Nitty Gritty (album)

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Nitty Gritty
Studio album by
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Released1969
Recorded1969 at Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit
Length42:13[1]
LabelSoul
Gladys Knight & the Pips chronology
All In A Knight's Work
(1968) 		Nitty Gritty
(1969) 		Greatest Hits
(1970)
Singles from Nitty Gritty
  1. "Didn't You Know (You'd Have to Cry Sometime)"
    Released: 1969
  2. "The Nitty Gritty"
    Released: June 26, 1969
  3. "Friendship Train"
    Released: October 6, 1969

Nitty Gritty is the sixth studio album by Gladys Knight & the Pips, released in 1969 on Motown's Soul Records imprint.

History[edit]

The album had three singles that became a hit. "Didn't You Know (You'd Have to Cry Sometime)" peaked at No. 63 on the pop chart, and No. 11 on the R&B chart.[2] "The Nitty Gritty", originally recorded by Shirley Ellis, peaked at No. 19 on the pop charts, and on No. 2 on the R&B charts.[3][4] "Friendship Train" peaked at No. 17 on the pop charts, and No. 2 on the R&B charts.[5] It was later nominated for a Grammy Award.[6]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]

John Lowe of AllMusic stated "One of the reasons was their association with writer/producer Norman Whitfield, whose grittier, funkier style proved to be a key to Motown's counterattack to the rawer soul sounds that emerged in the latter part of the decade."[1]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Cloud Nine"Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield3:05
2."Runnin' Out"Ashford & Simpson2:15
3."Didn't You Know (You'd Have To Cry Sometime)"Ashford & Simpson3:20
4."(I Know) I'm Losing You"Cornelius Grant, Eddie Holland, Norman Whitfield2:33
5."The Nitty Gritty"Lincoln Chase2:57
6."Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone"Cornelius Grant, Norman Whitfield, Sylvia Moy3:20
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."All I Could Do Was Cry"Berry Gordy Jr., B. Davis, George Gordy2:57
2."Keep An Eye"Ashford & Simpson2:48
3."Got Myself A Good Man"Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield2:58
4."It's Summer"B. Strong*, N. Whitfield*2:18
5."The Stranger"Ivy Jo Hunter3:07
6."I Want Him To Say It Again"Merald Knight*, G. Knight*, J. Bristol*, Wm. Guest*2:58

Charts[edit]

Chart (1969) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 (Billboard)[8] 81
US Hot Soul LPs (Billboard)[9] 11

Singles[edit]

Song Title US Pop Charts[10][11][12] US R&B Charts[11][12] Canada
CHUM/RPM[13]
"Didn't You Know (You'd Have to Cry Sometime) 63 11 –
"Friendship Train" 19 2 27
"The Nitty Gritty" 17 2 29

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Nitty Gritty - Gladys Knight & the Pips | Album | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  2. ^ "Didn't You Know (You'd Have to Cry Sometime) (song by Gladys Knight & the Pips) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 330.
  4. ^ "The Nitty Gritty (song by Gladys Knight & the Pips) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com.
  5. ^ "Friendship Train (song by Gladys Knight & the Pips) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com.
  6. ^ "Gladys Knight". 23 November 2020.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p. 2003.
  8. ^ "Gladys Knight and the Pips Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "Gladys Knight and the Pips Chart History (Top R&B/Hip–Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Gladys Knight & the Pips - Awards". Archived from the original on March 7, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Gladys Knight & the Pips Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com.
  12. ^ a b "Gladys Knight And The Pips | Biography, Music & News". Billboard.
  13. ^ "CAN Charts > Gladys Knight & the Pips". RPM. Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2012-01-23.

External links[edit]

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