Singer Chaka Khan walks on the runway wearing a Chris March design at The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection 2012 Fashion Show at Hammerstein Ballroom on February 8, 2012, in New York City.
The energetic soul diva Chaka Khan will be celebrating her Mother’s Day in Port-of-Spain this year. Khan, who found fame in the disco-infused eras of the 70s and 80s, will be the feature act on May 12, at a show dubbed Every Woman. You’d be hard pushed to find someone who hasn’t heard of Chaka Khan. Her music has been performed around the world for decades and covered by scores of other artists, keen to follow in her footsteps. Her wacky hairstyle and huge grin have never disappeared over the years and she has always captured the essence of uplifting, foot-tapping sounds that one and all can sing along to. Queen of all genres, be it blues, jazz, folk, rock, hip-hop and more, Khan has fans across the whole musical spectrum. 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 first self-titled album in 1973, which spawned such modest hits as Whoever’s Thrilling You and Feel Good. The follow-up album, Rags to Rufus (1974), was a smash commercially and critically. Stevie Wonder penned the hit single, Tell Me Something Good, for them, 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 in 1974. While she recorded with Rufus until the early 1980s, Chaka made an impressive debut as a solo artist in the late 1970s. In 1978, she released Chaka, which featured the hit I’m Every Woman, which was written by Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. In an odd twist of synchronicity, she won two Grammy Awards as a solo artist and one as a member of Rufus in 1983. The next year however, Chaka, the solo artist, reigned supreme. Covering a Prince song, she reached the top of the R&B, hip-hop and dance charts with I Feel for You. Featuring one of the most famous rap cameos of all time by Mel Melle, the infectious track incorporated elements of rap, R&B, and electronic dance music. It also won her another Grammy Award in 1984. Other hits from the album included This Is My Night and Through the Fire.
In 2002, Chaka Khan scored her eighth Grammy Award—she has ten in all—this time for her cover of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On with the Funk Brothers. The next year, she 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 that, “I think a big part of my drug thing was escaping from those feelings.” Khan is currently one of the nominees for the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The 27th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held in Cleveland on April 14. The show in Trinidad promises to be one fill with the energy and soul that Khan is famous for, with her live band and massive stage show.
