 Best known for her superb 1984 cover of
Prince's "I Feel for You," R&B singer
Chaka Khan enjoyed solo
success as well as popularity as a member of the group
Rufus. Born
Yvette Marie Stevens in Great Lakes, IL, on March 23, 1953, she was raised
on Chicago's South Side, and at the age of 11 formed her first group, the
Crystalettes. While still in high school, she joined the Afro-Arts Theater, a
group which toured with Motown great
Mary Wells; a few years later, she adopted the African name
Chaka Khan while working on the Black Panthers' breakfast program. After
quitting high school in 1969,
Chaka Khan joined the group
Lyfe, soon exiting to join another dance band,
the Babysitters; neither was on the fast track to success, but her fortunes
changed when she teamed with ex-American
Breed member
Kevin Murphy and André Fisher to form
Rufus.
Debuting in 1973 with a self-titled effort on the ABC label,
Rufus was among the pre-eminent funk groups of the decade; distinguished by
Chaka Khan's dynamic vocals, the group earned half a dozen gold or platinum albums
before she went solo in 1978. Produced by
Arif Mardin, Chaka proved to be a significant hit on the strength of the
single "I'm Every Woman" (a hit over a decade later for
Whitney Houston); however,
Chaka Khan's success was somewhat tempered by her public rivalry with the
remaining members of
Rufus, to whom she was still contractually bound for two more LPs. (Their
differences were eventually resolved in a 1982 concert at New York's Savoy
Theater, issued as Stompin' at the Savoy.) As a solo artist,
Chaka Khan recorded backing vocals for
Ry Cooder's 1979 effort Bop Till You Drop, then cut her sophomore album,
1980's Naughty; it was not a hit, however, nor was its follow-up, What Cha'
Gonna Do for Me.
In 1982,
Chaka Khan recorded Echoes of an Era, a collection of jazz standards featuring
performances from
Freddie Hubbard,
Joe Henderson,
Stanley Clarke,
Chick Corea, and
Lenny White. Her pop career was on shaky ground when she released 1984's I
Feel for You, a platinum-seller launched by its title cut, a Grammy-winning,
rap-inspired rendition (featuring memorable cameos from
Melle Mel and
Stevie Wonder) of a fairly obscure
Prince album track. Still, while subsequent LPs like 1986's Destiny and
1988's C.K. kept
Chaka Khan riding high on the R&B charts, her standing in pop's mainstream again
began to wane, and at the end of the 1980s, she relocated to Europe. In 1990,
she won another Grammy for "I'll Be Good to You," a duet with
Ray Charles. Come 2 My House appeared in 1998. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music
Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book
Chaka Khan for your next corporate or private event.
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