Artist of the Month:Chaka Khan

Alfonso Ribeiro AKA Carlton and Chaka Khan


Okay so you have been asking and I apologise for skipping last months artist of the month but the artist of the month will be Chaka Khan. I think there will never be another voice like this to ever grace the radio channel. The girl has been doing her thing for 20 years and still hits her notes!

Chaka Khan (born March 23, 1953) is an American singer known for her 1984 cover of Prince's "I Feel For You", for her smash hit "I'm Every Woman" and as a member of the funk band Rufus, with whom she recorded the legendary soul record "Ain't Nobody". In her career she has earned many accolades, including eight Grammy awards. Though regarded an R&B singer, she has in fact explored numerous musical genres including funk, disco, jazz, ballads, hip hop, adult contemporary, pop and blues standards.

Early life

Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens in Great Lakes, Illinois to Charles Stevens and Sandra Coleman. Her sister is dance music diva Taka Boom. She was raised on Chicago's South Side, and at the age of 11 formed her first group, the Crystalettes. While still in high school, she joined the Afro-Arts Theater, a group which toured with Motown great Mary Wells. A few years later, she adopted the African name "Chaka" while working as a volunteer on the Black Panthers' Free Breakfast for Children program, taking her name from the historical figures of either Chaka Bey or Shaka (Chaka) Zulu. Khan attended Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. After quitting high school in 1969, Chaka joined the group Lyfe, soon exiting to join another dance band, The Babysitters; neither enjoyed financial success, but her fortunes changed when she teamed with ex-American Breed member Kevin Murphy and Andre Fisher to form Rufus. In the meantime she had married bass guitarist Hassan Khan, hence her name became Chaka Khan.