Yvette Marie Stevens, better known by her stage name Chaka Khan, is an American singer. Known as the "Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. With the band she recorded the notable hits "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Do You Love What You Feel" and the platinum-certified "Ain't Nobody". Her debut solo album featured the number-one R&B hit "I'm Every Woman". Khan scored another R&B charts hit with "What Cha' Gonna Do for Me" before becoming the first R&B artist to have a crossover hit featuring a rapper, with her 1984 cover of Prince's "I Feel for You". More of Khan's hits include "Through the Fire" and a 1986 collaboration with Steve Winwood that produced a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, "Higher Love".
Rufus is an American funk band from Chicago best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits during 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; they had 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.
Rags To Rufus is the gold-selling second studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1974. It reached number 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.
Naughty is the second solo album by American R&B and funk singer Chaka Khan, released on Warner Bros. Records in 1980.
Chaka Khan is the fourth solo album by American singer Chaka Khan. It was released on the Warner Bros. Records label on November 17, 1982. Khan worked with frequent collaborator Arif Mardin on the album, who would produce all the tracks on Chaka Khan. The "Be Bop Medley" won the pair Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices at the 26th awards ceremony.
Chaka is the debut solo album by American singer Chaka Khan. It was released on October 12, 1978, through Warner Bros. Records. Following the release of the Chaka album, Khan reunited with Rufus for the recording of 1979's Masterjam, produced by Quincy Jones. Her second solo album Naughty followed in 1980.
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.
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, featuring Chaka Khan, on the ABC Records label in 1974, their second album release that year. The album peaked at number 7 on the Billboard album chart the week ending March 1, 1975.
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.
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. In 2020, it was ranked number 499 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Numbers is the seventh studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1979. It was the band's first album without Chaka Khan on lead vocals. Instead, band members Tony Maiden and David "Hawk" Wolinski shared lead vocal duties, with additional female leads by Helen Lowe and Maxayne. The album reached #15 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart, #81 on Pop and included the single release "Keep It Together ".
Masterjam is the platinum-selling eighth studio album by funk band Rufus. Released in 1979, it was their debut on the MCA Records label following their purchase and dissolution of ABC Records.
Party 'Til You're Broke is the ninth studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the MCA Records label in 1981. Party 'Til You're Broke which was the band's second album not to be fronted by Chaka Khan reached number 24 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and number 73 on Pop and included the singles "Tonight We Love" and "Hold on to a Friend", making Party 'Til You're Broke the most successful Khan-less album from Rufus.
Camouflage is the tenth studio album by funk band Rufus, released on the MCA Records label in 1981. Camouflage peaked at number 15 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and stalled at number 98 on Pop. The album includes the singles "Sharing the Love" and "Better Together".
Seal in Red is the eleventh and final studio album by funk band Rufus, their debut on the Warner Bros. Records label, released in 1983. Seal in Red, which was the band's third album to be recorded without Chaka Khan, peaked at number 49 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and included the single "Take It to the Top".
"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.
Blam! is the third album by the Los Angeles-based duo the Brothers Johnson. Released in 1978, the album topped the Billboard R&B albums chart and reached number seven on the pop albums chart.
