Music

Gladys Knight avoided a ticket by singing 'Happy Birthday' to a cop

by Dan MacRae

Do you like Gladys Knight? Of course you do. The 71-year-old Empress of Soul is someone that generally inspires good feelings and our own off-key renditions of “If I Were Your Woman.” Official Ruling: Gladys Knight is pretty darn swell.

This week in Utah, Knight had an interesting encounter at a traffic stop that ended in celebration. Billboard reports that the singer was traveling as a passenger to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints choir event (pub trivia reminder: she’s a Mormon now) when Pleasant Grove Police Officer Paul Rogerson pulled the vehicle over for speeding. The woman driving the car explained that she and Knight were en route to an LDS function, which prompted the officer to note that he and his wife were big fans of the singer.

The warm words and Rogerson’s mentioning that it was his birthday prompted Knight to exit the automobile and sing the officer “Happy Birthday.” Pictures were taken, good feelings were had, and the unlikely encounter has led to some friendly texting between Knight and the officer’s wife.

The whole affair ended with the driver getting let off with a warning, an approach Pleasant Grove Police Capt. Mike Roberts shared was likely to happen with or without Knight in the car.