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Chaka Khan biography

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Chaka Khan is an American singer and composer who gained international fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman of the band Rufus.

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Synopsis

Known for her powerful voice and curly hair, Chaka Khan first exploded on to the music scene in the 1970s. While active in the black power movement, she changed her name. While with the band Rufus, she wrote their 1975 number one hit, "Sweet Thing." Although she continued to make music during the 80s, her popularity declined. She moved to London in the 90s and continues to put out music and act.

Early Singing Career

Singer, songwriter. Born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois. Known for her powerful voice, her great volume of curly hair, and her charismatic stage presence, Chaka Khan first exploded on to the music scene in the 1970s. She formed her first group, the Crystalettes, with her sister Yvonne when she was only 11 years old. Some of Khan's early musical heroines included Billie Holiday and Gladys Knight. The sisters later became involved in the Affro-Arts Theater and started another musical group known as The Shades of Black.

In 1969, Khan became active in the black power movement, joining the Black Panther Party and working on the organization's free breakfast program for children. Around this time, she took on a new name: Chaka Adunne Aduffe Yemoja Hodarhi Karifi. She also said good-bye to her formal education, dropping out from high school.

In the early 1970s, after performing with a few other groups, Khan joined the band Rufus, which had a strong R&B and funk sound. The world got its first taste of Khan’s powerhouse vocals when the group released its first self-titled album in 1973, which spawned such modest hits as "Whoever's Thrilling You" and "Feel Good." The follow-up album, Rags to Rufus (1974), was a smash commercially and critically. Stevie Wonder penned the hit single, "Tell Me Something Good," for them, which sold more than a million copies. The group also scored a Grammy Award for best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus for the song in 1974.

Rufus, which was renamed Rufus featuring Chaka Khan and then Rufus & Chaka, continued to have a number of successes over the coming years. Khan helped write their number one hit, "Sweet Thing," climbed to the top of the charts in 1975. Later hits included "Do You Love What You Feel" and "Ain’t Nobody."


Success as a Solo Artist

While she recorded with Rufus until the early 1980s, Chaka made an impressive debut as a solo artist in the late 1970s. In 1978, she released Chaka, which featured the hit "I’m Every Woman," which was written by Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. In an odd twist of synchronicity, she won two Grammy Awards as a solo artist and one as a member of Rufus in 1983.

The next year, however, Chaka the solo artist reigned supreme. Covering a Prince song, she reached the top of the R&B, hip-hop, and dance charts with "I Feel for You." Featuring one of the most famous rap cameos of all time by Mel Melle, the infectious track incorporated elements of rap, R&B, and electronic dance music. It also won her another Grammy Award in 1984. Other hits from the album included "This Is My Night" and "Through the Fire."

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