Legendary Gladys Knight still has soul

That Gladys Knight is a music legend is indisputable. The renowned singer has been thrilling audiences for decades, from her first days with The Pips and throughout her solo career, which begain in 1978.

The seven-time Grammy Award winner will bring her soulful voice Feb. 17 to the Mahaffey Theatre in St. Petersburg.

"I have been so blessed," Knight, 66, says of her career during a telephone interview from her home in Las Vegas. "To be able to do the thing I love so much and perform for the people I love so much. I hope (the audience) will be energized and excited to see me and hear the music they fell in love with."

Knight, along with the Pips, is best known for hits such as "Neither One of Us," "You're the Best Thing," "Midnight Train to Georgia," "I Heard it through the Grapevine," "Love Overboard" and her collaboration with Elton John, Dionne Warwick and Stevie Wonder on "That's What Friends Are For."

In April, she will release a new album called "Another Journey," produced by Leon Silvers of the musical group The Silvers, who worked with Knight and the Pips in the 1980s.

The album's first single is a remake of "I Who Have Nothing," currently available on iTunes.

"When I heard it, I loved this track," she says of the song.

Knight says if she could work with any artist today, it would be Alicia Keys.

"She has a sound all her own," says Knight. "Back in the day, the Temptations, Al Green and Aretha Franklin — when you heard them, you knew it was them. They had their own distinct sound. When I hear Alicia, she writes and performs and she is very classy. I'm a fan of that."

Knight says although she's busy touring — and loves it — she makes time to enjoy her home life in Las Vegas, where she currently resides with her husband, William McDowell. And she dotes on her 17 grandchildren — soon to be 18 — and four great-grandchildren.

She's also a successful businesswoman with a line of jewelry called the Gladys Knight Signature Jewelry Collection (gladysknight.com).

"Necessity is the mother of invention," she says. "With this economy, so many of us today can't afford to do certain things. But we still want to eat well and look OK. With jewelry, you can take that little black dress and put it together with different looks."

The earrings, necklaces and bracelets are crafted from recycled materials and include handcrafted beads produced by West African artisans and cooperatives, as well as semiprecious elements. A portion of the sales goes back to the Women's Cooperative, which supplies some of the beads.

Knight also keeps fans fed with a popular chain of soul food restaurants called Gladys Knight Chicken and Waffles, with two locations in Atlanta and Ashville, N.C. She plans to open a third in Las Vegas by the end of the year. The 1996 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee also has penned two bestselling books.

She says opening a school may be next, a suggestion Oprah Winfrey once advised her on.