Photo courtesy of the artist
With a career spanning five decades, Chaka Khan has embraced changing musical tastes. From her early work winning Grammys as the lead vocalist for the R&B group Rufus to her success with the first crossover hit to feature a rapper and in collaborations with a wide range of musicians Steve Winwood, Ry Cooder, De La Soul and Chicago, Khan has truly earned her name as the ‘Queen of Soul’.
Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Khan describes her Hyde Park neighborhood as “an island in the middle of the madness” . Her parents were supportive of music and three of the five children would go on to have professional careers in the industry.
Khan was playing in a local band when members of Rufus spotted her and asked her to join. The group caught the attention of musician Ike Turner who flew them out to Los Angeles to record at his studio. Turner wanted Khan to become an Ikette; she declined stating she was “really happy with Rufus. But Ike’s attention was certainly a boost.”
Chaka Khan started her solo career in parallel with Rufus, scoring her first hit with the disco tune “I’m Every Woman”, written for her by Ashford & Simpson. Rufus finally dissolved in 1983 but had one more hit with Khan before they were gone.
In 1984 Khan had her first million selling solo hit with “Feel For You”, written by Prince and featuring Stevie Wonder on harmonica. The track won the Best R&B song Grammy. To date Chaka Khan has won 10 Grammys and placed singles on the charts in four decades.
