William Guest (singer) He was 74 years old. Guest was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Gladys Knight & the Pips in 1996. William Guest (singer) William Franklin Guest (July 2, 1941 – December 24, 2015) was an American R&B/soul singer best known as a member of Gladys Knight & the Pips. Guest was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and was a cousin of Gladys Knight. Following his stint with The Pips, he and fellow Pip Edward Patten formed Patten and Guest Productions, and following Patten's death in 2005, he continued to manage artists though the Crew Entertainment company he
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