Nitty Gritty (album)

Nitty Gritty
Studio album by Gladys Knight & the Pips
Released	1969
Recorded	1969 at Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit
Length	42:13 [1]
Label	Soul
Gladys Knight & the Pips chronology
All In A Knight's Work (1968) Nitty Gritty (1969) Greatest Hits (1970)
Singles from Nitty Gritty
"Didn't You Know (You'd Have to Cry Sometime)" Released: 1969 "The Nitty Gritty" Released: June 26, 1969 "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

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

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
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

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Cloud Nine"	Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield	3:05
2.	"Runnin' Out"	Ashford & Simpson	2:15
3.	"Didn't You Know (You'd Have To Cry Sometime)"	Ashford & Simpson	3:20
4.	"(I Know) I'm Losing You"	Cornelius Grant, Eddie Holland, Norman Whitfield	2:33
5.	"The Nitty Gritty"	Lincoln Chase	2:57
6.	"Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone"	Cornelius Grant, Norman Whitfield, Sylvia Moy	3:20

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"All I Could Do Was Cry"	Berry Gordy Jr., B. Davis, George Gordy	2:57
2.	"Keep An Eye"	Ashford & Simpson	2:48
3.	"Got Myself A Good Man"	Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield	2:58
4.	"It's Summer"	B. Strong*, N. Whitfield*	2:18
5.	"The Stranger"	Ivy Jo Hunter	3:07
6.	"I Want Him To Say It Again"	Merald Knight*, G. Knight*, J. Bristol*, Wm. Guest*	2:58

Charts

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

Singles

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

1. "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". November 23, 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. "Gladys Knight & the Pips Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com.
12. "Gladys Knight And The Pips | Biography, Music & News". Billboard.
13. "CAN Charts > Gladys Knight & the Pips". RPM . Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2012.

External links

• The Nitty Gritty at Discogs (list of releases)