Gladys Knight and The Pips, Screamin' Jay Hawkins and The Five Satins are among the 12 artists who will split $205,000 in grants from The Rhythm & Blues Foundation as winners of that organization's 1998 Pioneer Award.

Gladys Knight and The Pips, who recorded such classics as "Midnight Train to Georgia," "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" and a fast version of "Heard It Through The Grapevine," will receive the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the non-profit organization. The Foundation, which seeks to promote and preserve the works of R&B's early masters, announced the winners of the grants on Nov. 17. The awards will be granted at a ceremony at the New York Sheraton on Feb. 26, 1998, according to Lindajo Loftus, spokesperson for the Foundation.

The awards are divided into four categories -- "Lifetime Achievement," "Individual Artists," "Side Men" and "Performance Groups."

In the "Individual Artists" category, blues wailer Faye Adams ("Shake A Hand"), James Brown's Fabulous Flames leader Bobby Byrd ("Baby, Baby, Baby"), emotional pleader Tyrone Davis ("Turn Back The Hands Of Time"), celebrated eccentric Screamin' Jay Hawkins ("I Put A Spell On You"), soul singer Ernie-K-Doe ("Mother In Law") and Marvin Gaye duet partner Kim Weston ("It Takes Two") will all receive grants or have grants given to their heirs.

The "Side Men" being honored are Atlantic Records co-founder Herb Abramson and longtime saxophonist for Ray Charles, David "Fathead" Newman.

The winners in the "Performance Groups" category are doo-wop group the Five Satins ("In The Still Of The Night"), jazz-influenced vocalists the Harptones ("Life Is But A Dream"), and legendary soul singers the O'Jays ("For The Love Of Money").

The Rhythm & Blues Foundation was founded in 1988 and is dedicated to the recognition, financial support and historical and cultural preservation of rhythm and blues music through a variety of grants and programs. The non-profit organization has awarded grants to artists and their heirs since its inception; a reward for many who signed terrible royalty contracts way back when but have continued to give great performances over the years.

Previous winners of the grants include Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, the Four Tops and The Spinners, among others. -- Randy Reiss [Mon., Nov. 24, 1997, 9 a.m. PDT]