Hayley Ria Christian is arriving on the Midnight Train To Georgia in her Gladys Knight show at Grand Opera House

HAYLEY Ria Christian takes the Midnight Train To Georgia in A Celebration Of Gladys Knight at the Grand Opera House, York, on May 20.

“This production is definitely not a tribute, but a faithful portrayal that truly pays homage to the voice of a generation…the one and only…Empress of Soul…Ms Gladys Knight,” the tour… publicity…proclaims.

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1944, Gladys Knight began singing with her siblings at the age of eight. The group opened for many R&B legends in the 1950s before heading to Motown.

In the company of The Pips, Knight notched R&B, soul and funk hits with Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me; Help Me Make It Through The Night; You’re The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me; Try To Remember/The Way We Were; So Sad The Song, Baby, Don’t Change Your Mind; Come Back And Finish What You Started and her 1976 signature song Midnight Train To Georgia.

Hayley Ria Christian’s production also features Part Time Love, Licence To Kill and That’s What Friends Are For.

In 1996, Gladys Knight & the Pips were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; in 2007, Knight received the Society of Singers’ ELLA Award in a ceremony where she was declared the Empress of Soul. Rolling Stone magazine names her in its list of the Greatest Singers of All Time.

Tickets for next Friday’s 7.30pm show are on sale on 0844 871 7615 or at atgtickets.com/York