Gladys Knight Sings During Traffic Stop

Her pal didn't get speeding ticket after singer belted out song to Utah cop
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 4, 2016 10:41 AM CST
Gladys Knight Sings During Traffic Stop
In this Sept. 8, 2007, file photo, R&B great Gladys Knight performs at the 13th annual Staglin Family Music Festival for Mental Health in Rutherford, Calif.   (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

A Utah police officer who pulled over a car carrying iconic soul singer Gladys Knight was treated to an impromptu rendition of "Happy Birthday" Wednesday night. Knight was a passenger in the car stopped for speeding in the town about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, Pleasant Grove Police Capt. Mike Roberts says. Officer Paul Rogerson got the driver's license and was checking it when the woman told him that she was with Knight on the way to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints choir event. The seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer of "Midnight Train to Georgia" is a Mormon convert, and she was speaking at the event.

Rogerson said that he and his wife, who was riding along in the car because it was his birthday, were big fans. When she heard that, Knight got out of the car and sang "Happy Birthday" to the officer. The couple snapped a photo with her, and Rogerson's wife has since exchanged text messages with the singer. The officer let the driver go with a warning, something he likely would have done even if Knight wasn't in the car, Roberts says. (More Gladys Knight stories.)

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