Jeni Watson
American singer and songwriter Chaka Khan has won 10 Grammy Awards. The band Rufus from the 1970s is noted for having Chaka Khan on lead vocals. Moreover, she is referred to as the Queen of Funk music. Khan’s title track from her 12th studio album Hello Happiness was made public on January 14, 2019.
Chaka Khan | Family and Education
Chaka Khan was born on March 23, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois, a city in the United States. She is a citizen of the United States and an Aries by birth. Sandra Coleman is her mother, while her father is Charles Stevens.
She grew raised in Hyde Park with her four siblings Taka Boom, Kathleen Burrell, Tammy McCrary, and Mark Stevens. She was the oldest of several siblings in her family.
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Currently, she is 69 years old. She is the sister of successful R&B and dance music artist Taka Boom. Mark Stevens is a musician and was formerly in the band with Aurra.
She completed her education at Saint Thomas the Apostle Church. In 1969, she left Kenwood High School and Calumet High School. She also went to Berklee College to study music.
Chaka Khan | Professional Life and Career
Khan was eleven years old when Chaka and her sister founded the female band Crystalettes. She received the name Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Kari when she was 13 years old from Yoruba Baba.
She began performing with Cash McCall’s group Lyfe, which also included her first husband, Hassan Khan. While she requested to join the group Baby Huey and the Babysitters, they broke up after only a year.
Working For Rufus Band
In 1972, she replaced Paulette McWilliams as the lead singer in the band Rufus. This band has the opportunity to record at musician Ike Turner’s Bolic Sound facility in Inglewood, California.
On the ABC Records label, they issued their self-titled debut album in 1973.
Stevie Wonder’s song Rufus Give Me Something Good was a hit and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974.
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They won a Grammy Award for this song. Between 1974 and 1979, Rufus released six albums that achieved platinum sales.
She and Rufus reconnected for the song Do You Love What You Feel from the album Masterjam. She performed with Tony Maiden as well.
Individual Career
After Khan signed a contract with Warner Bros. in 1978, Chaka, her debut solo album, and the first song I’m Every Woman, which was written by Ashford and Simpson, were both released.
She recorded three solo albums in the years 1981 and 1982.
Echoes of Era, Chaka Khan, and Whatcha Gonna Do for Me. The sixth studio album by Khan, I Feel for You, came out in 1984.
Her solo career reached its pinnacle with this album, which peaked at No. 1 in the UK.
The album spent 26 weeks and reached its highest position on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 3 in December 1984.
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It also achieved its highest point on the Cash Box chart and won the Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1985.
She released more albums in 1986 with Destiny, 1988 with CK, 1992 with The Lady I Am, 2004 with ClassiKhan, and 2007 with Funk This.
On February 15, 2019, she released Hello Happiness, her first album in twelve years.
In addition, Khan and Ariana Grande worked together in November 2019 on the song “Nobody” from the Charlie’s Angels soundtrack.
Achievements
Chaka has won eleven Grammys and is thought to have sold 70 million songs globally. She has received 22 Grammy nominations, three of them for her work with Rufus.
She also recorded two platinum albums, four gold singles, and four gold singles with Rufus.
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The soul singer/songwriter has also won several additional honors for her outstanding work in the music industry, including the coveted UNCF Award of Excellence, the BET and World Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Awards, and several more prizes.
On September 27, 2011, Khan and her former band Rufus received nominations for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Chaka Khan | Personal Life and Relationship
In 2001, Chaka Khan wed Doug Rasheed. Khan previously wed Richard Holland in 1976 and requested a divorce two years later.
When she was 17 years old, she wed Hassan Khan. They later got divorced after that. Damien Holland is a son, and she also has a daughter named Indira Milini Khan.
Her son Damien Patrick Holland killed Christopher Bailey, a 17-year-old rapper, on September 24, 2004. Holland shot Christopher with an M-16 assault weapon because he didn’t want him talking to his girlfriend.
Following a two-year jury trial, Khan and her son Holland paid Christopher’s family more than $1.3 million and were released in May 2006.
Chaka Khan | Net Worth and Salary
Khan has a net worth of about 30 million dollars. Her main source of income also comes from her singing career.
In addition, the average annual salary for musicians and artists in the US is around $39,000.
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Additionally, she makes even more money through her singing, endorsements, performances, and other activities.
Chaka Khan | Age and Body Measurements
Chaka has black hair and dark brown eyes. She is approximately 75 kg in weight and 5 feet 4 inches tall. In addition, her bodily measurements are not known.
Social Media
Instagram: 696K Followers
Facebook: 2.3M Followers
Twitter: 485K Followers
YouTube: 344K Subscribers
Frequently Asked Questions:
What was Wonder’s first song that he composed for Khan?
Things changed after Wonder himself joined the group to work on a song he had composed for Khan. The group’s first Grammy Award was given to that song, “Tell Me Something Good,” which went on to become their breakout smash and peak at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974.
When did Khan earn her P.h.D.?
During the inauguration of Berklee College of Music president Roger H. Brown in December 2004, Khan received an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the institution.
When did Khan become a member of Zeta Phi Beta?
Khan joined Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. as an honorary member in November 2020.
Quick Facts | Chaka Khan
| Full Name | Chaka Khan |
|---|---|
| Born Date | 23 Mar, 1953 |
| Age | 69 years |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Lucky Number | 8 |
| Lucky Stone | Diamond |
| Lucky Color | Red |
| Best Match for Marriage | Leo |
| Gender | Female |
| Profession | Singer, Songwriter |
| Country | United States of America |
| Height | 5 feet 4 inches (1.63m) |
| Marital Status | married |
| Husband | Doug Rasheed |
| Net Worth | $30M |
| Eye Color | dark brown eyes |
| Hair Color | black hair |
| Birth Place | Chicago, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Religion | Christian |
| Education | Berklee College |
| Father | Charles Stevens |
| Mother | Sandra Coleman |
| Siblings | 4 |
| Kids | 2 |
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