Imagination (Gladys Knight & the Pips album) Imagination (Gladys Knight & the Pips album) Imagination is the eleventh studio album recorded by American R&B group Gladys Knight & the Pips, released in October 1973 on the Buddah label. The album, the group's first for Buddah after leaving Motown, includes their first and only "Billboard" Hot 100 number-one hit "Midnight Train to Georgia", which also reached number-one on the R&B singles chart. The album also produced other the successful singles, including "I've Got to Use My Imagination" and "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me", with both songs peaking at number-one on the R&B singles chart and top
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