Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens; March 23, 1953) is an American
singer and composer 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".
Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens in 1953 in Chicago, Illinois.
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.[1] 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.[2] 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 married Indian bassist Hassan Khan in 1970; Khan
later said she married Hassan to sign a recording contract. After
this marriage ended, Khan kept her ex-husband's surname as a stage
name. Khan briefly sung lead for her ex's band Lyfe, before she replaced
the late Baby Huey as a member of the rock-soul group, the Babysitters,
before the group disbanded in 1971. Khan then was contacted by friend
Paulette McWilliams to replace her in the rock/soul ensemble Ask
Rufus, a group formed by The American Breed members Kevin Murphy
and Al Ciner. Alongside Andre Fischer, whom she met while performing
in Chicago, and Ron Stockert, they would join the group in 1972 and
the band shortened its name to simply Rufus. The band relocated to
Los Angeles and soon got a deal with ABC. Khan was nineteen at the
time of the band's signing to the label.
[edit] Early career and success: 1973-1978
Main article: Rufus (band)
In 1973, Rufus released their self-titled 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 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.
[edit] Early solo career and final years with Rufus: 1978-1983
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 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.[3]
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.
[edit] Solo success: 1984-1996
In 1984, Khan released her sixth studio album, I Feel for You, 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. 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.[4]
[edit] Later career and current work: 1998-present
Khan in December 2010
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. 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. 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.[5]
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".
[edit] Personal life
Khan has been married three times and has two children. Khan married
her first husband, Hassan Khan, in 1970. They divorced in 1971. The
birth of Khan's daughter Milini was the result of a relationship
between Khan and a man named Rahsaan Morris.[6] In 1976, Khan married
Richard Holland. Their marriage produced a son, Damien, who was born
three years later. In 1980, the couple divorced. In 2001, Khan married
a third time to Doug Rasheed, although having an on and off relationship
with Donny Maxwell the owner of the now defunct production company
the Review Productions, which ended in divorce three years later.
Khan is also the grandmother of two. In 2006 Khan's 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.[7]
Khan has struggled with drug abuse, alcoholism and weight over the
years. She had addictions to heroin and cocaine, which she kicked
in the early nineties. After an on-again and off-again bouts with
alcoholism, in 2005, Khan declared herself sober. Though she sang
at both the 2000 Democratic and Republican conventions, Khan says
that she is more of a "Democratic-minded person".[8] In
1990, Khan emigrated to the United Kingdom where she had a steady
relationship. She splits her time between Los Angeles, Germany and
London but has been living mainly in London since 2006.
In a 2008 interview Khan said that she, unlike other artists, feels
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."[4]
[edit] Awards
[edit] 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 Chaka Khan Funk This Won
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals Chaka Khan,
Mary J. Blige "Disrespectful" Funk This Won
2007 Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals Chaka
Khan, Gerald Levert, Yolanda Adams, Carl Thomas "Everyday (Family
Reunion)" Madea's Family Reunion – Soundtrack (Various
Artists) Nominated
2003 Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance Chaka Khan, The Funk
Brothers "What's Going On" Standing In The Shadows Of Motown – Soundtrack
(Various Artists) Won
1998 Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Chaka Khan "Summertime" Porgy
And Bess (Joe Henderson) Nominated
1997 Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals Brandy, Tamia, Gladys Knight,
Chaka Khan "Missing You" Set It Off - Soundtrack (Various
Artists) Nominated
Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal Chaka Khan,
Meshell Ndegeocello "Never Miss The Water" Epiphany: The
Best Of Chaka Khan, Volume One Nominated
Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal 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" Q's Jook Joint (Quincy Jones) Nominated
1996 Best Song Written Specifically For A Motion Picture Or Television
Bruce Hornsby, Chaka Khan "Love Me Still" Clockers – Soundtrack
(Various Artists) Nominated
1993 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Chaka Khan The Woman
I Am Won
1991 Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal Ray Charles,
Chaka Khan "I'll Be Good To You" Back On The Block (Quincy
Jones) Won
1987 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Chaka Khan Destiny Nominated
1986 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Chaka Khan I Feel For
You Nominated
1985 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Chaka Khan "I Feel
For You" I Feel For You Won
1984 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Chaka Khan Chaka Khan
Won
Best Vocal Arrangement For Two Or More Voices Arif Mardin, Chaka
Khan "Be Bop Medley" Chaka Khan Won
Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal Rufus "Ain't
Nobody" Stompin' At The Savoy – Live Won
1983 Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female Chaka Khan Echoes Of An
Era Nominated
1982 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Chaka Khan What Cha'
Gonna Do For Me Nominated
1979 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female Chaka Khan "I'm
Every Woman" Chaka Nominated
1978 Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus Rufus
Ask Rufus Nominated
1975 Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus Rufus "Tell
Me Something Good" Rags To Rufus Won
[edit] BET Awards
2006 BET Lifetime Achievement Award (Recipient)
2008 BET Awards: BET Awards (nominated)nominated
[edit] Soul Train Awards
1998 Lena Horne Award (Career Achievement) (Recipient)
2009 Legends Award (Career Achievement) (Recipient)
[edit] United Negro College Fund Award
2011 UNCF: Award of Excellence (Recipient)
[edit] American Music Award nominations
To date, she has had four American Music Award nominations.
1985 Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee
only. Award recipient was Tina Turner)
1985 Favorite Female Video Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only.
Award recipient was Tina Turner)
1982 Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award
recipient was Stephanie Mills)
1981 Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award
recipient was Diana Ross)