Rufus featuring Chaka Khan | ||||
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Studio album by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan | ||||
Released | November 18, 1975 | |||
Recorded | May–August 1975 | |||
Studio | The Record Plant (Los Angeles) Kendun Recorders (Burbank, California) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 38:46 | |||
Label | ABC | |||
Producer | Rufus | |||
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan chronology | ||||
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Singles from Rufus featuring Chaka Khan | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B [2] |
The New Rolling Stone Record Guide | [3] |
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan is the gold-selling fourth studio album by the funk band Rufus and Chaka Khan, released on the ABC Records label in 1975. It remained on top of the R&B album chart for six consecutive weeks.
By 1975, Rufus and lead front woman Chaka Khan had become one of the most popular bands in popular music.[ citation needed ] With their successful mixing of funk, rock, soul and jazz and the powerful vocals of 22-year-old Khan, the group had set themselves apart from similar groups such as The Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire. By now, the group's billing had changed. While they were just known as Rufus on their first two releases, after the success of "Tell Me Something Good", the media (and Rufus' label at the time, ABC Records) had recognized that Khan was the attraction of the group.
Khan's popularity was starting to usurp that of her bandmates. For example, on the album's back cover and inner sleeve, Khan is featured with her trademark hair and outfits, sitting on a lips-decorated couch. On the cover, an animated cover of lips, which appeared to emulate Khan's, gave the impression that Khan was the dominant member of the group. Khan also handled all the talk in interviews for the group and she was given solo covers on magazines such as Jet and EBONY. As they entered the studio to record their fourth album, Khan and Rufus remained a collaborative group together. Unlike their three previous albums, they only recorded one cover version - The Bee Gees' "Jive Talkin'", while other songs were handled by group members and outside collaborators including, most notably, Gavin Christopher.
Tony Maiden, who had joined the group in mid-1974, also wrote more for the album. Khan brought lyrics for three compositions including what became one of Rufus' biggest hits, the ballad "Sweet Thing", which Khan and Maiden co-wrote together. After its release, Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan repeated the success of the band's previous two albums, going gold (later platinum) with sales of one million copies in the United States. By the end of the album's promotion, tensions had grown between Khan and group member Andre Fischer. Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan was the band's first album to top Billboard's R&B Albums chart and also reached #7 on Pop. The album included the singles "Sweet Thing", their second #1 hit on the R&B Singles chart and also #5 hit on Pop, "Dance Wit Me" (US R&B #5, US Pop #39) and the Bee Gees cover "Jive Talkin'" (US R&B #35). According to Billboard Magazine, "Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan" was the best selling R&B album of 1976 on the Year-End Charts.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Fool's Paradise" | Gavin Christopher | 4:41 |
2. | "Have a Good Time" | Gavin Christopher | 3:20 |
3. | "Ooh I Like Your Loving" | Bobby Watson, Tony Maiden, Chaka Khan | 3:39 |
4. | "Everybody Has an Aura" | Gordon DeWitty | 3:48 |
5. | "Circles" | Tony Dulaine | 3:56 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "Sweet Thing" | Tony Maiden, Chaka Khan | 3:18 |
7. | "Dance Wit Me" | Gavin Christopher | 3:57 |
8. | "Little Boy Blue" | J. Farris | 5:02 |
9. | "On Time" (Instrumental) | Chaka Khan, Tony Maiden, Bobby Watson, Kevin Murphy, André Fischer | 3:31 |
10. | "Jive Talkin'" | Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb | 3:33 |
with:
Chart (1975–76) | Peak Position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [4] | 86 |
U.S. Billboard Top LPs [5] | 7 |
U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs | 1 |
and "Remind Me" by RBL Posse from the album "A Lesson to Be Learned"
Yvette Marie Stevens, better known by her stage name Chaka Khan, is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the "Queen of Funk", 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 Grammy Awards and has sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide.
Rufus is an American funk band from Chicago, Illinois, best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits throughout their career, including "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Do You Love What You Feel" and "Ain't Nobody". Rufus and Chaka Khan were one of the most popular and influential funk bands of the 1970s, with four consecutive number one R&B albums, ten top 40 pop hits and five number one R&B singles, among other accolades.
Gavin Christopher was an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician, and producer.
I Feel for You is the fifth solo studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1984.
"Tell Me Something Good" is a song by Rufus and Chaka Khan, written by Stevie Wonder and released in 1974. The single was a hit in the United States, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent one week at number one on the Cash Box Top 100. It was among the earliest hits to use the guitar talk box, by Tony Maiden.
Rags To Rufus is the gold-selling second studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1974. It reached #4 on both the Pop and Black Albums charts. It is notable for the hit singles "Tell Me Something Good", written by Stevie Wonder, and "You Got the Love", written by lead vocalist Chaka Khan and Ray Parker Jr. In 1975 "Tell Me Something Good" earned the band its first Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
"Sweet Thing" is a song performed by American funk and R&B band Rufus with vocals by band member Chaka Khan. As a single, it peaked number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1976. Mary J. Blige recorded her version, which charted in the United States and New Zealand in 1993.
Chaka Khan is the fourth solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1982.
Chaka is the debut solo album by singer Chaka Khan. It was released on October 12, 1978 through Warner Bros Record label.
Stompin' at the Savoy – Live is an album by American R&B/funk band Rufus with singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1983.
ck is the seventh studio album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1988.
Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 is a compilation album of recordings by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, first released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1996. Although the compilation, which reached #22 on Billboard's R&B chart and #84 on Pop, was given the "Vol. 1" tag, it remains without a sequel to date.
Rufus is the debut album by American R&B and funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1973 fronted by singers Chaka Khan and Ron Stockert. The album is notable for an upbeat rock/soul sound that would be replaced by a more heavy direction into funk and jazzy-styled recordings.
Rufusized is the gold-selling third studio album by funk band Rufus, on the ABC Records label in 1974, their second album release that year. The album peaked at #7 on the Billboard album chart the week ending March 1, 1975.
Ask Rufus is the platinum-selling fifth studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1977. The album spent three weeks atop the Billboard R&B Albums Chart in 1977.
Street Player is the sixth studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1978. Street Player was the band's third album to top Billboard's R&B Albums chart and also reached #14 on Pop. The album includes the singles "Stay" and "Blue Love".
Masterjam is the platinum-selling eighth studio album by funk band Rufus, their debut on the MCA Records label following their purchase and dissolution of ABC Records, released in 1979.
Camouflage is the tenth studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the MCA Records label in 1981. Camouflage peaked at #15 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and stalled at #98 on Pop. The album includes the singles "Sharing the Love" and "Better Together".
The Very Best of Rufus with Chaka Khan is a greatest hits album by funk band Rufus and singer Chaka Khan, originally released on the MCA Records label in 1982. The collection comprises ten of the group's biggest hits on the ABC/MCA labels, including "You Got the Love", "Sweet Thing", "At Midnight ", "Do You Love What You Feel", "Tell Me Something Good", "Stay", "Hollywood" and "Dance Wit Me".
"Once You Get Started" is a horn-driven funk number written by musician Gavin Christopher, and recorded and released by the band Rufus featuring Chaka Khan in late 1974. The song is led mostly by Khan, though fellow group member Tony Maiden contributed lead vocals for the song's second verse. It helped to make their third album Rufusized go platinum. "Once You Get Started", peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, giving the group their second top ten single and third top forty single overall. The song also hit number-four on the Hot Soul Singles chart as well as number six on the Record World, Disco File Top 20 chart.