Chaka Khan
Encyclopedia
Chaka Khan frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American
singer-songwriter
who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk
band Rufus
. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career. Her signature hits
, both with Rufus and as a solo performer, include "Tell Me Something Good
", "Sweet Thing
", "Ain't Nobody", "I'm Every Woman
", "I Feel for You
" and "Through the Fire".
. Raised in Chicago's rough Southside projects, Khan was the eldest of five children to Charles Stevens and Sandra Coleman. Her sister Yvonne Stevens
later became a successful musician in her own right under the name Taka Boom. Her only brother Mark Stevens, who formed the funk group Aurra
, also became a successful musician. She has two other sisters, Kathleen Burrell and Tammy McCrary, who is her current manager. Unlike many of her musical contemporaries, Khan was raised as Roman Catholic. Khan attributed her love of music to her grandmother, who introduced her to jazz music as a child. Khan became a fan of R&B music as a preteen and at eleven formed her first all-female singing group
the Crystalettes, which also included her sister Taka. In the late 1960s, Khan and her sister formed the vocal group Shades of Black and joined the Black Panther Party
after befriending fellow member, activist and Chicago native Fred Hampton
in 1967. While a member, she was given a name change to Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi by an African shaman. In 1969, she left the Panthers, dropped out of high school, having attended Calumet High School, and began to perform in small groups around the Chicago area, first performing with the group Lyfe, which included her then boyfriend Hassan Khan, whom she'd later marry. Khan was asked to replace the late Baby Huey
of Baby Huey & the Babysitters
after Huey's untimely 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 simply called Rufus
and soon won her position in the group. The group later signed with ABC Records
in 1973. Prior to Khan signing with the label, she married her on-again, off-again boyfriend Hassan Khan, changing her stage name to Chaka Khan.
. Despite their fiery rendition of Stevie Wonder
's "Maybe Your Baby" from Wonder's acclaimed Talking Book
and the modest success of the Khan-led ballad "Whoever's Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)", the album failed to garner 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 number-three 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 number-eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 helped their second parent album, Rags to Rufus
, go platinum selling over a million copies. Between 1974 and 1979, Rufus would release six platinum-selling albums including Rufusized
, Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan, Ask Rufus
, Street Player
and Masterjam
. Hits the group would score 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 Khan's compositions were often collaborations with guitarist Tony Maiden. Relations between Khan and the group, particularly between Khan and group member Andre Fischer, became stormy. Several group members left with nearly every release. While Khan remained a member of the group, she signed a solo contract with Warner Bros in 1978. While Khan was busy at work on solo material, Rufus released three albums without Khan's participation including 1979's Numbers
, 1980's Party 'Til You're Broke
and 1983's Seal in Red
.
released Khan's solo debut album
, which featured the crossover disco hit, "I'm Every Woman
", written for her by songwriters Ashford & Simpson
. The success of the single helped the album go platinum, selling over a million copies. Khan also was a featured performer on Quincy Jones
' hit, "Stuff Like That", also released in 1978.
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 sung with Tony Maiden. Despite her sometimes-acrimonious relationship with some of the group's band mates, Khan and Maiden have maintained a friendship over the years. In 1979 she also duetted with Ry Cooder
on his album Bop Till You Drop
. In 1980, while Rufus released their second non-Khan release, Party 'Til You're Broke, Khan released her second solo album, Naughty, which featured Khan on the cover with her six-year-old daughter Milini. The album yielded the minor disco hit "Clouds" and went gold. Khan released two albums in 1981, the Rufus release, Camouflage
and the solo album, What Cha' Gonna Do for Me. 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
. The latter album's track, the jazz-inflected "Bebop Medley", won Khan a Grammy and earned praise from Betty Carter
who loved Khan's vocal scatting in the song.
In 1983, following the release of Rufus' 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 number twenty-two 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.
, which featured the title track
. The title track, originally written and recorded by Prince
for his eponymous follow-up to his debut album
in 1979, had been previously recorded by The Pointer Sisters and Mary Wells
. Khan's version, which featured Stevie Wonder
and rapper Melle Mel
, reached number-three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one in the United Kingdom. Other singles from the album included "This is my Night" and "Through the Fire" and all three singles helped the album to go platinum. Khan followed that success with albums such as 1986's Destiny
and 1988's CK. Khan was the featured performer on Steve Winwood
's number-one hit, "Higher Love
", in 1986. That same year, she had been scheduled to record a duet with Robert Palmer for his album Riptide
, on the song "Addicted To Love
". However, her manager declined to allow the duet to take place, citing the desire to not 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 would become an international hit. Khan found more success in the UK in the late 1980s as a remix album, Life is a Dance - The Remix Project
, reached the top ten on the UK albums chart. Khan reacted to the success by performing in the United Kingdom, 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' Back on the Block
. The song reached number-eighteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one on the Hot R&B chart, later winning Charles and Khan 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 went gold thanks to the R&B success of the songs "Love You All My Lifetime" and "You Can Make the Story Right". Khan also contributed to soundtracks and worked on a follow-up to The Woman I Am which 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 UK. 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.
label and issued Come 2 My House
, followed by the single "Don't Talk 2 Strangers
", a cover of a 1996 Prince song. Khan later went on a tour with Prince as a co-headlining act. In 2000, Khan departed from NPG and in 2004 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
. Three years later, after signing with Burgundy Records
, Khan released what many critics called a "comeback album" with Funk This
, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
.
The album featured the hit, "Angel", and the Mary J. Blige
duet, "Disrespectful". The latter track went to number one 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 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.
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 Music) 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."
In 2009, Khan hit the road with singers Anastacia
and Lulu
for Here Come the Girls. In 2010, Khan contributed to vocals for Beverley Knight
's "Soul Survivor
", collaborated with Clay Aiken
on a song for the kids show Phineas and Ferb
, and performed two songs with Japanese singer Ai
on Ai's latest album The Last Ai. 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 on hand to see the singer accept the honor, as was Stevie Wonder
, who wrote 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 conjecture with her years with Rufus.
In the past, Khan struggled with drug abuse
and alcoholism
. Her drug use, which at times included cocaine
and heroin, ended sometime in the early 1990s. Khan would have an on-again, off-again struggle with alcoholism until 2005 declaring herself sober
. In 2006, her son Damien Holland was accused of murder after 17-year-old Christopher Bailey was shot to death. Khan testified on her son's behalf defending her son's innocence. Holland claimed the shooting was an accident and was found not guilty. Though she sang at both the 2000 Democratic and Republican conventions, Khan says that she is more of a "Democratic-minded person".
Recently Khan won temporary custody of her granddaughter after reporting that her granddaughter's mother, girlfriend of Khan's son Damien Holland, was unwilling to raise her due to her drug addiction. It was reported that Khan's son was also addicted to drugs.
References:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band Rufus
Rufus (band)
Rufus was an American funk band from Chicago, Illinois best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits throughout their career, including "Tell Me Something Good," "Sweet Thing," and "Ain't Nobody."-Origins:...
. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career. Her signature hits
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
, both with Rufus and as a solo performer, include "Tell Me Something Good
Tell Me Something Good
"Tell Me Something Good" is a song by Rufus and Chaka Khan, released in 1974. It was a big hit peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, though it didn't chart in the United Kingdom. Written by Stevie Wonder, the song is among the earliest hits to use the guitar talk box. The single...
", "Sweet Thing
Sweet Thing (Chaka Khan song)
"Sweet Thing" is a soul single that was first a hit with Rufus featuring Chaka Khan when they recorded the song in 1975 eventually reaching number-one on the R&B singles chart and number five on the pop chart...
", "Ain't Nobody", "I'm Every Woman
I'm Every Woman
"I'm Every Woman" is a hit song recorded by Chaka Khan in 1978. It was Chaka Khan's first hit outside of her recordings with funk band Rufus; the song was included on her platinum debut solo album Chaka. Produced by Arif Mardin and written by successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie...
", "I Feel for You
I Feel for You
"I Feel for You" is a song written by Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. It became a hit single in 1984 for female R&B singer Chaka Khan, appearing on her album, which was also called I Feel for You...
" and "Through the Fire".
Early life: 1953-1972
Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens in 1953 in Chicago, IllinoisChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Raised in Chicago's rough Southside projects, Khan was the eldest of five children to Charles Stevens and Sandra Coleman. Her sister Yvonne Stevens
Taka Boom
Taka Boom is a female R&B and dance music singer and is the younger sister of Chaka Khan and Mark Stevens of Aurra. She sang background vocals for several Parliament albums in the 1970s...
later became a successful musician in her own right under the name Taka Boom. Her only brother Mark Stevens, who formed the funk group Aurra
Aurra
Aurra was a 1980s soul group, who at the time of their biggest success was composed of Curt Jones and Starleana Young. The band started off in 1980, signing to Dream Records and then Salsoul Records...
, also became a successful musician. She has two other sisters, Kathleen Burrell and Tammy McCrary, who is her current manager. Unlike many of her musical contemporaries, Khan was raised as Roman Catholic. Khan attributed her love of music to her grandmother, who introduced her to jazz music as a child. Khan became a fan of R&B music as a preteen and at eleven formed her first all-female singing group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
the Crystalettes, which also included her sister Taka. In the late 1960s, Khan and her sister formed the vocal group Shades of Black and joined the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
after befriending fellow member, activist and Chicago native Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton was an African-American activist and deputy chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party...
in 1967. While a member, she was given a name change to Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi by an African shaman. In 1969, she left the Panthers, dropped out of high school, having attended Calumet High School, and began to perform in small groups around the Chicago area, first performing with the group Lyfe, which included her then boyfriend Hassan Khan, whom she'd later marry. Khan was asked to replace the late Baby Huey
Baby Huey
Baby Huey is a gigantic and naïve duckling cartoon character. He was created by Martin Taras for Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios, and became a Paramount cartoon star during the 1950s. Although created by Famous for its animated cartoons, Huey first appeared in comic-book form in an original...
of Baby Huey & the Babysitters
Baby Huey & the Babysitters
Baby Huey & the Babysitters were a soul band hailing from Gary, Indiana and founded in 1963 by organist / trumpeter Melvyn "Deacon" Jones and guitarist Johnny Ross. James Ramey became their front man and adopted the stage name of Baby Huey which was after the Baby Huey duck character...
after Huey's untimely 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 simply called Rufus
Rufus (band)
Rufus was an American funk band from Chicago, Illinois best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits throughout their career, including "Tell Me Something Good," "Sweet Thing," and "Ain't Nobody."-Origins:...
and soon won her position in the group. The group later signed with ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
in 1973. Prior to Khan signing with the label, she married her on-again, off-again boyfriend Hassan Khan, changing her stage name to Chaka Khan.
Early career and success: 1973-1978
In 1974, Rufus released their self-titled debut albumRufus (1973 album)
-Personnel:* Chaka Khan - vocals, background vocals* Dennis Belfield - acoustic bass guitar, electric bass, background vocals* Al Ciner - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals* André Fischer - percussion, drums, background vocals...
. Despite their fiery rendition of Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's "Maybe Your Baby" from Wonder's acclaimed Talking Book
Talking Book
Talking Book is the fifteenth album by Stevie Wonder, released on October 28, 1972. A signal recording of his "classic period", in this one he "hit his stride"...
and the modest success of the Khan-led ballad "Whoever's Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)", the album failed to garner attention. That changed when Wonder himself collaborated with the group on a song he had written for Khan. That song, "Tell Me Something Good
Tell Me Something Good
"Tell Me Something Good" is a song by Rufus and Chaka Khan, released in 1974. It was a big hit peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, though it didn't chart in the United Kingdom. Written by Stevie Wonder, the song is among the earliest hits to use the guitar talk box. The single...
", became the group's breakthrough hit, reaching number-three on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1974 later winning the group their first Grammy Award. The single's success and the subsequent follow-up, "You Got the Love
You Got the Love
"You Got the Love" is a 1986 single by the band The Source and Candi Staton. One of its many remixers also adopted the name The Source. In 2008, the song was recorded by English soul singer Joss Stone for her fourth studio album, "Colour Me Free!" released in October 2009...
", which peaked at number-eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 helped their second parent album, Rags to Rufus
Rags to Rufus
-Personnel:*Chaka Khan – lead vocals, background vocals*Dennis Belfield – background vocals, bass*André Fischer – drums, percussion, background vocals*Kevin Murphy – organ, clavinette, background vocals...
, go platinum selling over a million copies. Between 1974 and 1979, Rufus would release six platinum-selling albums including Rufusized
Rufusized
-Personnel:*Chaka Khan – lead vocals, background vocals*Tony Maiden – lead guitar, background vocals*Kevin Murphy – organ, clavinette, background vocals, acoustic piano, arp synthesizer*Bobby Watson – bass, background vocals...
, Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan, Ask Rufus
Ask Rufus
-Personnel:*Chaka Khan – lead vocals, background vocals*Tony Maiden – guitar, background vocals*Kevin Murphy – keyboards, background vocals*Bobby Watson – bass, background vocals*André Fischer – drums, background vocals...
, Street Player
Street Player
-Personnel:*Chaka Khan – lead vocals, background vocals*Tony Maiden – guitar, percussion, lead vocals, background vocals*Kevin Murphy – keyboards*Bobby Watson – bass, percussion*David "Hawk" Wolinski – keyboards, background vocals...
and Masterjam
Masterjam
Masterjam is the eighth studio album by funk band Rufus , their debut on the MCA Records label following their purchase and dissolution of ABC Records, released in 1979.-History:...
. Hits the group would score during this time included "Once You Get Started", "Sweet Thing
Sweet Thing (Chaka Khan song)
"Sweet Thing" is a soul single that was first a hit with Rufus featuring Chaka Khan when they recorded the song in 1975 eventually reaching number-one on the R&B singles chart and number five on the pop chart...
", "Hollywood", "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)
At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)
"At Midnight " was a hit song by R&B/funk band Rufus featuring Chaka Khan in 1977. Released from their hit album, Ask Rufus, it spent two weeks at number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart and peaked at number thirty on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart..-Chart positions:...
" and "Do You Love What You Feel
Do You Love What You Feel
"Do You Love What You Feel" is a well known soul/disco song by Rufus and Chaka. Released in late 1979 from the Quincy Jones produced album, Masterjam, it spent three weeks at the top of the Hot Soul Singles chart, becoming the fourth of five songs that they would send to the top of that chart. It...
".
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
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
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
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, she also provided percussion during her tenure with Rufus. Most of Khan's compositions were often collaborations with guitarist Tony Maiden. Relations between Khan and the group, particularly between Khan and group member Andre Fischer, became stormy. Several group members left with nearly every release. While Khan remained a member of the group, she signed a solo contract with Warner Bros in 1978. While Khan was busy at work on solo material, Rufus released three albums without Khan's participation including 1979's Numbers
Numbers (Rufus album)
Numbers is the seventh studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1978. It was the band's first album without Chaka Khan on lead vocals...
, 1980's Party 'Til You're Broke
Party 'Til You're Broke
Party Til' You're Broke is the ninth studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the MCA Records label in 1981. Party 'Til You're Broke which was the band's second album not to be fronted by Chaka Khan reached #24 on Billboards R&B Albums chart and #73 on Pop and included the singles "Tonight We...
and 1983's Seal in Red
Seal in Red
Seal in Red is the eleventh and final studio album by funk band Rufus, their debut on the Warner Bros. Records label, released in 1983. Seal in Red, which was the band's third album to be recorded without Chaka Khan, peaked at #49 on Billboards R&B Albums chart and included the single "Take It to...
.
Early solo career and final years with Rufus: 1978-1983
In 1978, Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
released Khan's solo debut album
Chaka (1978 album)
Chaka is the debut solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1978.- Overview :Two singles were released from Chaka, the first being her anthemic solo debut "I'm Every Woman", one of Khan's signature tunes alongside "Ain't Nobody" and "I Feel...
, which featured the crossover disco hit, "I'm Every Woman
I'm Every Woman
"I'm Every Woman" is a hit song recorded by Chaka Khan in 1978. It was Chaka Khan's first hit outside of her recordings with funk band Rufus; the song was included on her platinum debut solo album Chaka. Produced by Arif Mardin and written by successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie...
", written for her by songwriters Ashford & Simpson
Ashford & Simpson
Nickolas Ashford , and Valerie Simpson , were a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists....
. The success of the single helped the album go platinum, selling over a million copies. Khan also was a featured performer on Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
' hit, "Stuff Like That", also released in 1978.
In 1979, Khan reunited with Rufus to collaborate on the Jones-produced Masterjam
Masterjam
Masterjam is the eighth studio album by funk band Rufus , their debut on the MCA Records label following their purchase and dissolution of ABC Records, released in 1979.-History:...
, which featured their hit, "Do You Love What You Feel
Do You Love What You Feel
"Do You Love What You Feel" is a well known soul/disco song by Rufus and Chaka. Released in late 1979 from the Quincy Jones produced album, Masterjam, it spent three weeks at the top of the Hot Soul Singles chart, becoming the fourth of five songs that they would send to the top of that chart. It...
", which Khan sung with Tony Maiden. Despite her sometimes-acrimonious relationship with some of the group's band mates, Khan and Maiden have maintained a friendship over the years. In 1979 she also duetted with Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
on his album Bop Till You Drop
Bop till You Drop
Bop till You Drop is Ry Cooder's ninth album, released in 1979 . This was the first major-label digitally recorded album of Pop music...
. In 1980, while Rufus released their second non-Khan release, Party 'Til You're Broke, Khan released her second solo album, Naughty, which featured Khan on the cover with her six-year-old daughter Milini. The album yielded the minor disco hit "Clouds" and went gold. Khan released two albums in 1981, the Rufus release, Camouflage
Camouflage (Rufus album)
Camouflage is the tenth studio album by funk band Rufus , released on the MCA Records label in 1981. Camouflage peaked at #15 on Billboards R&B Albums chart and stalled at #98 on Pop...
and the solo album, What Cha' Gonna Do for Me. The same year, Khan appeared on three tracks on Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
's concept album 1984
1984 (Rick Wakeman album)
-Personnel:* Rick Wakeman – keyboards* Steve Barnacle – Fender bass* Tim Stone – Guitar* Gary Barnacle – Selmer saxophone* Frank Ricotti – Ludwig drums* Vocals: Chaka Khan, Kenny Lynch, Steve Harley, Tim Rice, Jon Anderson-Equipment:...
. In 1982, Khan issued two more solo albums, the jazz-oriented Echoes of an Era
Echoes of an Era
Echoes of an Era is an album by American R&B/jazz singer Chaka Khan with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White, released in 1982 on Elektra Records....
and a more funk/pop-oriented self-titled album
Chaka Khan (1982 album)
Chaka Khan is the eponymous fourth solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1982.- Overview :...
. The latter album's track, the jazz-inflected "Bebop Medley", won Khan a Grammy and earned praise from Betty Carter
Betty Carter
Betty Carter was an American jazz singer renowned for her improvisational technique and idiosyncratic vocal style...
who loved Khan's vocal scatting in the song.
In 1983, following the release of Rufus' 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
Stompin' at the Savoy - Live
Stompin' at the Savoy – Live is an album by American R&B/funk band Rufus, , released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1983....
, which featured the studio single, "Ain't Nobody
Ain't Nobody
"Ain't Nobody" is a 1983 hit single by Rufus & Chaka Khan. It was released as a studio bonus track on the band's live album Stompin' at the Savoy. It reached number one on the U.S. R&B chart and twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart...
", which became the group's final charting success reaching number twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
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.
Solo success: 1984-1996
In 1984, Khan released her sixth studio album, I Feel for YouI Feel for You (album)
I Feel for You is the Platinum certified fifth solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1984.-Overview:...
, which featured the title track
I Feel for You
"I Feel for You" is a song written by Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. It became a hit single in 1984 for female R&B singer Chaka Khan, appearing on her album, which was also called I Feel for You...
. The title track, originally written and recorded by Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
for his eponymous follow-up to his debut album
Prince (album)
Prince is the second studio album by Prince, released on October 19, 1979. It was a quickly written album in reaction to his debut For You. It took seven weeks to complete. The album needed to have hits and sell well to make up for the blown budget on his first release...
in 1979, had been previously recorded by The Pointer Sisters and Mary Wells
Mary Wells
Mary Esther Wells was an American singer who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s...
. Khan's version, which featured Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
and rapper Melle Mel
Melle Mel
Grandmaster Mele Mel , also known as Melle Mel , is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.- Biography :...
, reached number-three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one in the United Kingdom. Other singles from the album included "This is my Night" and "Through the Fire" and all three singles helped the album to go platinum. Khan followed that success with albums such as 1986's Destiny
Destiny (Chaka Khan album)
Destiny is the sixth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1986.Destiny was Khan's follow-up to the platinum-selling I Feel for You and was as high tech as its predecessor - symptomatically and characteristically for its period with more producers...
and 1988's CK. Khan was the featured performer on Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
's number-one hit, "Higher Love
Higher Love
"Higher Love" is a 1986 number-one hit song by Steve Winwood. It was the first single released from his fourth solo LP, Back in the High Life. It was written by Winwood and Will Jennings, and produced by Russ Titelman and Winwood...
", in 1986. That same year, she had been scheduled to record a duet with Robert Palmer for his album Riptide
Riptide (album)
Riptide is the ninth solo album by the British singer Robert Palmer, released in November 1985. It featured his hit single "Addicted to Love" which reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1986, helped by a memorable music video...
, on the song "Addicted To Love
Addicted to Love (song)
Tina Turner has made "Addicted to Love" a regular feature of her live shows since 1986, although her version did not make it onto the market until two years later....
". However, her manager declined to allow the duet to take place, citing the desire to not 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 would become an international hit. Khan found more success in the UK in the late 1980s as a remix album, Life is a Dance - The Remix Project
Life is a Dance - The Remix Project
Life is a Dance: The Remix Project is a remix album of recordings by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan released by the Warner Bros. Records label in 1989...
, reached the top ten on the UK albums chart. Khan reacted to the success by performing in the United Kingdom, where she maintained a strong fan base.
In 1990, she was a featured performer on another major hit when she collaborated with Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
and Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
on a new jack swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
cover of The Brothers Johnson's "I'll Be Good to You
I'll Be Good to You
"I'll Be Good to You" is a 1976 hit song by R&B duo The Brothers Johnson. George Johnson, one of the two Johnson brothers in the band, wrote the song after deciding to commit to a relationship with one woman, instead of dating several at a time. While George was recording a demo for the song,...
", which was featured on Jones' Back on the Block
Back on the Block
Back on the Block is a 1989 studio album produced by Quincy Jones. It features many famous and important musicians and singers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Barry White,...
. The song reached number-eighteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one on the Hot R&B chart, later winning Charles and Khan 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
The Woman I Am
The Woman I Am is the eighth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1992. It was Khan's first studio album since 1988's CK and due to artistic differences between Khan and Warner Bros. Records it was also to be her final full-length release for the...
, which went gold thanks to the R&B success of the songs "Love You All My Lifetime" and "You Can Make the Story Right". Khan also contributed to soundtracks and worked on a follow-up to The Woman I Am which she titled Dare You to Love Me, which was eventually shelved. In 1995, she and rapper Guru
Guru (rapper)
Keith Edward Elam , better known by his stage name Guru, was an American emcee and member of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts...
had a hit with the duet "Watch What You Say", in the UK. That same year, she provided a contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
cover of the classic standard, "My Funny Valentine
My Funny Valentine
"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms in which it was introduced by former child star Mitzi Green...
", for the Waiting to Exhale
Waiting to Exhale (soundtrack)
Upon release, Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack received critical acclaim. Stephen Holden and Jon Pareles of the New York Times praised Babyface's ability as composer and producer, both choosing the album as one of the top 10 albums of 1995...
soundtrack. In 1996, following the release of her greatest-hits album, Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1
Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1
Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 a.k.a. I'm Every Woman: The Best of Chaka Khan is a compilation album of recordings by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan first released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1996. Although the compilation, which reached #22 on Billboards R&B chart and #84...
, Khan abruptly left Warner Bros. after stating the label had neglected her and failed to release Dare You to Love Me.
Later career and current work: 1998-present
In 1998, Khan signed a contract with Prince's NPG RecordsNPG Records
NPG Records is the current active record label owned by Prince, founded in 1993 to release his music after Paisley Park Records. Paisley Park was shut down by Warner Bros. Records in 1993. Warner Bros. distributed one NPG release in 1995, The Gold Experience. "NPG" is short for "New Power...
label and issued Come 2 My House
Come 2 My House
Come 2 My House is the ninth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan released on the NPG Records label in 1998.Come 2 My House was Khan's first full-length album since 1992's The Woman I Am, due to the Warner Bros...
, followed by the single "Don't Talk 2 Strangers
Don't Talk 2 Strangers
-Chaka Khan version:Chaka Khan released a cover of "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" which was a hit in 1998. The video featured Khan's mother, daughter Milini, granddaughter Raeven, and nephew Tallon. It was the second hit single from her album Come 2 My House. The song featured on the soundtrack of the...
", a cover of a 1996 Prince song. Khan later went on a tour with Prince as a co-headlining act. In 2000, Khan departed from NPG and in 2004 released her first jazz covers album in twenty-two years with 2004's ClassiKhan
ClassiKhan
ClassiKhan is the tenth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, featuring the London Symphony Orchestra, Produced and arranged by Eve Nelson and released in 2004 on the at the time still independent label Sanctuary Records in the U.K., on Earthsong/AgU Music Group in the U.S...
. She also covered "Little Wing
Little Wing
"Little Wing" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix. It was first recorded by The Jimi Hendrix Experience on their 1967 album Axis: Bold as Love...
" with Kenny Olson
Kenny Olson
Kenny Olson is a guitarist from the Detroit, Michigan area. He played in Kid Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker Band. Along with Jason Krause, he played guitar on Kid Rock's studio albums Devil Without a Cause , The History of Rock , Cocky , and Kid Rock .Kenny Olson currently lives in Nashville,...
on the album Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix is a 2004 tribute album featuring various artists performing the music of Jimi Hendrix.-Track listing:...
. Three years later, after signing with Burgundy Records
Burgundy Records
Burgundy Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment.- History :In January 2006 the Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group announced the launch of its new record label, Burgundy Records. The new Sony BMG SMG imprint label, which was spearheaded by former Executive...
, Khan released what many critics called a "comeback album" with Funk This
Funk This
Funk This is the eleventh studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Chaka Khan. The album was released September 25, 2007 on Burgundy Records and received two Grammy Awards...
, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
.
The album featured the hit, "Angel", and the Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
duet, "Disrespectful". The latter track went to number one 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 notable for Khan's covers of Dee Dee Warwick
Dee Dee Warwick
Dee Dee Warwick was an American soul singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey as Delia Mae Warrick, she was the sister of Dionne Warwick, niece of Cissy Houston and cousin of Whitney Houston....
's "Foolish Fool" and Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
's "Sign o' the Times". In 2008, Khan participated in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
adaptation of The Color Purple
The Color Purple (musical)
The Color Purple is a Broadway musical based upon the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker. It features music and lyrics written by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, with a book by Marsha Norman. It ran on Broadway in 2005 and has been touring throughout the US...
playing Ms. Sofia to Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Monique Barrino commonly known as Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, Broadway and television actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe", which...
's Celie.
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 Music) 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
Addicted to Love (song)
Tina Turner has made "Addicted to Love" a regular feature of her live shows since 1986, although her version did not make it onto the market until two years later....
" – which they took my vocals off of! We are working on getting it (and other tracks) all back now."
In 2009, Khan hit the road with singers Anastacia
Anastacia
Anastacia is an American singer-songwriter. Anastacia has been highly successful in Europe, Asia, South Africa and South America, but has had only minor success in her native United States...
and Lulu
Lulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
for Here Come the Girls. In 2010, Khan contributed to vocals for Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight MBE is a British soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer who released her debut album in 1995. Heavily influenced by soul greats such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released six studio albums to date...
's "Soul Survivor
Soul Survivor (Beverley Knight song)
"Soul Survivor" is the third single release from British singer-songwriter Beverley Knight's sixth studio album, 100%. The song is a duet with soul singer Chaka Khan. The song received a full digital download single release on 8 March 2010...
", collaborated with Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken
Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
on a song for the kids show Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
, and performed two songs with Japanese singer Ai
AI (singer)
Ai , born November 2, 1981 as , is a Japanese R&B singer and rapper. She is currently under EMI Music Japan.-Early life:...
on Ai's latest album The Last Ai. 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
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
star plaque on a section of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Her family was on hand to see the singer accept the honor, as was Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, who wrote her breakout hit "Tell Me Something Good
Tell Me Something Good
"Tell Me Something Good" is a song by Rufus and Chaka Khan, released in 1974. It was a big hit peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, though it didn't chart in the United Kingdom. Written by Stevie Wonder, the song is among the earliest hits to use the guitar talk box. The single...
".
On September 27, 2011, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee announced that Khan and her former band Rufus
Rufus (band)
Rufus was an American funk band from Chicago, Illinois best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits throughout their career, including "Tell Me Something Good," "Sweet Thing," and "Ain't Nobody."-Origins:...
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 conjecture with her years with Rufus.
Personal life
Khan has been married three times and is the mother of two children, daughter Milini, 36, and son Damien Holland, 22. Khan's first marriage was to Hassan Khan, in 1970, when she was 17. They divorced a short time later. Milini's birth was the result of a relationship between Khan and Rahsaan Morris. Khan married her second husband, Richard Holland, in 1976. The marriage reportedly caused a rift between Khan and several members of Rufus, in particular, Andre Fischer. Khan dated a Chicago-area schoolteacher in the mid-1980s in the middle of her solo stardom. Following their separation, Khan moved to Europe, first settling in London, later buying a residence in Germany. After returning to the U.S. in the mid-1990s, Khan remained single until marrying Doug Rasheed in 2001. That marriage dissolved in 2004. Khan has remained single since and has split time between Los Angeles and London.In the past, Khan struggled with drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
and alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. Her drug use, which at times included cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
and heroin, ended sometime in the early 1990s. Khan would have an on-again, off-again struggle with alcoholism until 2005 declaring herself sober
Sobriety
Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...
. In 2006, her son Damien Holland was accused of murder after 17-year-old Christopher Bailey was shot to death. Khan testified on her son's behalf defending her son's innocence. Holland claimed the shooting was an accident and was found not guilty. Though she sang at both the 2000 Democratic and Republican conventions, Khan says that she is more of a "Democratic-minded person".
Recently Khan won temporary custody of her granddaughter after reporting that her granddaughter's mother, girlfriend of Khan's son Damien Holland, was unwilling to raise her due to her drug addiction. It was reported that Khan's son was also addicted to drugs.
Grammy Awards
To date, Chaka 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.| Year | Award category | Nominated artist(s) | Nominated work | Track from | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Best R&B Album Grammy Award for Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre... |
Chaka Khan | Funk This Funk This Funk This is the eleventh studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Chaka Khan. The album was released September 25, 2007 on Burgundy Records and received two Grammy Awards... |
||
| Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances... |
Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige | "Disrespectful" | Funk This Funk This Funk This is the eleventh studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Chaka Khan. The album was released September 25, 2007 on Burgundy Records and received two Grammy Awards... |
||
| 2007 | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances... |
Chaka Khan, Gerald Levert, Yolanda Adams, Carl Thomas | "Everyday (Family Reunion)" | Madea's Family Reunion – Soundtrack (Various Artists) | |
| 2003 | Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers of quality traditional R&B vocal performances. The award was first given in 1999; until 2003, only... |
Chaka Khan, The Funk Brothers | "What's Going On What's Going On (song) "What's Going On" is a song written by Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye. It was the title track of Gaye's groundbreaking 1971 Motown album What's Going On, and it became a crossover hit single that reached #2 on the pop charts and #1 on the R&B charts... " |
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown – Soundtrack (Various Artists) | |
| 1998 | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs... |
Chaka Khan | "Summertime Summertime (song) "Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP.... " |
Porgy And Bess Porgy & Bess (Joe Henderson album) Porgy & Bess is a 1997 album by jazz saxophonist Joe Henderson, released on Verve Records. It contains Henderson's arrangements of music from George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess.-Personnel:*Joe Henderson, tenor saxophone*Conrad Herwig, trombone... (Joe Henderson) |
|
| 1997 | Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers collaborate... |
Brandy, Tamia, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan | "Missing You Missing You (1996 song) "Missing You" is a song by Brandy, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, and Tamia, recorded for the soundtrack of the 1996 motion picture Set It Off. Written andy produced by Gordon Chambers and Barry Eastmond, it was released as a single in August 1996 . The collaboration peaked at number 2 in New Zealand... " |
Set It Off - Soundtrack Set It Off (soundtrack) Set It Off: Music From the New Line Cinema Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1996 crime film, Set It Off. It was released on September 24, 1996 by Eastwest Records and featured production from several of hip hop and R&B's top producers such as Organized Noize, DJ U-Neek and DJ Rectangle... (Various Artists) |
|
| Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances... |
Chaka Khan, Meshell Ndegeocello | "Never Miss The Water" | Epiphany: The Best Of Chaka Khan, Volume One Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 a.k.a. I'm Every Woman: The Best of Chaka Khan is a compilation album of recordings by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan first released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1996. Although the compilation, which reached #22 on Billboards R&B chart and #84... |
||
| Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances... |
Luke Cresswell, Fiona Wilkes, Carl Smith, Fraser Morrison, Everett Bradley, Mr. X, Melle Mel, Coolio, Yo-Yo, Chaka Khan, Charlie Wilson, Shaquille O'Neal, Luniz | "Stomp Stomp! "Stomp!" is a song released by The Brothers Johnson in 1979. It reached number one on the Dance singles chart.. It reached number one on the R&B singles chart and peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1980. It was a bigger success in the UK, where it peaked at number 6 on the... " |
Q's Jook Joint (Quincy Jones) | ||
| 1996 | Best Song Written Specifically For A Motion Picture Or Television Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media The Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media has been awarded since 1988 and is awarded to songs written for films, television, video games or other visual media... |
Bruce Hornsby, Chaka Khan | "Love Me Still" | Clockers – Soundtrack (Various Artists) | |
| 1993 | Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs... |
Chaka Khan | The Woman I Am The Woman I Am The Woman I Am is the eighth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1992. It was Khan's first studio album since 1988's CK and due to artistic differences between Khan and Warner Bros. Records it was also to be her final full-length release for the... |
||
| 1991 | Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances... |
Ray Charles, Chaka Khan | "I'll Be Good To You I'll Be Good to You "I'll Be Good to You" is a 1976 hit song by R&B duo The Brothers Johnson. George Johnson, one of the two Johnson brothers in the band, wrote the song after deciding to commit to a relationship with one woman, instead of dating several at a time. While George was recording a demo for the song,... " |
Back On The Block Back on the Block Back on the Block is a 1989 studio album produced by Quincy Jones. It features many famous and important musicians and singers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Joe Zawinul, Ice-T, Big Daddy Kane, Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Luther Vandross, Dionne Warwick, Barry White,... (Quincy Jones) |
|
| 1987 | Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs... |
Chaka Khan | Destiny Destiny (Chaka Khan album) Destiny is the sixth studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1986.Destiny was Khan's follow-up to the platinum-selling I Feel for You and was as high tech as its predecessor - symptomatically and characteristically for its period with more producers... |
||
| 1986 | Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs... |
Chaka Khan | I Feel For You I Feel for You (album) I Feel for You is the Platinum certified fifth solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1984.-Overview:... |
||
| 1985 | Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs... |
Chaka Khan | "I Feel For You I Feel for You "I Feel for You" is a song written by Prince that originally appeared on his 1979 self-titled album. It became a hit single in 1984 for female R&B singer Chaka Khan, appearing on her album, which was also called I Feel for You... " |
I Feel For You I Feel for You (album) I Feel for You is the Platinum certified fifth solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1984.-Overview:... |
|
| 1984 | Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs... |
Chaka Khan | Chaka Khan Chaka Khan (1982 album) Chaka Khan is the eponymous fourth solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1982.- Overview :... |
||
| Best Vocal Arrangement For Two Or More Voices Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices The Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices was awarded from 1977 to 1986. From 1977 to 1981 it was called the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices... |
Arif Mardin, Chaka Khan | "Be Bop Medley" | Chaka Khan Chaka Khan (1982 album) Chaka Khan is the eponymous fourth solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1982.- Overview :... |
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| Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances... |
Rufus | "Ain't Nobody Ain't Nobody "Ain't Nobody" is a 1983 hit single by Rufus & Chaka Khan. It was released as a studio bonus track on the band's live album Stompin' at the Savoy. It reached number one on the U.S. R&B chart and twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart... " |
Stompin' At The Savoy – Live Stompin' at the Savoy - Live Stompin' at the Savoy – Live is an album by American R&B/funk band Rufus, , released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1983.... |
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| 1983 | Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality jazz vocal performances... |
Chaka Khan | Echoes Of An Era Echoes of an Era Echoes of an Era is an album by American R&B/jazz singer Chaka Khan with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Lenny White, released in 1982 on Elektra Records.... |
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| 1982 | Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs... |
Chaka Khan | What Cha' Gonna Do For Me | ||
| 1979 | Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs... |
Chaka Khan | "I'm Every Woman I'm Every Woman "I'm Every Woman" is a hit song recorded by Chaka Khan in 1978. It was Chaka Khan's first hit outside of her recordings with funk band Rufus; the song was included on her platinum debut solo album Chaka. Produced by Arif Mardin and written by successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie... " |
Chaka Chaka (1978 album) Chaka is the debut solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1978.- Overview :Two singles were released from Chaka, the first being her anthemic solo debut "I'm Every Woman", one of Khan's signature tunes alongside "Ain't Nobody" and "I Feel... |
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| 1978 | Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances... |
Rufus | Ask Rufus Ask Rufus -Personnel:*Chaka Khan – lead vocals, background vocals*Tony Maiden – guitar, background vocals*Kevin Murphy – keyboards, background vocals*Bobby Watson – bass, background vocals*André Fischer – drums, background vocals... |
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| 1975 | Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances... |
Rufus | "Tell Me Something Good Tell Me Something Good "Tell Me Something Good" is a song by Rufus and Chaka Khan, released in 1974. It was a big hit peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, though it didn't chart in the United Kingdom. Written by Stevie Wonder, the song is among the earliest hits to use the guitar talk box. The single... " |
Rags To Rufus Rags to Rufus -Personnel:*Chaka Khan – lead vocals, background vocals*Dennis Belfield – background vocals, bass*André Fischer – drums, percussion, background vocals*Kevin Murphy – organ, clavinette, background vocals... |
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BET Awards
- 2006 BET Lifetime Achievement AwardBET AwardsThe BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
(Recipient) - 2008 BET AwardsBET AwardsThe BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
: BET Awards (nominated)nominated
Soul Train Awards
- 1998 Lena Horne Award (Career Achievement)Soul Train Music AwardsThe Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...
(Recipient) - 2009 Legends Award (Career Achievement)Soul Train Music AwardsThe Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...
(Recipient)
American Music Award nominations
To date, she has had four American Music Award nominations. Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Tina Turner) Favorite Female Video Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Tina Turner) Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Stephanie Mills) Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Diana Ross)References:
External links
- Chaka Khan official website
- Chaka Khan Foundation
- Chaka Khan at Wenig-Lamonica Associates