Gladys Knight & the Pips gold. Knight still records and performs today. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she sometimes leads the Saints Unified Voices choir. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation in 1998. Gladys Knight & the Pips are ranked as the ninth most successful act in "The Billboard Top 40 Book of R&B and Hip-Hop Hits" (2005). They were also ranked No. 91 on VH1's "Top 100 Artists of
Gladys Knight & the Pips Were/Try to Remember". By 1977, the group ran into contract disputes with both Motown and Buddah Records. After asking to be released from their contract from Buddah, the label forced the band to record side projects while the dispute was settled. Between 1978 and 1980, Knight released two solo albums and the Pips released two side albums. In a segment for Richard Pryor's TV special, the Pips (minus Gladys) appeared on his show performing their backup verses for the songs "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight Train to Georgia"; during parts where Gladys would sing, the camera panned