Iconic singer and living legend Gladys Knight has received another award to add to her long list of accolades.
Knight was recently awarded the National Medal of Arts for her multiple career achievements by President Biden. Maria Rosario Jackson, the National Endowment for the Arts chair, said, “The National Medal of Arts recipients have helped to define and enrich our nation’s cultural legacy through their lifelong passionate commitment.”
She continued, “We are a better nation because of their contributions. Their work helps us see the world in different ways. It inspires us to reach our full potential and recognize our common humanity. I join the President in congratulating and thanking them.”
This is Knight’s second time receiving an award from President Biden. In 2022, she was honored at the 45th Kenndey Center Honors for her lifetime achievements. The honor started with a tribute to the singer by Ariana Debose who sang “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.”
While accepting her award, the 7-time- Grammy- winner said, “You could never have told me as a young girl starting my career that I would be honored on a stage such as this, with artists and humanitarians such as these — it just wouldn’t have seemed possible.” She continued, “It would have been the dream of all dreams. I have been blessed with so much in my life, and this certainly stands with those achievements at the top of that list.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bruce Springsteen, José Feliciano, and Mindy Kaling also received awards from President Biden.