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PHOTO: CHAKA KHAN (b. March 23, 1953)
Chaka Khan
(b. March 23, 1953)
Biography by Andy Kellman
One of the most dynamic and accomplished artists to debut during the early '70s, singer and songwriter Chaka Khan secured her high standing as the frontperson of Rufus. A multiracial band that skillfully moved across soul, funk, rock, and jazz, they reached the mainstream with the slinking "Tell Me Something Good" (1974), a Top Five pop hit that won a Grammy, and throughout the decade continuously placed albums within the upper reaches of the pop and R&B charts. As Rufus remained active, Khan launched her solo career with "I'm Every Woman" (1978), an anthemic crossover disco smash that led to eight additional Top Ten R&B hits. Among those indelible works are "Ain't Nobody" (with Rufus, 1983) and a cover of Prince's "I Feel for You" (1984), high-tech productions that did not overshadow the inherent joy and power in Khan's voice. Versatile throughout her five-decade career, Khan has recorded numerous jazz standards, heard in concentrated form on albums such as Echoes of an Era (1982) and Classikhan (2004). Her covers-oriented set Funk This (2007) resulted in two of her ten Grammy awards. After a lengthy recording break, she returned with Hello Happiness (2019), an effervescent EP that ranged from retro-contemporary disco to fluid reggae.
Yvette Marie Stevens was raised in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago's South Side. Surrounded by music as a youngster, she formed her first group, the Crystalettes, at the age of 11. While in high school, she participated in Afro-Arts Theater, a collective that toured with Motown great Mary Wells, and as an eager political activist joined the Black Panther Party. By then, she was known as Chaka Karifi, a name given to her by a Yoruba priest. In 1969, she left the Black Panthers and dropped out of high school, and eventually joined Cash McCall's Lyfe, a band that also featured Hassan Khan, to whom she was eventually (and briefly) married. She left Lyfe to sing with the Babysitters, who had just suffered the loss of singer Baby Huey, but this period was similarly short and unsatisfying.
Chaka Khan found solid ground after she was heard and sought by former American Breed members Kevin Murphy and André Fischer, who were trying to gain ground with a fledgling act called Rufus. Khan joined the band, who in 1973 made their recorded debut with a self-titled album on the ABC label. Distinguished by Khan's radiant vocals and energizing stage presence, the band released six gold or platinum albums through the end of the decade and scored three Top Ten pop hits, including "Tell Me Something Good," which won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance. Reflective of Khan's growing stature, the band's billing constantly evolved during these years. Simply Rufus at first, they became Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan, and then Rufus & Chaka Khan, and ultimately Rufus & Chaka.
At some point in 1978, possibly the week in July when Quincy Jones topped the R&B chart with "Stuff Like That," featuring lead vocals from Chaka Khan and Ashford & Simpson, it became evident that Rufus could no longer contain their singer and co-songwriter. Khan had a pile of additional extracurricular credits on recordings by the likes of Stephen Bishop, Chicago, the Gap Band, Joni Mitchell, and Lenny White, but they were comparatively modest. "Stuff Like That," combined with the ever-brightening spotlight in Rufus, left her truly poised for a breakout. Khan signed a deal with Warner Bros. and that October stepped out with Chaka. Establishing a lengthy partnership with producer and arranger Arif Mardin, the album featured "I'm Every Woman," an elegant disco anthem, written by Ashford & Simpson, that topped the R&B chart and reached number 21 on the Hot 100. While it departed from Khan's output with Rufus, the LP reaffirmed her Chicago roots with an update of "Love Has Fallen on Me," composed by Charles Stepney, who produced the song for the Rotary Connection's Hey Love.
Instant solo success notwithstanding, Khan rejoined Rufus for the Quincy Jones-produced Masterjam, the band's fourth and final album to top the R&B chart. Only a few months after it was first racked, Khan returned in March 1980 with her second solo album, Naughty. Another soaring Ashford & Simpson piece, "Clouds," was its biggest hit, peaking at number ten on the R&B chart (with two voices of the Houston family, Cissy and pre-fame daughter Whitney, heard in the background). Khan's third straight Top Ten R&B solo album, What Cha' Gonna Do for Me, was out the next April. The title song, originally recorded by Average White Band, became Khan's second R&B chart-topper. She and Rufus also reconvened that year for Camouflage.
Broader and favorable stylistic reaches were made during 1982 and 1983. First was Echoes of an Era, a set of jazz standards recorded with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White. Next came a self-titled solo album with a hit version of "Got to Be There" (popularized by Michael Jackson), a slick bebop medley, and a Rick James collaboration. Last and most popular was Rufus & Chaka Khan's double live/studio set Stompin' at the Savoy. Among the new studio recordings occupying its fourth side was the band's last R&B number one, "Ain't Nobody," also a number 22 pop hit. Remarkably, all three of the 1982-1983 projects earned Khan a Grammy. "Bebop Medley" took Best Vocal Arrangement. The self-titled album won Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female. "Ain't Nobody" was awarded Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Having shown a knack for recording imaginative cover versions, Khan took it to another level in 1984 with an electro-funk revamp of Prince's "I Feel for You." Featuring Melle Mel and Stevie Wonder, it became Khan's biggest solo single, topping the R&B chart and peaking at number three on the pop chart. Certified gold by the RIAA, the single also made Khan a repeat winner of the Grammy for Best R&B Performance, Female. There were three additional charting singles off the platinum album of the same title, including the ballad "Through the Fire," co-written and produced by David Foster, providing Khan with a major adult contemporary staple. Following respectively in 1986 and 1988 were Destiny, highlighted by the Scritti Politti collaboration "Love of a Lifetime," and CK, containing a wide range of material involving Prince, Womack & Womack, and Brenda Russell. Khan all the while had a hand in other recordings, such as Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love" and Steve Winwood's "Higher Love." (The former was recorded originally as a duet; Khan's label objected, but she did receive credit for her vocal arrangement.) Additionally, at the end of the decade, Quincy Jones revisited "I'll Be Good to You," the original version of which he had produced for the Brothers Johnson. The update, with Khan joined by Ray Charles, went number one R&B and resulted in Khan's fifth Grammy within the R&B Performance categories.
Khan's last studio album for Warner Bros. arrived in 1992 as The Woman I Am, the recording of which reunited her with Arif Mardin. Also on board was Scritti Politti's David Gamson, who produced "Love You All My Lifetime," nearly a number one R&B hit. The album earned Khan another Grammy for Best R&B Performance. During the next three years, Khan recorded a follow-up titled Dare You to Love Me. Warner Bros. did not accept the challenge. The label shelved the album, tacked a few of its songs to the end of the 1996 anthology Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, and dispersed other material from the sessions to soundtracks, including the blockbuster Waiting to Exhale. This all prompted Khan to bolt from the major-label system and join up with Prince, another artist whose Warner relationship was contentious. Khan's lone album for her friend's NPG label, Come 2 My House, was released in 1998.
![Standing in the Shadows of Motown [Original Soundtrack]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=k6h57k9GQ7t-5jZ8kwSRFwSijaXJlYnq0St31qpAJWo=&f=2)
During the first couple years of the following decade, Khan was featured on the charting De La Soul single "All Good?" and wrote an autobiography, Chaka! Through the Fire. In 2004, she collected another Grammy, this time for performing Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" with the Funk Brothers in the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Later that year, she returned to jazz standards with Classikhan, issued globally through various independent labels. Another change of direction was made with Funk This, a mixture of covers and originals with production from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The album won the 2007 Grammy for Best R&B Album, while highlight "Disrespectful" won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Khan continued collaborative work and received more honors, including one from her hometown, which renamed a street Chaka Khan Way. Khan's next solo release, "Like Sugar," arrived in 2018. An EP of similarly upbeat, groove-oriented makeup, Hello Happiness, followed in 2019, and like the preceding single was produced by Switch and Sarah Ruba Taylor. In March 2020, BMG issued the live CD/DVD album Homecoming, which was recorded when Khan performed with her 12-piece band at Chicago's Harris Theater the previous year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaka_Khan
Chaka Khan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953),[1] better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (/ˈʃɑːkə ˈkɑːn/ SHAH-kə KAHN[2]), is an American singer.[3] Known as the "Queen of Funk",[4] her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. With the band she recorded the notable hits "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Do You Love What You Feel" and the platinum-certified "Ain't Nobody". Her debut solo album featured the number-one R&B hit "I'm Every Woman" (which became a pop hit for Whitney Houston). Khan scored another R&B charts hit with "What Cha' Gonna Do for Me" before becoming the first R&B artist to have a crossover hit featuring a rapper, with her 1984 cover of Prince's "I Feel for You".[5] More of Khan's hits include "Through the Fire" and a 1986 collaboration with Steve Winwood that produced a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Higher Love".
Khan has won ten Grammy Awards.[6] With Rufus, she achieved three gold singles, one platinum single, four gold albums, and two platinum albums. In the course of her solo career, Khan achieved three gold singles, three gold albums, and one platinum album with I Feel for You. She has also worked with Ry Cooder, Robert Palmer, Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Guru, Chicago, Joni Mitchell, Gladys Knight, De La Soul, Mary J. Blige, Ariana Grande, and Sia. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 65th most successful dance club artist of all time.[7] She was ranked at No. 17 in VH1's original list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll.[8] Khan has been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times as a solo artist and four times as a member of Rufus featuring Chaka Khan,[9] the first time in 2012 as a member of Rufus. In 2023, Khan was picked as an inductee in the Musical Excellence category.[10]
Early life
Yvette Marie Stevens was born on March 23, 1953, into an artistic, bohemian household in Chicago, Illinois. The eldest of five children born to Charles Stevens and Sandra Coleman, she has described her father as a beatnik and her mother as "able to do anything".[3] She was raised in the Hyde Park area, "an island in the middle of the madness" of Chicago's rough South Side housing projects.[11] Her parents separated when she was 10 and both remarried.[12]
Her sister Yvonne later became a successful musician in her own right, under the name Taka Boom,[13] while her brother Mark formed the funk group Jamaica Boys and was a member of soul group Aurra.[14][15] She has two half-sisters, Zaheva Knowles and Tammy McCrary.[12]
Khan was raised as a Catholic and attended the elementary school of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Hyde Park.[citation needed] She attributed her love of music to her grandmother, who introduced her to jazz as a child.[3] Khan became a fan of rhythm and blues music as a preteen and when she was 11 years old she formed a girl group, the Crystalettes, which included her sister Taka.[4] In the late 1960s, Khan attended several civil rights rallies with her father's second wife, Connie, a strong supporter of the movement.[3] She joined the Black Panther Party after befriending a fellow member, activist and Chicago native Fred Hampton in 1967.[16] At the age of 13, she was given the name Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi by a Yoruba Babalawo during a naming ceremony.[3] In 1969, she left the Panthers and dropped out of high school, having attended Calumet High School and Kenwood High School (now Kenwood Academy).[17] She began to perform in small groups around the Chicago area, first performing with Cash McCall's group Lyfe, which included her then-boyfriend Hassan Khan. Chaka and Hassan married in 1970.[18]
Khan was asked to replace Baby Huey of Baby Huey & the Babysitters after Huey's death in 1970. The group disbanded a year later. While performing in local bands in 1972, Khan was spotted by two members of a new group called Rufus; the lead singer Paulette McWilliams, decided to leave the band and suggested to Kahn that she join.[4] The group caught the attention of musician Ike Turner, who flew them out to Los Angeles to record at his studio Bolic Sound in Inglewood, California. Turner wanted Khan to become an Ikette; she declined, stating that she was "really happy with Rufus. But Ike's attention was certainly a boost."[19]
Career
1973–1978: Early career with Rufus
In 1973, Rufus signed with ABC Records and released their eponymous debut album. Despite their fiery rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Maybe Your Baby" from Wonder's acclaimed Talking Book and the modest success of the Chaka-led ballad "Whoever's Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)", the album failed to gain attention. That changed when Wonder himself collaborated with the group on a song he had written for Khan. That song, "Tell Me Something Good", became the group's breakthrough hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974, later winning the group their first Grammy Award. The single's success and the subsequent follow-up, "You Got the Love", which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B chart, helped their second parent album, Rags to Rufus, go platinum, selling over a million copies. From 1974 to 1979, Rufus released six platinum-selling albums including Rufusized, Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan, Ask Rufus, Street Player and Masterjam. Hits the group scored during this time included "Once You Get Started", "Sweet Thing", "Hollywood", "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)", and "Do You Love What You Feel".
The band gained a reputation as a live performing act, with Khan becoming the star attraction, thanks to her powerful vocals and stage attire—which sometimes included Native American garb and showing her midriff. Most of the band's material was written and produced by the band itself with few exceptions. Khan has also been noted for being an instrumentalist playing drums and bass; she also provided percussion during her tenure with Rufus. Most of her compositions were collaborations with guitarist Tony Maiden. Relations between Khan and the group, particularly between her and drummer Andre Fischer, became stormy. Several members left with nearly every release. While Khan remained in the group, she signed a solo contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1978. While Khan was busy at work on solo material, Rufus released three albums without her participation, including 1979's Numbers, 1980's Party 'Til You're Broke, and 1983's Seal in Red. Outside of her work with Rufus, Khan provided backing vocals on singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop's first album, Careless (1976), on the tracks "Little Italy", "Save It For A Rainy Day" and "Never Letting Go". The album went gold.
1978–1983: Early solo career and final years with Rufus
In 1978, Warner Bros. Records released Khan's solo debut album, which featured the crossover disco hit, "I'm Every Woman", written for her by singers-songwriters Ashford & Simpson. The success of the single helped the album go platinum, selling over a million copies. Khan also featured on Quincy Jones's hit "Stuff Like That", also released in 1978, which also featured Ashford & Simpson as co-writers, along with Jones and several others. Ashford & Simpson performed with Khan on the song.
In 1979, Khan reunited with Rufus to collaborate on the Jones-produced Masterjam, which featured their hit "Do You Love What You Feel", which Khan sang with Tony Maiden. Despite her sometimes-acrimonious relationship with some of her bandmates, Khan and Maiden have maintained a friendship over the years. In 1979. she also dueted with Ry Cooder on his album Bop Till You Drop. That year, she spent time working on her producing and writing skills at Ike Turner's Bolic Sound studio. They had planned to record together.[20] In 1980, while Rufus released Party 'Til You're Broke, again without Khan, she released her second solo album, Naughty, which featured her on the cover with her six-year-old daughter Milini. The album yielded the disco hit "Clouds" and the R&B ballad "Papillon".
Also in 1980, Khan had a cameo appearance as a church choir soloist in The Blues Brothers starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Khan released two albums in 1981, the Rufus release, Camouflage and the solo album What Cha' Gonna Do for Me. The latter album went gold. The same year, Khan appeared on three tracks on Rick Wakeman's concept album 1984. In 1982, Khan issued two more solo albums, the jazz-oriented Echoes of an Era and a more funk/pop-oriented self-titled album Chaka Khan. The latter album's track, the jazz-inflected "Be Bop Medley", won Khan a Grammy and earned praise from jazz singer Betty Carter who loved Khan's vocal scatting in the song.[21]
In 1983, following the release of Rufus's final studio album, Seal in Red, which did not feature Khan, the singer returned with Rufus on a live album, Stompin' at the Savoy - Live, which featured the studio single "Ain't Nobody", which became the group's final charting success, reaching No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B chart, while also reaching the top ten in the United Kingdom. Following this release, Rufus separated for good.
1984–1996: Solo success
In 1984, Khan released her sixth studio album, I Feel for You. The title track, the first single released, was originally written and recorded by Prince in 1979 and had also been recorded by The Pointer Sisters and Rebbie Jackson. Khan's version featured a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder and an introductory rap by Grandmaster Melle Mel. It became a million-selling smash in the U.S. and United Kingdom and helped to relaunch Khan's career. "I Feel for You" topped not only the U.S. R&B and dance charts, but achieved great success on the U.S. pop chart and reached No. 1 in the U.K. The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1984 and remained on that chart for 26 weeks, well into 1985. Additionally, it hit No. 1 on the Cash Box chart. It was listed as Billboard's No. 5 song for 1985 and netted Prince the 1985 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. In addition to the song's successful radio airplay and sales, a music video of Khan with breakdancers in an inner-city setting enjoyed heavy rotation on television and helped to solidify Khan's notoriety in popular culture.
Other singles that helped the I Feel For You album go platinum included "This is My Night" and the ballad "Through the Fire", the latter of which was also successful on the adult contemporary chart. Khan was featured in Steve Winwood's 1986 number-one hit, "Higher Love". That same year, a duet was planned with Robert Palmer for the song "Addicted To Love". However, her manager declined to release the duet, citing the desire not to have too much product from her in the marketplace at one time. She was still credited for the vocal arrangements in the album's liner notes, and the song became an international hit.[22] Khan followed up the success of the I Feel For You album with 1986's Destiny and 1988's CK. Khan found more success in the late 1980s with a remix album, Life Is a Dance: The Remix Project, which reached the top ten on the British albums chart. As a result, she performed regularly in the U.K., where she maintained a strong fan base.
In 1990, she was a featured performer on another major hit when she collaborated with Ray Charles and Quincy Jones on a new jack swing cover of The Brothers Johnson's "I'll Be Good to You", which was featured on Jones's Back on the Block. The song reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B chart, later winning her and Ray Charles a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group. Khan returned with her first studio album in four years in 1992 with the release of The Woman I Am, which was a success due to the R&B songs "Love You All My Lifetime" and "You Can Make the Story Right". Around this time, Khan also did a duet with Peter Cetera on the song "Feels Like Heaven", which was a minor success. .[23]
Khan also contributed to soundtracks and worked on a follow-up to The Woman I Am she titled Dare You to Love Me, which was eventually shelved. In 1995, she and rapper Guru had a hit with the duet "Watch What You Say", in the U.K. That same year, she provided a contemporary R&B cover of the classic standard, "My Funny Valentine", for the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack. In 1996, following the release of her greatest-hits album, Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1, Khan abruptly left Warner Bros. after stating the label had neglected her and failed to release Dare You to Love Me.[24]
1998–2016
In 1998, Khan signed a contract with Prince's NPG Records label and issued Come 2 My House, followed by the single "Don't Talk 2 Strangers", a cover of a 1996 Prince song. She later went on a tour with Prince as a co-headlining act. In 2000, Khan departed NPG and she released her autobiography Chaka! Through The Fire in 2003.[19] The following year she released her first jazz covers album in twenty-two years with 2004's ClassiKhan. She also covered "Little Wing" with Kenny Olson on the album Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix.
In 2006, Khan was a featured vocalist on Arif Mardin's All My Friends Are Here album of his life's work, also appearing in the companion documentary The Greatest Ears In Town.[25][26] She performed a jazz vocal for "So Blue", composed by Mardin in the '60s with lyrics written for the project by Roxanne Seeman.[27]
After signing with Burgundy Records, Khan released what many critics called a "comeback album" with Funk This, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis & Big Jim Wright. The album featured the hit, "Angel", and the Mary J. Blige duet, "Disrespectful". The latter track went to No. 1 on the U.S. dance singles chart, winning the singers a Grammy Award, while Funk This also won a Grammy for Best R&B Album. The album was also notable for Khan's covers of Dee Dee Warwick's "Foolish Fool" and Prince's "Sign o' the Times". In 2008, Khan participated in the Broadway adaptation of The Color Purple playing Ms. Sofia to Fantasia Barrino's Celie.[28]
In December 2004, Khan was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music during the inauguration of its president, Roger H. Brown.[29]
In a 2008 interview Khan said that she, unlike other artists, felt very optimistic about the current changes in the recording industry, including music downloading. "I'm glad things are shifting and artists – not labels – are having more control over their art. My previous big record company (Warner Bros.) has vaults of my recordings that haven't seen the light of day that people need to hear. This includes Robert Palmer's original recording of 'Addicted to Love' – which they took my vocals off of! We are working on getting it (and other tracks) all back now."[24] In 2009, Khan hit the road with singers Anastacia and Lulu for Here Come the Girls.
In 2009, Khan was guest singer on the song "Alive"[30] on jazz drummer Billy Cobham's album Drum ' n voice 3. In 2010, she contributed to vocals for Beverley Knight's "Soul Survivor", collaborated with Clay Aiken on a song for the kids show Phineas and Ferb, and appeared as a featured artist on "One More Try" and a cover of her song "Through the Fire" on Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai's eighth studio album, The Last Ai. Both Khan and Ai won the International Collaboration Special Award at the 2010 Billboard Japan Music Awards for the two songs.[31] Khan continues to perform to packed audiences both in her native United States and overseas.
On May 19, 2011, Khan was given the 2,440th Hollywood Walk of Fame star plaque on a section of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Her family was present when the singer accepted the honor, as was Stevie Wonder, who had written her breakout hit "Tell Me Something Good". On September 27, 2011, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee announced that Khan and her former band Rufus were jointly nominated for induction to the hall. It was the collective's first nomination 13 years after they were first eligible. The group were nominated partly due to Khan's own storied reputation, including her own solo career in conjunction with her years with Rufus. Recently, Khan rerecorded her song "Super Life" under the title "Super Life: Fear Kills, Love Heals" with Eric Benet, Kelly Price, and Luke James in tribute to Trayvon Martin, a teenager who was killed on February 26, 2012. A number of celebrities also joined in the recording including Loretta Devine, Terry Crews, Eva Pigford, and reporter Kevin Frazier.
On December 6, 2012, Khan performed at a benefit for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The IDF originally invited Stevie Wonder; however, after a successful lobbying campaign by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, Wonder withdrew and was replaced by Khan, who was able to raise $14 million for the IDF. This support contrasted with her earlier support for the Black Panther Party that publicly supported Palestine.[32][33][34]
On July 27, 2013, Khan was honored 40 years after signing her first recording contract with a ceremonial renaming of Blackstone Avenue between 50th and 51st street (where her former high school, Kenwood Academy, sits) as Chaka Khan Way and on July 28 the city declared the day Chaka Khan Day. She performed at Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion on the 28th.[35] In August 2014, Khan served as grand marshal at the 85th annual Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic in her hometown of Chicago.[36]
On August 27, 2015, Khan was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 21 of Dancing with the Stars.[37] She was paired with professional dancer Keo Motsepe.[38] Khan and Motsepe were the first couple eliminated from the competition on September 21, 2015.[39] In July 2016, she canceled her upcoming concert performances and entered rehab.[40]
2017–present: Hello Happiness and beyond
In June 2018, she released a new single called "Like Sugar", a collaboration with Major Lazer member Switch. She later went on to promote the single on the Ellen show.[41] "Like Sugar" is included on her 2019 album Hello Happiness. The album was released on February 15, 2019, and is her first album in twelve years.
Khan served as Grand Marshal in the 2019 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 2019, in Pasadena, California.[42]
In October 2019, Khan was an honoree at Variety's "Power of Women" luncheon for supporting Little Kids Rock.[43] Other honorees were Mariah Carey, Jennifer Aniston, Brie Larson, Awkwafina, and Dana Walden. In November 2019, Khan collaborated with Ariana Grande on the song "Nobody" from the soundtrack Charlie's Angels.[44]
In 2020, Khan competed in season three of The Masked Singer as "Miss Monster". She was eliminated and unmasked in the third episode.
Khan was invited to sing the National Anthem at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. Her rendition was heavily criticized on Twitter, drawing comparisons to Fergie's rendition in 2018.[45]
In May 2021, Khan appeared at the season 19 American Idol finale, where she performed a medley of her hits alongside the contestants.[46] In June 2021, Khan joined YouTuber and performer Todrick Hall on his album Femuline for the song "Fabulosity". In November 2021, Khan participated in a Verzuz battle with singer Stephanie Mills, at which both singers performed hits from their discography.[47]
In July 2022, Khan announced her new single "Woman Like Me", which was released on July 29.[48]
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Khan at No. 29 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[49]
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
To date, Khan has won 10 Grammy Awards, including two as a member of Rufus. She has received 22 Grammy Award nominations, including three as a member of Rufus.
Soul Train Awards1998: Recipient of the Lena Horne Award (Career Achievement)
2009: Recipient of the Legends Award (Career Achievement)
United Negro College Fund Award2011: Recipient of the UNCF Award of Excellence
American Music Award nominations
To date, she has had four American Music Award nominations. 1985: Favorite Female Artist – Soul/Rhythm & Blues
1982: Favorite Female Artist – Soul/Rhythm & Blues
1981: Favorite Female Artist – Soul/Rhythm & Blues[62][63]
SoulMusic Hall of Fame at SoulMusic.com
- 2012: Inducted as Female Artist
UK Music Video Awards
Billboard Japan Music Awards
- 2010: "One More Try", "Through the Fire" (with Ai) – International Collaboration Special Award[31]
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- 2023: Inducted for Musical Excellence Award[65]
Discography
- Studio albums
- Chaka (1978)
- Naughty (1980)
- What Cha' Gonna Do for Me (1981)
- Chaka Khan (1982)
- Echoes of an Era (1982)
- I Feel for You (1984)
- Destiny (1986)
- ck (1988)
- The Woman I Am (1992)
- Come 2 My House (1998)
- ClassiKhan (2004)
- Funk This (2007)
- Hello Happiness (2019)
Filmography
- The Greatest Ears in Town: The Arif Mardin Story
- Khan as Choir Soloist, in the 1980 American musical comedy film The Blues Brothers directed by John Landis. Starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd
- Guest Judge on RuPaul's Drag U, Season 1 Episode 8, "A Star Is Born Again"
- Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs To You! as herself (voice)
- Guest Judge on RuPaul's Drag Race, Season 12 Episode 8, "Droop"
- The One and Only Ivan as Henrietta (voice)
- The Masked Singer as Miss Monster
- Guest performer on American Idol Finale
- Hunter as Gina Vee (Season 3 Episode 10)
- Revival! as Herodias[66]
- Women Who Rock an MGM+ Original Series 2022
See also
External links
- Official website
- Chaka Khan Foundation
- Chaka Khan at Wenig-Lamonica Associates
- SoulMusic.com
- NPR Tiny Desk Tiny Desk Concert June 11 2024
- Chaka Khan 2014 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com Archived March 21, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
Ain’t Nobody Like Chaka Khan: 10 Songs That Will School a New Generation
Don Arnold/Getty Images
http://irockjazz.com/2013/05/chaka-khan-achieving-musical-immortality/
Chaka Khan: Achieving Musical Immortality
In a career that includes ten Grammy-Awards, multiple platinum
albums, and an influence immeasurable in scope, all I can think about is
“Be Bop Medley.” It seems strange, I know. Here we are celebrating four decades of Chaka Khan and for whatever reason my mind is fixated on this solitary composition.
I, of course, have a healthy respect for the classics: “Tell Me Something Good,” “I Feel For You,” “Sweet Thing,” etc., however, “Be Bop Medley”
is just different. What we’re talking about is a song constructed with
the building blocks of jazz – its players, the architects of an entire
musical tradition. This isn’t “some singer” singing over “some jazz
songs.” This is Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and layered within this historical mélange are the vocals of Chaka Khan.
That’s bold in every sense of the word.
iRock Jazz recently sat down with Chaka Khan to discuss her audacious journey through life and music.
iRJ: Chicago is known for its rich cultural traditions and
more recently the violence currently sweeping the city. What was it like
growing up on the South Side?
CK: When I grew up, it wasn’t as violent. Well, it
was violent in another way. There was the Civil Rights Movement going on
there that brought on quite a bit of violence, but children weren’t
shooting children at that time. There’s a different kind of violence
going on there now that is truly disheartening. But it’s always been a
tumultuous city with the racial element that’s going on, as it is in
almost every city in America. But it’s also a culturally rich
environment. I took a lot from that. I can truly say that I am proud to
be from that city.
iRJ: Many artists, particularly those that are
African-American, talk about growing up in the Pentecostal or Baptist
tradition. You however, were raised as a Roman Catholic. How did that
influence your music?
CK: In my church we sang a lot of Gregorian chants.
And those are beautiful, beautiful pieces of music. But at home, I had a
very wide and rich set of genres of music that I was into. I listened
to a lot of jazz and a lot of opera and classical music. So I had a very
diverse experience with music. The strongest I’d have to say was jazz.
So it’s not that the Catholic Church influenced me that profoundly
musically, it just opened my ear to another level or another sort of
place, adding to the whole experience.
iRJ: A personal favorite of many is “Be Bop Medley,” which you recorded in 1982. What influence has jazz played in your career?
CK: A profound one [laughs]. My dad was considered a
beatnik or a bebopper. I was a daddy’s girl and when I was very young,
he used to take me out to The Point in Chicago – play congas, drink
wine, smoke weed, you know. So I got a lot of rich and great stuff from
him. In fact, my slave or Christian name, Yvette, comes from a Stan Getz
song. So jazz played a very large role in my musical background.
iRJ: Who were some of your musical influences growing up?
CK: Sarah [Vaughan]. Ella [Fitzgerald]. Etta
[James]. Billie [Holiday], of course. You know, the girls [laughs]. Many
of the jazz singers. And a lot of horn players more so than singers. I
loved Dizzy [Gillespie]. I loved Miles [Davis]. I loved Bird [Parker].
For me, working with Miles was like a nun working with Jesus Christ
[laughs]. It’s the only analogy I can think of. So I definitely think
the horn players were my number one influence and then came the singers.
Then there was Aretha [Franklin] and Gladys [Knight]. Those were my
main influences.
Chaka and Miles Davis
iRJ: You mention your name change? What are the origins of that?
CK: My name change was a spiritual thing. I was
practicing the Yoruba culture and religion at that time. So Chaka is my
Yoruba name, one of many. Chaka means “fire,” “war,” the color red, the
planet Mars – all those things. Now Khan in India is just like Jones or
Washington [laughs]. That came from my first husband’s last name. He’s
half black and half Indian, born in New Delhi. So that’s how my name
came about.
Dizzy Gillespie and Chaka
iRJ: During that time you were involved with Fred Hampton and the Black Panther Party. What was that experience like?
CK: I loved Fred Hampton to tears. I loved him
deeply. I loved the party. I loved what they were about. I loved the
whole ideology. I worked with the Breakfast for Children program. That
was something that, as small as it may seem, was a big thing. It was
something that I really could do and accomplish. I did at one time have a
gun. I had to throw it away, because I was getting ulcers. Once you get
a gun you have to use it. And that just wasn’t my style…unless I was
threatened, but that’s a whole other thing [laughs]. But I had no reason
to use it at that time. I don’t even know if I could have. I came to
the conclusion that there was another way to do this. I was meant to be
of service to someone, to help somebody. So that’s the road I took.
iRJ: Growing up in that Civil Rights period, what was your
connection to the activism found in a lot of the art during that time?
CK: A lot of people are political-minded with their
music. Personally, I see it as the language of the angels and as a tool
for healing, more so than taking it from the activist point of view.
That certainly has its place too. I have sung some stuff that has had
some political overtones, but for the most part I want to heal. That is
my main thing. To inspire and to empower, that’s definitely where I’m
coming from.
iRJ:
You’ve made a lot of changes recently – most notably your diet and
overall appearance, particularly a weight loss. How has this
transformation affected you internally and with the public?
CK: I think it’s sad that there’s this kind of
visual thing. I much rather see a sangin’ gorilla than a non-singing
Cinderella. You know what I mean? What we do is meant to be listened to.
It’s audio. It’s audio-based. Now it’s become a carnival. It’s a
circus. And that does bother me a little bit that people are so involved
and so about what a person looks like. The beauty of a person is spirit
and I just think that a lot of the focus is in the wrong area.
iRJ: Speaking of change, you’re now raising your son’s
daughter. In making that commitment, how has that affected your career
and personal life?
CK: I feel very blessed and lucky to practice a
parenting skill that I did not possess when I was raising my own
children. God and the universe has given me another chance to do a
better job and so that’s how I’m looking at it. I’m more present. My
priorities have changed. And frankly, I was a different person back
then. I was away from my children, because I had to be. With parenting,
it’s a thing that you learn. There’s no book. I’ve gained some wisdom in
that area that I did not have before. I did the best I could with what I
had. And they’re alive [laughs]. I can say that. But I think things
maybe – would have turned out differently, for the better, if I had, had
the wisdom I have now.
iRJ: Why did you start the Chaka Khan Foundation? And what’s happening with that right now?
CK: Everybody wants to help somebody. Most people
just don’t know how to go about it. I have obtained a status in life
where I can help many people at one time. It’s just about being of
service. That’s important. If you can be of service to one person, it’s
just as big as being of service to 20 million, because the will pay it
forward. It’s all about paying it forward. And that’s why we are here –
to help one another. It’s just one of our fundamental purposes. And that
is why I do what I do, because there is a need for that.
iRJ: What is your advice and rising singers or musicians?
CK: Be sure that you have talent [laughs]. That’s
number one. Stay true to your calling. Also, stay humble and open to
learning. Don’t buy into the bullshit hype. Excuse my French. Because
that’s not what it’s about. It ain’t about that. It’s so much more
spiritual and beautiful than that. That’s the best advice I can think of
right now.
iRJ: You’ve been performing for such a long time now, looking back what do you want your legacy to be?
CK: That I actually leave a legacy [laughs]. That would be great. Achieving musical immortality – that would be wonderful.
The reason that I am drawn to “Be Bop Medley” is because it encompasses everything that we’ve grown to love about Chaka Khan. When we hear her sing within the measures of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps,”
we are not listening to simply a vocalist. I take issue with even
calling her that. Vocalists sing words, Chaka Khan molds sound. She
carries an instrument – just like “Diz”, just like “Bird”, just like
“‘Trane”. And when she plays it, she does so with the virtuosity of
those exact same geniuses. She is brazen, even in the company of giants.
That’s what separates Chaka Khan from the others and that is why we
still revel in her work.
As we engage in “100 Days of Chaka,” we do so acknowledging
that this is far from a eulogy or even a final hurrah before riding off
into the sunset. Chaka Khan is a living, breathing form, one that will
continue to make timeless art for years to come. We celebrate her now
because we can. Adulation is never premature for those that deserve it.
And none deserve it more than Chaka Khan.
http://www.mtv.com/artists/chaka-khan/
Chaka Khan-New Interview with Rolling Stone Magazine
From RollingStone.com
Chaka Khan: I Might Quit Touring ‘Three or Four Times, Like Other Bitches Do’
For Chaka Khan, the end of 2023 was nothing short of triumphant. In November, she was finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and she also moved from Los Angeles to a big, rural property in Georgia, where she says she’s found “peace of mind.”
One of the titles you considered for your memoir years ago was To Hell and Back in a Limousine. What, for you, was the “hell” part?
Riding on a bus, pissing in a little bathroom, waking up in the morning and you’re five hours from your hotel where you can take a proper bath or shower and go to bed like a normal human being. And then you got a gig that night. That’s friggin’ insane. It was just insanity. It’s like being a truck driver and a performer. It’s lonely as all get-out.
You’ve talked about winding down your touring career. I’ve had artists like Keith Richards tell me they want to die onstage — clearly that’s not you.
Will you ever retire from performing altogether?
Well, I might do that three or four times, like other bitches do [laughs].
A story people might not know is that Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” was originally a duet with you — and the label insisted on erasing your vocals. That’s disgusting to me.
It seems like it was a flat-out racist decision, right? That they somehow decided it would be less marketable with you on it?
That’s where it came from, from my point of view.
How much do you think about legacy, about your music being heard when you’re gone someday?
I don’t really care. I would hope that some of my shit has some longevity, but if it doesn’t, that’ll be because hopefully somebody better has come along. I just hope that the art form doesn’t get so screwed up with stupid shit — kids today think that every instrument can be played on a keyboard. Instruments have to be introduced once again to these kids.
Did you ever have any mixed feelings about Whitney Houston covering “I’m Every Woman”?
Absolutely not. Because she did a stellar fucking job. I was flabbergasted! I said, “What, did you use my backing vocals on that?” She said, “Nah,” and I said, “I’m gonna check it out!” We were very good friends. I miss her as much as I miss Prince. She was such an amazing human. Funny as hell and smart.
To clarify something, the reason you were annoyed with Kanye West about “Through the Wire” is that he asked to use your sampled voice, but didn’t make it clear that it’d be sped up, right?
Yeah. And you know, that was my fault, too, for feeling salty about that in any way. Because if I understood the rap game more completely, like I do now, then that wouldn’t have been a big deal to me.
So it doesn’t bother you anymore?
No, I’m done. Please. I’m not hanging on to any silly grudges.
You once said that given your substance use, you don’t know how you didn’t become a casualty like so many other musicians. Have you gained any more insight as to how you made it?
No, it’s a mystery. I could have easily been a casualty where I was at a couple of times in my life. You know, just by the grace of God.
What would a young Chaka Khan say to you?
She’d say, “Really?” I never, ever once thought that I’d be as well-known as I am today. Because that happened totally without my having to do anything with it, [besides] just my songs. I didn’t have great people presenting me in a big way to the world. I am still amazed at how loved I am in this industry.
What has moving to Georgia meant to you?
It means everything to me because I got a peace of mind. I’m looking for Bigfoot, I’m looking for Sasquatch because I’m surrounded by this forest and it’s just beautiful. I got a lake right here. I’m looking at a lake in the forest every day when I get up. I sit outside and breathe in pure oxygen. I’m drinking tap water from my well. I’m getting ready to plant this summer. I’m going to grow my own vegetables and grow a lot of my own herbs. So I’m looking forward to that. And then I plan to get a couple of horses. And I have plans to live life. Real life.
When you sit on the porch and look out at all that, do you feel like you’re finally seeing the fruits of your labor?
I’m seeing some of the fruits, the beginning of the fruit. The offshoots. [Laughs]. Yes, absolutely.
The R&B and funk legend shares thoughts about her career, fellow artists and her prestigious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musical excellence award.
December 22, 2023
Chaka Khan and Joni Mitchell on Old Friends and New Beginnings
Chaka Khan wears Jacket LSO Designs by Linda Stokes. Jeans Chaka’s Own. Ring Lisa Eisner
It’s early evening in Laurel Canyon when Chaka Khan and Joni Mitchell join each other on Zoom while our managing editor listens in. It’s a familiar setting for two music legends who met in person in this very place over 40 years ago, just after Chaka moved to L.A. to kick-start her career as a solo artist. At the time, the Queen of Funk was gearing up to release her debut album after leaving her band, Rufus. Joni, already a star, was fascinated by her new neighbor, and invited her to sing on a record. The rest, as they tell it, is history.
———
THURSDAY 7:06 PM APRIL 13, 2023 LA
JONI MITCHELL: Chaka?
CHAKA KHAN: I’m here, girl.
MITCHELL: Oh good.
KHAN: What are you doing?
MITCHELL: Just hanging out, doing my usual mountain climbing and ping-pong.
KHAN: [Laughs] You play ping-pong?
MITCHELL: Yeah, it’s part of my therapy.
KHAN: That’s cool. I love ping-pong.
MITCHELL: First we climb the hill, up and down, and then if time permits, we play four games.
KHAN: Alright, girl. You’re doing better than I’m doing. [Laughs] I’m sorry I missed you last weekend.
MITCHELL: It was a pretty good jam.
KHAN: Who came down? Anybody from out of town?
MITCHELL: No, but Bette Midler came and really enjoyed herself.
KHAN: Bette! I haven’t seen her in so many frigging years.
MITCHELL: Yeah. We sang “The Rose” and some of her songs. We had a lot of fun.
KHAN: Shit! I’m so pissed I missed that. When’s the next jam session?
MITCHELL: There’s going to be one or two more before we play at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington State. I’ve played there twice before, once with Bob Dylan.
KHAN: I planned not to work at all this year, but people were like, “This is going too crazy.” So, I said, “Okay, I’ll do a few gigs a month.” But starting in June. Otherwise we’ve been out property hunting and found some great property in Georgia. It’s freaking gorgeous.
MITCHELL: Wow.
KHAN: It’s 70 acres. I’ve got two houses on it, my own lake.
MITCHELL: Oh my god.
KHAN: I’m going to build a year round greenhouse and do all my own farming for plants.
MITCHELL: Oh, that’s good.
KHAN: Yeah. I need that. So, you have to come visit me in Georgia.
MITCHELL: You’ve got to come visit me in Canada. I’ve got a country place there that’s my solace when the city gets too much. Here where my house is, it’s really quiet.
KHAN: I love it up there. You’re off the beaten path. I’m thinking of purchasing something here, but I’m going to focus on getting my shit together and my head straight. I’m going to get my mother out there with me, and my sister and her kids. It’s going to be great.
MITCHELL: Those seem like beautiful plans.
KHAN: Yeah.
Jacket, Top, Belt, and Boots LSO Designs by Linda Stokes. Jeans and Ring Chaka’s Own.
ALEXANDRA WEISS: How and when did you guys meet, and how long have you been jamming together?
KHAN: We haven’t been jamming together for a very long time.
MITCHELL: No. That’s part of my therapy. It’s a new thing for me.
KHAN: Right. But we met—it’s been a long time. How many years?
MITCHELL: We lived close to each other in Laurel Canyon.
KHAN: Yes. That was around the time when I first moved to L.A., so that had to be at least 40 years ago.
MITCHELL: We met and then I had Chaka come and sing on a record, and she told me I took all her shit away from her.
KHAN: [Laughs]
MITCHELL: I asked her to sing like an African, kind of flatted.
KHAN: With some drums. Yeah. I was like, “Oh, man.” I thought we were going to go and sing some songs together. Maybe I’d do background or something. Who knows, that day could still come. [Laughs]
MITCHELL: But she did a beautiful job on it. I think if you heard it now, you’d like what you did, Chaka. At the time, you were mad at me, though.
KHAN: [Laughs] I was a little disappointed. But we’ve had a lot of fun together.
MITCHELL: Yep. We had fun in Toronto.
KHAN: Yep.
MITCHELL: In New York.
KHAN: Yes. And we’ve had some fun in L.A., too.
MITCHELL: Yep.
KHAN: We tore up three or four towns.
MITCHELL: [Laughs]
KHAN: Everybody has tones that are good for their bodies, their health, their minds, their spirit. And you sing those tones for me. Especially on the Hejira album. There’s some specific songs throughout the years that have touched me in a deep, deep way. Like, [sings] “Tomorrow is Sunday.” That’s my all-time favorite song from you—“Two Grey Rooms.” And I just discovered that song maybe three years ago.
MITCHELL: I was playing that at a festival at UCLA. And out of the corner of my eye, I see a young guy running towards the stage. He looked bewildered. When it was over, I went down and said, “I saw you come running. What were you looking for?” And he said, “I thought it was a whole band.”
KHAN: And it was just you and the piano, right?
MITCHELL: No, me and the guitar.
KHAN: Oh, wow. I would love to hear that version. It’s those chords. They’re so open and wide that it sounds like it could be an orchestra.
MITCHELL: Yeah. And nobody uses those chords. At Berklee College of Music—Wayne Shorter told me this, he said, “We were taught never to stay on a sus chord too long and to never go from a sus chord to a sus chord.”
KHAN: Those are my favorite chords. If I’m in my bedroom watching TV, my sister down the hall will be playing that song, and I have to drop everything and just go to it.
MITCHELL: Me too. Because, you’ve got major chords, which are positive and sunny and everything’s all right, and you’ve got minor chords, which are tragic, and the sus chords are in between. They’re neither sad nor happy. They’re just in a quandary. And when you go from one of those chords to a major, the sun opens up and shines on you.
KHAN: I saw a film of you onstage singing—
MITCHELL: Did you see the [George] Gershwin [Prize] show?
KHAN: Yes. It was wonderful.
MITCHELL: Yeah, Annie Lennox and Cyndi Lauper and James [Taylor] and Graham [Nash] and—oh, we had a lot of great people.
KHAN: You did beautifully, baby. I was so happy to see you back onstage like that.
MITCHELL: Thank you.
KHAN: How did it feel for you?
MITCHELL: It was a beautiful show. It was some of the Joni Jam band, which I used at Newport. And my favorite band came in, it was Brian Blade on drums, my ex-husband Larry Klein on bass, Greg Leisz on pedal steel, and Mark Isham on trumpet. The two bands melded together really very well.
KHAN: They really, really did. The older guys, they know what they’re doing.
MITCHELL: Yeah. And the Joni Jam band are the young hot people. They were all thrilled to be playing with my band, which has some great senior talent.
KHAN: Yes. Bringing the younger guys and the older guys together, that’s a good thing.
MITCHELL: That’s what the jams do.
KHAN: I love that. You’re sharing your legacy. And I’m going in the same direction. That’s our little job.
MITCHELL: Paul McCartney came to one of the jams, and he was so pleased to be mingling with young musicians.
Jacket, Top, Belt, and Boots LSO Designs by Linda Stokes. Jeans and Ring Chaka’s Own.
KHAN: Yeah. A lot of things are happening in my little life. But I still want to get my album out with your stuff.
MITCHELL: Oh, yeah?
KHAN: Yes. I just want to do it with as much of you as possible.
MITCHELL: Okay.
KHAN: Since this is your legacy that I am celebrating, my lovely sister friend, I want you to be a part of that. You can tell me what musicians we should use. Because I want to Chaka-size some of the songs a little bit, but I don’t want to lose the earth that you planted. You dig?
MITCHELL: You wouldn’t. I’m sure it’ll be wonderful.
KHAN: Thank you. But I really want you involved if you want to be.
MITCHELL: I would love to.
KHAN: We’ve got some real interest going here, so I’ll keep you posted.
MITCHELL: Okay, sweetheart.
KHAN: And whatever we can do, I’ll be happy. I love you so much. You know that, don’t you?
MITCHELL: I do. I love you, too. I’ve enjoyed our friendship.
KHAN: Yes, me too. I just don’t want to be a bother, but I should call more. I’m usually working like a crazy person, and this is the first year in 50 years that I took time off. I said, “I’m not going to work this whole freaking track year.” I’m 70 years old, I’m tired, and I want to do some other things in life. I started getting into other things I used to do: drawing, artwork, and spending time with my family. It’s been beautiful to be at home and not have to rush out and get on a plane.
MITCHELL: I’m glad to see you’re drawing again. I’m back to my painting as well.
KHAN: Yes, my Jimi Hendrix painting is right in the middle of my
room on the dominant wall. I’ve got one for you as well.
MITCHELL: Did you ever know Jimi?
KHAN: I just missed him. I could have met you and Jimi the same year. I was going to run away to Woodstock; I was just a couple of years too young. I was like 15, 16 when that happened. My mother found out my plans and dashed the whole thing.
MITCHELL: So, you and I both missed Woodstock. [Laughs] He was the most remarkable person at that event.
KHAN: I absolutely agree.
MITCHELL: And Sly and the Family Stone.
KHAN: Yeah. I just did a talk with some people. They’re doing Sly’s life story right now. He and I used to be really tight for a minute.
WEISS: Are there other musicians or songs you guys like to listen to or play together when you’re jamming?
MITCHELL: Oh, yeah. We sing a lot of old stuff—’50s things. Poison Ivy. Oh, what was that? I think it was a coyote going down the road.
KHAN: They won’t bother you. They’re good.
MITCHELL: Yeah. There’s a little wildcat that’s been coming around that my cat is obsessed with.
KHAN: Oh, really?
MITCHELL: We were feeding her but she hasn’t been around for about a week. And there’s coyotes in the neighborhood so I hope she’s okay.
KHAN: The good thing about cats is they can climb trees and coyotes can’t. How old is she?
MITCHELL: It’s hard to tell because she’s little. She’s feral. She may be undernourished.
KHAN: I wouldn’t ever want pets in the house all the time. I want a horse. I’m dying to ride.
MITCHELL: But cats—I just watched a show on cats, all different breeds. Their main instruction was, don’t let your cats go outside.
KHAN: That’s right. Because you can’t train cats. They’re wild. They did not succumb to man like the dog did. And that’s one thing I like about cats.
MITCHELL: That’s what I like about them, too.
KHAN: I had a girlfriend that had her cat trained to go to the toilet on the toilet stool.
MITCHELL: Yeah. Charles Mingus trained his cat to do that, too. He took a cardboard box and filled it full of kitty litter and put it on the toilet bowl. He cut a small hole in the middle of it, and then over time made it bigger and bigger until finally the cat was straddling the seat. And then he showed him how to press the lever down.
KHAN: Get out. That is too much for me.
MITCHELL: Yeah.
WEISS: When was the first time you guys heard each other’s music and what were your reactions?
MITCHELL: When I first heard Chaka, I thought it was Stevie Wonder.
KHAN: Most people thought I was a man.
MITCHELL: When she was living down the street from me, Chaka used to call me up and say, “Joni, I’m going out with my drums. I’m going to go and sit in with people around the town. You’ve got good rhythm. Come with me.”
KHAN: [Laughs]
MITCHELL: Should I tell them the dine-and-dash story?
KHAN: Oh, boy. [Laughs] That’s a funny one.
MITCHELL: Okay. So, Chaka and I are in this Italian restaurant on Melrose, in the basement. It was early in the evening, like five o’clock or something like that. Chaka was drinking. I was drinking. I ordered some food, and Chaka was talking German to the waiter. So, they were conversing away in German. And suddenly, she says to me, “Joni, get up.” I said, “What for?” “Get up,” she says. So, I get up and she’s running for the door. So, I’m following her. There were no customers but us, really. So we run to the door, run across the street, and the waiter that spoke German comes out on the street and he’s waving at us, like we’ve run out on the bill.
KHAN: It was a big bill, because we drank a lot of wine. [Laughs]
MITCHELL: We drank a lot of wine. So, I said, “Chaka, I’m going to go back and pay the bill.”
KHAN: Gosh. So terrible. Well, it just showed our clash of—clash of what? Of how we grew up. Of where we grew up.
MITCHELL: Yeah. My background was very restrained and proper. But we did a lot of partying together.
KHAN: Yeah, but we don’t want to go too deep into that. [Laughs]
MITCHELL: No. [Laughs]
KHAN: We want to hold those memories dear to our hearts.
MITCHELL: I love you, Chaka.
KHAN: I love you too, girl.
———
Wardrobe: Linda Stokes
Hair/Makeup/Nails: Tinaya Weems using Nars Cosmetics and Après Nail
Set Design: Jason Jenson
Photo Assistant: Tommy Blanco, Winston Kingstro, and Allison Lopez
Digitech: George Evan
Production: Johnny Pascucci at Photobomb Production
Shot at ISSUE Photo Studio
https://andresmusictalk.wordpress.com/2015/03/23/chaka-khan-a-tribute-to-lead-singer-a-funky-diva/
Chaka Khan: A Tribute To Lead Singer & A Funky Diva
March 23, 2015Andre's Music Talk
Today Yvette Marie Stevens,known to much of the world as Chaka Khan,celebrates her 62nd year of life. As for her place in my life? It was very much the way Chaka’s voice sounds: the entire spectrum of life expressed in a physically improvisational revelry. Started out hearing her on what amounts to a musical related PSA staring James Earl Jones called Genius On The Black Side singing her first solo hit “I’m Every Woman”. Than a mid 90’s compilation of my mom’s entitled Epiphany really peaked my interest. And I was off and running. Rufus,Chaka solo? Whatever album I could find on CD or vinyl,I picked it up.
Chaka’s music is exciting yes,not to mention funky as one wants to be. She also proudly comes at her art from a very jazzy standpoint. With a poetic lyrical style informed by the black American liberation end of women’s liberation. And she certainly had no difficulty liberating her own playful sexiness. Aside from wishing her a happy birthday? The best way I can honor this ladies music is showcase my reviews of the albums she’s been a part of. Both as the lead singer/songwriter of the very talented band Rufus,as well as on her own working with some of the finest session players around. So here’s my own best of Chaka Khan & Rufus,as a funky woman making album length statements.
Rufus:
Rufuzised (1974)
Story goes that an interesting encounter with the Amazing Kreskin himself revealed that “Tell Me Something Good” from Rufus’s sophomore album Rags to Rufus would succeed beyond the bands wildest dreams. This came as a shock since apparently Kreskin hadn’t even known the name of the album the song came from. This apparently anticipated the song becoming the iconic funk classic it is today,and making Rufus’s career and Chaka Khan a household name. Of course what happened after that Ron Stockert,Dennis Belfield and Al Ciner all decided to split from Rufus-main reason being that they felt uncomfortable with Chaka’s name being singled out as a part of the groups name: “Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan”. They were succeeded by Tony Maiden,an extremely strong vocal/guitar presence who helped give the group a strong anchor. Bass player Bobby Watson also entered the picture along with the jazz keyboard player -the late Nate Morgan. Not only did this make the and a complete biracial unit, but also became the version of Rufus which embarked on an extended tour which lasted for most of the next three years. It was a wild and crazy life on the road for the Rufus and Chaka blitz at this point. Yet in 1974 they managed to find the time to get into the studio and complete their third studio album. And their first with their best known lineup as well.
“Once You Get Started” opens the album with strong bass/guitar heavy funk-accented by melodic synthesizer and a quick tempo which finds Chaka’s incomparable vocal instrument and Tony Maiden’s powerfully dynamic singing voice trading off verses throughout. “Somebody’s Watching You” is a uniquely amazing number-starting out as tight rhythm guitar riff before building into a funky swing on the refrain before going into a funky chorus as Chaka does her vocal thing with a lyric dealing with excessive materialism. “Pack’d My Bags” is another epic powerhouse that opens with Morgan’s spiraling jazz piano solo before going into a sweetly reflective soul ballad about the breakup of a family that again launches into hardcore funk on the chorus. “Your Smile” is a dynamically soulful ballad with a strong country-soul melody-again featuring the “symphony of Chaka” effect as she typically performs her own back up/choir vocals. The title song is an instrumental,as it was on the previous album but this features Tony Maiden singing through a talk box and the addition of horns and a more strident beat give this number its might. “I’m A Woman (I’m A Backbone)” is a strong lyrical Afrocentric take on feminism with a slow crawling,blues oriented funk groove. “Right Is Right” and “Half Moon” are both frenetic,danceable jazz-funk jams while the future Brenda Russell penned the jazzily melodic,string accented uptempo soul of “Please Pardon Me (You Remind Me Of A Friend)”. The album ends with the smoldering,sensuous Moog bass led jazzy funk of “Stop On By”-with Chaka and Tony again trading off female/male vocal licks.
In many basic ways,this stands as one of Rufus’s most musically complete albums. Their first two records both had a very garagey production flavor that,while the instrumental flavor was based deeply in funk and soul,had the raggedy quality that a lot of rock ‘n roll bands prefer to have. The production approach on this particular album is completely different. With the addition of Clare Fischer,uncle of the bands drummer Andre’ as an arranger the presence of strings and horns on this albums makes a huge difference in that regard. On the other hand Fischer is able to add orchestration without interfering with the basic rhythm section Rufus provided. As a matter of fact, on the majority of this album that is all that you hear playing in addition to Chaka’s singing. Tony Maiden’s guitar playing style is also far more based in jazz and funk. His sound is much cleaner, and his plays with lines with a beautifully melodic fluidity that is flexible enough to be just as intense as it needs to be. Because one of the major musical commonalities binding Chaka Khan and the members of Rufus together was a love for jazz, that particular style of bass/guitar playing and drumming are emphasized strongly here throughout. You can certainly here on this album how members of Rufus would eventually go on to become some of the most renowned session musicians of the late 70’s/early 80’s. Though her relationship with the band would sour in later years? The marriage of Rufus and Chaka Khan was,at this point a magically funky match if there ever was one.
Ask Rufus (1977)
Rufus And Chaka Khan,aside from CK’s amazing and influencial singing have always been just mildly underrated as musicians. In the years after the debut,especially with the style of the previous Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan their style had been growing from that of a conventional 70’s funk band to what they became with this album.By far this would have to be described as Rufus’s artistic pinnacle and is today justly revered. It is here that Rufus made the transformation to being a fully sophisticated band with brilliant songwriting,fully mature and reflective lyrics and plenty of jazz influences. With a couple minor exceptions this album showcases Rufus sticking with a midtempo jazzy soul/funk sound and a great deal of sudlty. Not only is it solid proof that funk doesn’t have to be a non-stop rhythm barrage to groove like mad but it features songs that all sound like mini classics.
“At Midnight” is the main uptempo song here.The production is far from slick and features probably the best use of synthesizer on a mid period Rufus Recording-the simple beat sounds deceptively like disco but on the breakdown it’s perfectly clear that it isn’t. Lyrically it’s clear that Chaka,who participates very strongly as a writer here is content on reflecting on how her own complicated marriaged and personal life at the at time is effecting her feelings on her own womanhood-strong emphasizing emotional involvement.”Close The Door” is one mournful example;Chaka’s tortured voice and the spare backdrop just drips with meloncaughly of the soul.The superb orchestration of Claire Fischer (cousin of the bands drummer Andre Fischer) not only makes that tune so wonderful but dominates the equally mournful instrumental “A Slow Screw Against The Wall”;the briefly funk blowout of “A Flat Fry”,featuring Ron Wood is pretty much the last tune of that type you’ll find here.The memorable and singable “Earth Song” features a cryptic lyric that,if understood sums up Chaka’s lyrical involvement here as she sings,”Stars/what a mystical woman you’ve made me” and on “Everlasting Love” we’re introduced into a deceptively musically simple vision of romance and sensuality.
“Hollywood” is…well almost an uptempo song because it’s so sprightly even as it looks at the effect fame and surroundings of luxary effect people.”Magic In Your Eyes” is yet another excellent romantic moment whereas “Better Days”,co-written by Chaka’s then husband Richard Holland reflects on a possible optimisitc future for the then faltering couple.As for the music,let’s just say I think Dido was highly influenced by this song when she did her hit song Thank You ovet two decades later. The title of “Egyptian Song” sounds like the song and lyrics will be very complicated and they are. From the melody down to it’s lyrics it reflects on Chaka’s journey to discover her racial identity that was evidently at that point still very much a part of her life. Here you here a very different kind of Rufus,challanging themselves all around to be a band to contend with a very different kind of groove for a very different kind of funk. There is little likelyhood you’ll ever come across an album in Rufus catalog or anyone else’s that sounds quite like this.And that really says an awful lot for this.
Masterjam (1979)
By 1979,the relationship between the now burgeoning solo artist Chaka Khan and the band Rufus was beginning to seriously decay. Sadly the sex and drugs cliches of the pop music world had began to catch up with Chaka. The band had even opted to record without her the previous year for their album Numbers(sadly their only album that has never been on CD as far as I can tell) while simultaneously introducing their new drummer John Robinson. It was from here that Rufus hooked back up with a rather beleaguered Chaka and set their sites on the production guidance of Quincy Jones-whose stable of musicians included the Brothers Johnson and Jerry Hey’s Seawind Horns. Rufus’s bassist Bobby Watson had already played bass for MJ on his smash funk/pop triumph Rock With You earlier in the year. Sensing that perhaps their sound could use a make over,it was Quincy who ended up producing this eighth Rufus album-even as Chaka Khan’s interest in the band was severely on the wane.
“Do You Love What You Feel” as well as the title song are both extremely indicative of the Rufus/Quincy collaboration. Both are high octane,Afro-Latin drum/percussion heavy pop hook filled danceable funk songs with that Quincy Jones/Rod Temperton-style horn/string packed late 70’s disco era funk sound written all over them from top to bottom. On both Chaka’s vocals and Tony Maiden’s clean rocking guitar riffs are at their most powerful and energetic. “Any Love” and especially a remake of the old Quincy/Leon Ware collaboration “Boby Heat”-with its extended percussive intro both more strongly reflect the 4 on the floor disco era. Some might even complain some of the bass lines identify them as more polka than funk at the root. However the bluesy bass/guitar interaction and especially Chaka’s vocals tell another side of that story. “Heaven Bound” and “Live In Me” are both slickly sensual midtempo numbers with a much heavier melodic funk orientation. The pretty straight up hard funk groove of “What Am I Missing” finds Chaka lamenting how the blitz of her life at that time was beginning to shelter her from fulfillment.
“Walk The Rockaway” is definitely on the heavier funk side of the disco era-with a thick rhythmic blend of percussion,guitar,bass and horns where Tony declares proudly “everybody’s got their own way of moving/it don’t matter as long as your grooving”. Wonderful metaphor for life wouldn’t you say? Patti Austin and Peggy Lipton Jones co-wrote “I’m Dancing For Your Love” with the band-a very impressive soul/funk/pop number with a strong Michael McDonald/Doobie Brothers attitude about it. In a lot of ways,this is my favorite album by Rufus. Every song is quite different from the other. And the funk,pop-jazz and disco era elements are all presented in the most high quality and rhythmically powerful way possible. By virtue of the music itself and those involved in making it,this album is creatively Rufus’s Off the Wall-an album possessed of the most dignified and classy funk and dance grooves it was dressed for big success. Though it was,producing the bands only two music videos that I know of for the first and final track,this was not exactly a reboot of Rufus & Chaka Khan as a band. She was back to her solo career in a years time. And her and Rufus gradually broke apart within the next several years. But even if this was the cap off to an era,it was one serious “masterjam” to go out on for sure!
Chaka Khan:
Naughty (1980)
Rufus’s 1979 album Masterjam was not the official finale for Rufus & Chaka Khan. But according to the lady herself,it was the last time she recorded an entire album in the studio with them. With her personal life continuing to spiral out of control in a dizzying array of a mutually abusive marriage,two children and epic proportions drug abuse Chaka began focusing on her career seemingly as an effort to lose herself in a form of musical sublimation. Continuing on at Warner Brothers with Arif Mardin at the helm and Ashford & Simpson penning many of the songs,Chaka also found herself at the disposal of yet more excellent singers and musicians such as Steve Ferrone,Marcus Miller and with him of course the late great Luther Vandross. Where sometimes album cover art reflects the music within to near perfection this albums cover,including a similarly dressed photo of Chaka’s almost lookalike than 6 year old daughter Milini,it was a superb window to what would come.
“Clouds” is the complete flipside of “I’m Every Woman” from her debut Chaka-a much slower and funkier number that’s still disco friendly but somewhat more emotionally fearful. Very much in the duel lyrical nature of classic soul really. The bubbling melodic bass synthesizer groove of “Get Ready,”Get Set” represents some of the most powerful,unique and sensually alluring funk on this album. “Move Me No Mountain” is a favorite of mine on here-a hard groove adult contemporary type re-imagining of a standard full of Chaka’s trademark vocal passion and ability. “The sweetly composed jazzy ballad “Nothing’s Gonna Take You Away” segues into the fan faring funk/pop of the title song. “Too Much Love” is an amazing mix of rocking,dancefloor read Latin funk with more than enough energy to spare while “All Night’s All Right” represents the hardest funk on this album-sounding very much like an early 70’s Rufus track. “Papillon” is a bumping,mid tempo soul oriented groove with a pretty melody and featuring the vocals of both Vandross and a young Whitney Houston. “What You Did” and “Our Loves In Danger” are both two more dance friendly pop/funk numbers defined again by Chaka’s singing.
This album is one of my favorite Chaka Khan albums,perhaps my very favorite. The reason for that is it’s consistency. While her iconic solo debut had many powerful and funky moments,the production and general sound of the songs had a somewhat jarring flavor. They sounded as if they were produced at very different times and places. This album,though actually very diverse sounds like a totally coherent album session of songs that were instrumentally and conceptually designed to flow together from beginning to end. It was where Chaka Khan’s solo identity emerged as being capable of delivering genuine album statements as opposed to smash dance singles. The musicianship and production on this album is absolutely impeccable. And with all the studio techniques used on Chaka’s voice her-from her renowned concept of doing her own back-round vocals to different echo plexes,her vocals are only even more enhanced by everything that touches it. Neither the musicians nor Chaka herself are drowned out by anyone behind the console. This is a great example of a sleek pop/funk/post disco sound where everything was just coming to a wonderful and successful musical head.
What ‘Cha Gonna Do For Me (1981)
Sometimes there’s a point in an artists career,and they never know exactly where there comes a time when there is a perfect match of musicianship,production,songwriting and vocals that just come together. This is also one of those cases where the album art actually says a lot about the sort of music contained within. We see a beaming,airbrushed Chaka looking enraptured with life and having just experienced a revelry of excitement. And that’s exactly the same feeling I got after listening to this album. After two albums that placed Chaka in something of an urban,late 70’s disco-funk context here Chaka is fully back to the power and vitality of her Rufus days. Her voice is an instrument that’s part of the band,part of the song and fully involved in the entire musical experience. She never overwhelms the music and it never overwhelms her but…..it in a way is ALL overwhelming. The arrangements are dramatic,cosmic,surprising and give me goosebumps just listening to the very involving virtuosity of what’s here.
This album has more electronic textures than before but they’re used in the classiest possible way and you can really hear Chaka’s noted high musical standards oozing out of every song. Billy Preston really bumps up the production to the N’th degree on the hard hitting,bass keyboard/horn led version of “We Can Work At Out” that has Chaka as pretty much the rest of the orchestra as it were.It comes to an abrupt start and you feel as if you’ve heard a whole album but….it goes on. Then you come to the urban fusion-jazz dynamics of the title song where Chaka’s voice is yearning,searching,imagining and give you to feel she’s living the song she’s singing and she very likely was. “I Know You,I Live You” really kicks it out with one of the catchiest latin funk jams I’ve ever heard;after Chaka’s done her thing vocally on the song it kicks into this amazing reverbed bass/drum interaction before she’s right back in action. “Any Old Sunday” is the more relaxed of the tunes here,not a ballad but more of an interpretive piece for Chaka. “We Got Each Other”,sung with her brother Mark who obviously shares her tremendous vocal instrument is another reverb heavy sonic funk monster finding Chaka absolutely BAKED HIGH on love alone and singing in the most euphoric way one can imagine.
“And The Melody Still Lingers On (Night In Tunisia)”…well lets just say if nothing else here was that great this alone would make it a classic. With Stevie Wonder’s brooding bass keyboard leading the way as Chaka takes her improvisational instrument right to the heart of the song. “Night Moods” says it all here as the only ballad-the musical again some of the most beautifully euphoric,non sentimental tribute to romance imaginable as Chaka goes from sensual,uncertain and moody at the change of a note and it’s one of those handful of ballads that just punches you right out. “Heed The Warning” is this amazing,spiky keyboard led funk-rock jam that anyone with a heart will get instant goosebumps from. And…well aside from an honorable mention for the breezy disco-funk of “Fate” I cannot really say anymore about this album because just thinking about this music overwhelms me some. For anyone now who sees the key to making successful funk and R&B lies in unadorned,un-produced “real” instrumentation and understated vocals this album stands as an important reminder of how important the right kind of production flourishes and a strong voice with the ability to act as it’s own musical instrument to creating truly magical funk and R&B that shimmers,sparkles and truly withstands the test of time.
Chaka Khan (1982)
Over the years there’s been quite a little artist cult that’s developed surrounding this album. Many music review books I’ve read name dropped it again and again as being a crownign achievment of her early career and the album even won her a grammy. All the same it would up being the most obscure Chaka Khan album during the CD reissue era. It’s never been issued domestically and even Chaka’s compilation Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 doesn’t include any of it’s songs. Having heard it on CD for the first time I have to say that in many ways this album very much lives up to all the hype surrounding it;one of the few albums that actually does so. One of the main reasons for that is that album sounds like nothing else in her vast catalog. This came out around the same time Chaka joined back up with Rufus for a reunion tour and interestingly enough this album is among the more consistantly funk oriented of her solo albums.
Earlier recordings were open ended explorations of soul,pop-jazz,funk and disco yet this album features a somewhat electronic,bassy,thrusting sound that is very much in keeping with electro-funk style of the era but at the same time is still distinctly Chaka Khan. Her group of musicians on this album including Robbie Buchannon,Will Lee,Hiram Bullock as well as AWB members Hamish Stuart and Steve Ferrone absolutely cook musically throughout the album and that results in every song containing some of the finest vocal performances of Khan’s career,marked by the fact she’s relying more on strengh here than scaling up and down as is her trademark singing style. “Tearin’ It Up” pulls this all together right from the start with Chaka and the bassy synth funk of the groove all in a deep framework. The Rick James duet of “Slow Dancin'” and the pounding,epic “Twisted” emphasizes a slower groove than was common during the naked funk era and that is much to Chaka’s credit as she understands funk by it’s nature tends to be a tad of a slower music to start with. The majority of the tunes here are uptempo however including th cowboy/funk send up “Best In The West”,complete with fiddle solo and one of those hooky melodies Chaka seemed to be able to so easily turn out during her earlier Arif Mardin era.
Much has been said about “Be Bop Medley” and trust me;it’s all deserved. She links a medly of her be-bop era favorites,everything from Monk’s “Epistrophy” and Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” in and around this fast paced,bass synthesizer led naked funk jam and the music and melodies all work with eachother wonderfully. In this case she does do more vocal scaling but it’s needed;she does really well with jazz composition and this song really takes the cake. Her powerhouse version of “Got To Be There” and “So Not To Worry” are the slower tunes here but are more midtempo than ballads and are the more relaxed,organically textured of the tunes here. “Pass It On (A Sure Thing)” is another uptempo funk scorcher to the end the album off on. In terms of funk music construction and intense musical dynamics there are very few albums I can think of offhand that match it. It is still a shame that today the only CD version of this album comes from the boxed set Original Album Series:Chaka/Chaka Khan/I Feel For You/Naughty/What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me. If you don’t have any Chaka Khan albums,pick that up without a second thought. But if you only are missing this one,this CD edition is essential to pick up if you find it reasonably because it represents an important creative step in her musical development as a solo artist.
Well there’s my written tribute(s) to Rufus and Chaka Khan,both together and apart. Very thankful I could be alive during a time when her musical career was still in peak shape!
A STATEMENT FROM 2013:
Throughout her legendary career, Chaka has released 22 albums and racked up ten #1 Billboard magazine charted songs, seven RIAA certified gold singles and ten RIAA certified gold and platinum albums. Chaka’s recorded music has produced over 2,000 catalogue song placements. “I am honored and blessed to celebrate 40 years in music and entertainment” says Chaka. “I am so humbled by the love, support and gracious spirit of my fans worldwide and the continuous support my peers have shown over the years. Throughout my 40-year career, I have been through the fire a few times over and I’m still here as a living testament to God’s love and grace. Next year, I will be celebrating 40 years in the business and 60 years on earth, which equals one hundred percent Chaka...
Chaka Khan-"Ain't Nobody":
Rufus & Chaka Khan - "Stay":
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan--"Everlasting Love":
Rufus & Chaka Khan - "Sweet Thing":
Rufus & Chaka Khan - "Tell Me Something Good"
(Composition and lyrics by Stevie Wonder):
Rufus & Chaka Khan - "Hollywood":
Chaka Khan & The Metropole Orchestra live in Utrecht, Holland, June 26th, 2010 (Full Concert):
Chaka Khan Live at Pori Jazz Festival:
July 18, 2002
Full concert
Festival year 2002
Chaka Khan Greatest Hits
Chaka Khan and Rufus - "You've Got The Love":
Chaka Khan Montreux 1995
This is a concert from the Montreux Jazzfestival 1995 with Chaka Khan and her European band she had for a while in the 90s:
Chaka Khan: Tiny Desk Concert:
Premiered June 11, 2024
This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk is giving the ladies their flowers. We’re releasing nine Tiny Desk concerts from Black women artists, from veterans who’ve paved the way for what we hear today in Black music, to those who are carving out their own paths. Mitra I. Arthur | June 11, 2024
Chaka Khan~Inducted into the,"Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame!!"2023 ❤️❤️🔥😎🌟💥💪🤟🏼💄💋
November 3, 2023Sia, H.E.R., Common, and Jazmine Sullivan Celebrate Chaka Khan at Rock Hall Induction
CHAKA KHAN
YEAR
2023
INDUCTED BY:
Jazmine Sullivan
CATEGORY:
Musical Excellence
Funk queen, rock goddess, jazz singer, disco diva – Chaka Khan embodies and transcends these. At a time when audiences for rock and soul were splitting into different camps, Khan’s powerful voice represented the racial and social integration at the heart of rock & roll.
Chaka Khan
HALL OF FAME
ESSAY
by Elysa Gardner
There are many factors that make Chaka Khan’s place in rock & roll history indelible, but let’s start where we must, with the voice. Imagine honey and fire captured in the same bottle, with all their defining qualities – the sweetness and rich texture, the ferocity and heat – somehow kept entirely intact. Add to this mix the inimitable balance of sensuality, muscle, and elegance that has defined Khan’s style – for a great voice alone does not a great singer make – and you’ll understand what artists from Stevie Wonder to Prince to Lizzo have recognized for years: Khan is not only every woman, as one of her most famous songs tells us, but a unique and irrepressible force.
READ MORE:
https://rockhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Chaka_Khan_Induction_Essay.pdf
