The R&B star got her start as a member of band Rufus, and she wishes it had stayed that way.
Chaka Khan may be every woman, but she never wanted to be the only one.
The R&B superstar recently admitted to Rolling Stone that it was never her desire to be a solo artist. Khan began her career as a member of the band Rufus, and she would’ve preferred to keep it that way.
As Khan’s star rose, she began to be singled out on album covers for the band, leading to strife within the group. “We were having a great time as a group,” she said, “Everybody was getting along. Everything was fine. And I was enjoying it. It was fun. It was great. And it was just when they put my name out front , that’s when all the crap started. The trouble came, because they started focusing on me.”
Khan was a late addition to funk band Rufus. The band started their career in 1970, but she didn’t join until 1972, replacing Paulette McWilliams as a lead vocalist. Many of Khan’s early career successes were Rufus, including her recordings of “Tell Me Something Good” and “Ain’t Nobody.”
The Grammy winner also explained that she particularly felt bad to have the spotlight turned on her because she joined Rufus after they were already on the rise. “They were a band that had [already] been around for an and I felt really, I was thankful to be with a band like that, with a history,” she said. “And it was awkward for me, very awkward. I never did see myself as a solo artist.”
But go solo she did, releasing her debut album Chaka in 1978. Khan continued to collaborate with Rufus until they dissolved permanently in 1983.
She found immense success as a solo star, earning eight more Grammy Awards on top of the two she had won with Rufus and regularly topping music charts. Recently, Khan was honored with the Musical Excellence Award by the Rock & Roll Hall of Hame. She also released a new fragrance and is currently on tour celebrating 50 years in the recording industry.
