I'm every woman / (same) (Warner Brothers 12"
PRO-A-762, 1978) Life is a dance (Warner Brothers 12" PRO-A-787, 1979)
Clouds (Warner Brothers 12" PRO-A-862, 1980) Papillon (Warner Brothers
12" PRO-A-883, 1980) Get ready, get set (Warner Brothers 12"
PRO-A-909, 1980)
Chaka Khan
b. Yvette
Marie Stevens, 23 March 1953, Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Illinois,
USA. Having sung with several Chicago club bands, including Lyfe, Lock And
Chains and Baby Huey And The Babysitters, Chaka Khan became acquainted with
Ask Rufus, a group formed from the remnants of hit group the American Breed.
When Khan replaced original singer, Paulette McWilliams, the line-up
truncated its name to Rufus and as such released a succession of superior
funk singles. Khan’s stylish voice was the group’s obvious attraction
and in 1978 she began recording as a solo act. ‘I’m Every Woman’
topped the US R&B chart that year while subsequent releases, ‘What Cha’
Gonna Do For Me’ (1981) and ‘Got To Be There’ (1982), consolidated
this position. However, a 1984 release, ‘I Feel For You’ established the
singer as an international act when it reached number 2 in the US and number
1 in the UK pop charts. This exceptional performance was written by Prince
and featured contributions from Stevie Wonder and Grandmaster Melle Mel. It
not only led to a platinum-selling album, but also won a Grammy for Best
R&B Female Performance. Khan has since continued to forge a successful
career, working with David Bowie, Robert Palmer and duetting with Steve
Winwood on his international smash, ‘Higher Love’. In 1985 she enjoyed
two Top 20 UK chart entries with ‘This Is My Night’ and ‘Eye To Eye’,
while four years later a remix of ‘I’m Every Woman’ reached the Top 10
in the UK.
Albums: Chaka (1979), Naughty[1980]
What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me (1981),Chaka Khan(1982), I
Feel For You (1984), Destiny[1986]CK
(1988), Life Is A Dance.. The
Remix Project (1989), The Woman I
Am (1992).