With powerhouse pipes that are a raw force of nature, Chaka Khan was born to wail. So it’s hard to imagine that she wasn’t the first choice to be the female voice of Rufus when the influential, interracial funk band made its self-titled debut 50 years ago.
“When I started with Rufus, Paulette McWilliams had quit. She decided to quit and go solo in the business,” says Khan of her “sister” in the Chicago music scene.
But in a serendipitous twist, McWilliams recommended Khan as her replacement. “And I said, ‘Oh, this is my chance!’ because I really wanted to play with that band. I’d seen them a lot, and they’d seen me a lot. So I happily joined the group pretty quick.”
Five decades later — after going from the fierce frontwoman of Rufus (on hits such as “Sweet Thing” and “Once You Get Started”) to fulfilling her solo destiny with the 1978 anthem “I’m Every Woman” — Khan will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Nov. 3.
And having been nominated seven times before — four times with Rufus and three times as a solo artist — in the performer category, her Musical Excellence Award is overdue recognition for the Queen of Funk.
But as one of the most important and impactful R&B divas of her generation, Khan, 70, is keeping it all in perspective. “I don’t live for prizes or trophies,” the 10-time Grammy winner tells Alexa. “That’s not why I do what I do. I do what I do because I have to, you know what I’m saying? God gave me this gift to use. It’s not a competition.”
In 1975, Khan had her breakout hit with Rufus, “Tell Me Something Good,” which Stevie Wonder wrote for her. “He wrote a few songs that I didn’t like, and I asked him for something else,” she recalls. “And finally, he said to me, ‘What’s your birth sign?’ I said, ‘Aries.’ And he said, ‘Oh, I know the song for you!’ ”
Wonder would also end up playing harmonica on Khan’s biggest solo hit, 1984’s “I Feel for You,” which was a groundbreaking mix of R&B and hip-hop, featuring rapper Melle Mel. But she was embarrassed about the MC’s repetition of her name in the song. “I love rap, but I never thought I’d be subject matter for any rapper,” she says with a laugh.
Khan would also develop a special relationship with Prince, who originally recorded and released “I Feel for You” in 1979. “We both influenced each other’s careers,” she says. “I influenced him while he was an up-and-coming artist; he used to tell me that all the time. And he influenced me. We fit musically very well. We did a great album together [1998’s ‘Come 2 My House’].”
No doubt Prince will be there in spirit when Khan performs during her rock-hall induction. “I’m gonna do what I do,” she promises. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”
With the band
While Chaka Khan got her big break with Rufus in the ’70s, she would ultimately outgrow the funk band and pursue a Grammy-winning solo career. “We were a democratic band where we would all vote on [decisions],” she says. “And then I felt that I was always getting outvoted on having to sing songs that I did not like.”
On repeat
Chaka Khan won her fifth of 10 Grammys for her biggest solo hit, “I Feel for You,” in 1985. But she wasn’t feeling rapper Melle Mel repeating her name throughout the song. “I didn’t like that by any means,” she says. “Maybe you could say it just once, please.”
Music royalty
Not only did Prince write and originally release “I Feel for You” in 1979 — which Khan completely owned with her hip-hop makeover in 1984 — but she collaborated with the Purple One on her 1998 “Come 2 My House” LP that was released on his NPG Records. “We did that album in two weeks,” she says.
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