Kenya Newman: Everything About Gladys Knight’s Daughter

Kenya Newman is the daughter of singer, songwriter, and actress Gladys Maria Knight also known as the “Empress of Soul”. She was a member of her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips (The Pips), alongside her brother Merald “Bubba” Knight and cousins William Guest and Edward Patten. The group has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

Kenya Newman: Bio Summary

How Old Is Kenya Newman?

Kenya Newman was born in November 1963. She will be turning 60 years old after celebrating her birthday in November 2023. She is the only girl child of singer, songwriter, and actress Gladys Maria Knight and her first husband Atlanta musician James “Jimmy” Newman. She has one older brother and a younger half-brother.

Kenya’s biological brother James “Jimmy” Gaston Newman III was born on August 13, 1962. He was a record executive and entertainment manager. He managed their mother’s career through his Newman Management Inc. Kenya and her half-brother Shanga Ali Hankerson (b. August 1, 1976) have one mother but different fathers.

Shanga was born from Kenya’s mother’s marriage to record producer, music label owner, and manager Barry Hankerson. Kenya’s stepfather William McDowell has been married to her mother since 2001. William is the fourth husband of Kenya’s mother. Kenya’s maternal grandparents are Merald Woodlow Knight Sr., a postal worker, and Sarah Elizabeth (née Woods).

Growing up, Kenya Newman’s mother did her best to support her and her brother. Her mother married her father at the time she was very young. Her mother married her father at age 16. They got married after her mother became pregnant but she later suffered a miscarriage and lost the child. That child would have been Kenya’s older sibling.

Kenya’s father James Newman was a drug addict who abandoned the family. Her mother Gladys Knight was 20 years old at the time James left her and their kids. Gladys had to raise her children as a single mother. At some point, she retired from the road while the Pips toured on their own but she later returned to recording with the Pips to support her family.

ALSO, READ: James Newman III: What Happened To Gladys Knight’s Son?

Kenya’s parents Gladys Knight and James Newman who were married in 1960 got divorced in 1973. James passed away a few years later. Kenya attended Bishop Gorman High School.

Kenya Newman Is A Businesswoman

Gladys Knight’s daughter Kenya Newman is creating her own path. She has ventured into business. She chose not to pursue a career as a singer, songwriter, or actress like her mom. She is a businesswoman. She is a gourmet baker. She pursued a career in marketing before she followed her ‘true passion‘ which is baking.

Kenya Newman started her career in entertainment marketing and public relations. In the year 1997, Kenya became a business owner. She became the owner of a bakery, Kenya’s Cakes of the Stars. She and her mother Gladys opened Kenya’s Gourmet Bakery. Kenya fell in love with cooking at an early age and started baking as a hobby.

Kenya began catering for events held by friends and family during her early years. “I was raised in the South, in Atlanta. So I grew up in the kitchen with my grandma, Elizabeth Knight. She really can burn!” she said. Before opening the bakery, Kenya took more than two months to adapt her family recipes to mass production. “Our family recipe was a pinch of this and a handful of that,” she said.

“We first had to figure out how many cups was a handful and then we had to change that recipe to a recipe for mass production. All we did was test, test, test.” Kenya said “We” referring to herself and Rose Poole, a baker for Kenya’s Cakes of the Stars. Kenya has called Rosie “wonderful”. Kenya admitted that “Opening the bakery was a team effort.”

Kenya says the team is ‘great’. Her business has expanded to include a production center on East Patrick Lane. She named the chocolate cake Dionne Warwick’s Classic Chocolate and also has Gladys Knight’s Pineapple Passion, Patti LaBelle’s Sock-It-To-Me Cake, and Natalie Coles’s Luscious Lemon Cake.

ALSO, READ: William McDowell: Who Is Gladys Knight’s Husband?

Kenya Newman Is A Married Woman

Kenya Newman has tied the knot with her husband, Jimmy Jackson. Most details of their union are unavailable. The couple have kept their marriage private. Kenya is the mother of five children. She has kept her family away from the spotlight. She and her family are living privately. Although Kenya is the daughter of a celebrity, she prefers to live a low-key life.