Merald "Bubba" Knight has lived in the Detroit area since the mid 1960s. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Merald "Bubba" Knight Merald Woodlow "Bubba" Knight, Jr. (born September 4, 1942 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American R&B/soul singer, best known as a member of Gladys Knight & the Pips. The older brother of lead singer Gladys Knight, Bubba Knight served as the unofficial leader of the group, and was instrumental in handling the Pips' business matters. Gladys Knight & The Pips evolved out of The Pips. The original Pips formed in Atlanta in 1952, with
Gladys Knight & the Pips William and Eleanor Guest began performing together during Bubba's tenth birthday party after a record player malfunctioned. Shortly afterwards, the quintet agreed to form a group under the insistence of Gladys' mother Elizabeth Knight. They settled on the name "The Pips", inspired by the nickname of their cousin James "Pip" Woods. By 1955, the group began performing at the talent show circuit at their hometown of Atlanta, winning each talent show they performed on. This success allowed them a record contract with Brunswick Records in 1957. The group released two recordings that failed to chart. Despite this, the group was