(1953-)

Who Is Chaka Khan?

Born on March 23, 1953, in Great Lakes, Illinois, singer Chaka Khan achieved great success as part of the soul-funk band Rufus, delivering hits like “Tell Me Something Good,” “Sweet Thing” and “Hollywood.” She embarked on a solo career in the late ’70s and made waves on the charts again with tunes like “I’m Every Woman,” “I Feel for You,” “This Is My Night” and “Through the Fire.” A phenomenal vocalist, Khan has won numerous Grammy Awards.

Early Singing Career

Chaka Khan was 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, 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 include Billie Holiday and Gladys Knight. The sisters later became involved in the Afro-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 with 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 goodbye to her formal education, dropping out from high school.

Big Hits With Rufus

‘Rufus’

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 eponymous debut album in 1973, which spawned such modest hits as “Whoever’s Thrilling You” and “Feel Good.”

‘Rags to Rufus,’ ‘Tell Me Something Good’

The follow-up album, Rags to Rufus (1974), was a smash commercially and critically. Stevie Wonder penned for the band the hit single “Tell Me Something Good,” 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.

‘Sweet Thing,’ ‘Ain’t Nobody’

Rufus, which was renamed Rufus featuring Chaka Khan and then Rufus & Chaka Khan, continued to have a number of successes over the coming years. The band scored a Top 10 pop hit with the zestful “Once You Get Started,” and Khan helped write the single “Sweet Thing,” which climbed to the top of the R&B charts and was also a Top 5 pop hit. Later hits included the introspective ballad “Hollywood,” about the pitfalls of the famed locale, as well as the gleeful “Do You Love What You Feel” and the no-nonsense “Ain’t Nobody.”

Solo Albums and Songs

‘Chaka,’ ‘Naughty’

While she recorded with Rufus until the early 1980s, Khan debuted as a solo artist in the late 1970s. In 1978 she released Chaka, which featured the No. 1 R&B hit and empowerment anthem “I’m Every Woman,” written by Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Khan’s second solo album, 1980’s Naughty, offered the popular singles “Clouds,” also penned by Ashford and Simpson, and “Papillon (aka Hot Butterfly).” And in a twist of synchronicity, she won two Grammy Awards as a solo artist and one as a member of Rufus in 1983.

‘I Feel for You,’ ‘Through the Fire’

The next year, however, Chaka the solo artist reigned supreme. Covering a Prince song, she made major moves on the charts with “I Feel for You,” a Top 5 smash. Featuring one of the most famous rap cameos of all time by Melle Mel, the infectious track incorporated elements of rap, R&B and electronic dance music. It also won Khan another Grammy Award in 1984. Other hits from the album include “This Is My Night” and “Through the Fire.”

‘What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me’

During the 1980s and early ’90s, Khan established herself as a steady presence on the R&B charts with Top 20 hits like “What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me,” “Got to Be There,” “(Krush Groove) Can’t Stop the Street,” “It’s My Party,” “Love You All My Lifetime” and “You Can Make the Story Right.”

‘I’ll Be Good to You,’ ‘The Woman I Am’

Though the popularity of Khan’s albums eventually declined with shifting musical trends, she still put forth critically acclaimed music. She won another Grammy in 1990 for her duet with the legendary Ray Charles on “I’ll Be Good to You,” from Quincy Jones’ 1989 Back on the Block album, and another one in 1992 for The Woman I Am. Khan also became known for her contributions to the soundtracks for the films Clockers and Waiting to Exhale, both from 1995. Later in the decade, she released the well-received Prince-produced set Come 2 My House (1998).

‘What’s Going On,’ ‘ClassiKhan’

In 2002, Chaka Khan scored her eighth Grammy Award—this time for her cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” with the Funk Brothers. Experimenting with different musical styles, she released an album of standards with the London Symphony Orchestra, entitled ClassiKhan, in 2004.

‘Funk This’

Making her first original recording in years, Khan returned to the studio to create FunkThis (2007), a diverse mix of songs and guests. The ballad “Angel” came from a poem she wrote while high years earlier, while the uptempo “Disrespectful” paired Khan with one of her musical protégées, Mary J. Blige. And on the cover of “You Belong to Me,” she sang with Michael McDonald, a former member of the Doobie Brothers. She also included a few more remakes on the album, including tracks by Prince, Jimi Hendrix and Joni Mitchell.

‘Hello Happiness’

Khan returned to the airwaves in 2016 with the single “I Love Myself,” with portions of sales going to the domestic abuse organization Face Forward as well as STOMP Out Bullying. She also sang with two of her siblings on that year’s dance track “House of Love,” by FOMO. In 2018, Khan released “Like Sugar,” which became the first single from her 2019 album, Hello Happiness.

Theater and Book

While living in London in the 1990s, Khan branched out into acting, appearing as Sister Carrie in the musical Mama, I Want to Sing.

In 2003, the artist shared her life story with the world in her autobiography, Chaka! Through the Fire. In it, she detailed her career as well as her years of substance abuse. Chaka described the loneliness she felt while touring. She was often away from her two children, which only compounded her sadness and guilt. Chaka told JET magazine, “I think a big part of my drug thing was escaping from those feelings.” She also revealed that she had a history of bad luck when it came to relationships.

In 2008, Chaka Khan made her Broadway debut and appeared as the character Sofia in the musical The Color Purple, based on the book by Alice Walker.

Personal Life and Rehab

Twice married and divorced, Khan gave birth to daughter Milini in 1973 and son Damien in 1979.

Toward the end of the 1990s, she established the Chaka Khan Foundation, which provides education programs to at-risk children and helps low-income families with autistic children.

In 2004, Khan faced a personal tragedy when Damien was arrested and charged with murder. He and a friend had been fighting in her home when Damien accidentally shot the other man. Rallying her family together, Khan attended the trial and testified on her son’s behalf. He was found not guilty in 2006.

In July 2016, Khan announced that she and her sister Yvonne (aka Taka Boom) would be entering rehab due to prescription drug addictions, having been moved to do so after the overdose-related death of Prince.

“The tragic death of Prince has had us both rethinking and reevaluating our lives and priorities,” Khan said in an official statement. “We knew it was time to take action to save our lives. My sister and I would like to thank everyone for their support, love and prayers.”

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QUICK FACTS

• Name: Chaka Khan
• Birth Year: 1953
• Birth date: March 23, 1953
• Birth State: Illinois
• Birth City: Chicago
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Grammy Award-winning singer Chaka Khan, formerly with the band Rufus, has an array of hit songs like “I’m Every Woman,” “Ain’t Nobody” and “Through the Fire.”
• Industries
• Music
• Film
• Civil Rights
• Pop
• Theater and Dance
• Astrological Sign: Aries
• Occupations
• Songwriter
• Singer

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Chaka Khan Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/chaka-khan
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: September 11, 2020
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014