '61 my oldest sis bought this single, after it was all over the radio, and after she & her boyfriend made it "their song." But they broke up when it hit the Top Ten. Disaster. So she gave it to me & I played the heck outta the record until I wore the grooves out. I was just 7 at the time & crazy over rock & roll and more so for R&B. So actually this is the first record I ever owned. My oldest brother gave me a stupid record: Alvin & The Chipmunks' "Christmas Don't Be Late" which I threw down the toilet! By the time "I Heard It Thru The Grapevine" came along, I was a true blue fan of Gladys Knight & The Pips.

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