Chaka Khan – Queen of Funk

Born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23, 1953, Chaka Khan was born into an artistic and bohemian household in Chicago's rough South Side housing projects. Khan has described her father as a beatnik and her mother as "able to do anything." She attributed her love of music to her grandmother, who introduced her to jazz as a child. Khan became a fan of rhythm and blues music as a preteen and at eleven formed a girl group, the Crystalettes.

Although she joined the Black Panther Party in the 1960s, her true love was in her music. She left the party and dropped out of school in 1969 and began to perform around Chicago, first with a group called Lyfe and then on her own. It was while performing alone that she met the group Rufus and ended up replacing their singer Paulette McWilliams.

Rufus’s breakout hit was “Tell Me Something Good,” produced by Stevie Wonder. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the group it’s first Grammy. 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. From 1974 to 1979, Rufus released six platinum-selling albums.

In 1978 Khan released her debut album, Chaka. It featured her disco-crossover hit, “I’m Every Woman.” The success of the single helped the album go platinum. After her first solo success, she spent a lot of time collaborating with multiple artists on multiple projects, even teaming back up with Rufus for a few albums. It was from this final stint with Rufus that we received the hit “Ain’t Nobody.” The band separated for good afterward.

In 1984, Khan released her sixth studio album, I Feel for You. The title track, the first single released, was originally written and recorded by Prince in 1979.  Khan's version featured a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder and an intro rap by Grandmaster Melle Mel. It became a million-selling smash in the U.S. and United Kingdom and helped to relaunch Khan's career. "I Feel for You" topped not only the U.S. R&B and dance charts, but achieved great success on the U.S. pop chart and reached No. 1 in the U.K. Other singles which helped I Feel For You go platinum included "This is My Night" and the ballad "Through the Fire."

The Chaka Khan Foundation educates, inspires and empowers children in our community to achieve their full potential by giving children who are at risk, either through poverty or through health issues like autism, the ability to achieve their dreams and give back to the community.

Khan was the first R&B artist to have a crossover hit featuring a rapper, with "I Feel for You" in 1984. Khan has won ten Grammys and has sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide. On May 19, 2011, Khan was presented with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star plaque on a section of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Chaka Khan created her separate success away from Rufus and influenced many of today’s artists such as Mary J. Blige and Erykah Badu to Kanye West. To this day, Chaka Khan remains one of the most prominent figures in funk.