Known for her powerful voice and curly hair, Chaka Khan first exploded
on to the music scene in the 1970s. While active in the black power movement,
she changed her name. While with the band Rufus, she wrote their 1975 number
one hit, "Sweet Thing." Although she continued to make music during
the 80s, her popularity declined. She moved to London in the 90s and continues
to put out music and act.
27th Grammy Awards I feel for you by Chaka Khan and Grand Master Mel Mel
Singer, songwriter. Born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23, 1953, in
Chicago, Illinois. Known for her powerful voice, her great volume of curly
hair, and her charismatic stage presence, Chaka Khan first exploded on to the
music scene in the 1970s. She formed her first group, the Crystalettes, with
her sister Yvonne when she was only 11 years old. Some of Khan's early musical
heroines included Billie
Holiday and Gladys
Knight. The sisters later became involved in the Affro-Arts
Theater and started another musical group known as The Shades of Black.
In 1969, Khan became active in the black power movement, joining the
Black Panther Party and working on the organization's free breakfast program
for children. Around this time, she took on a new name: Chaka Adunne Aduffe
Yemoja Hodarhi Karifi. She also said good-bye to her formal education, dropping
out from high school.
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.
Rufus, which was renamed Rufus featuring Chaka Khan and then Rufus &
Chaka, continued to have a number of successes over the coming years. Khan
helped write their number one hit, "Sweet Thing," climbed to the top
of the charts in 1975. Later hits included "Do You Love What You
Feel" and "Ain’t Nobody."
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."
Although she continued to make music, Khan saw her popularity decline in
the late 1980s and 1990s. Her albums may not have been selling as much as they
had previously, she was still
producing critically acclaimed music. She won a Grammy Award in 1990 for her
duet with the legendary Ray Charles on "I’ll
Be Good to You" and another one in 1992 for "The Woman I am”.
In the early 1990s, she left the United States for London to have a
better environment to raise her two children. Her daughter Milini was born in
1973 and her son Damien was born in 1979. While there, she branched out into
acting, appearing as Sister Carrie in the musical Mama, I Want to Sing.
Near the end of the decade, she established the Chaka Khan Foundation, which
provides education programs to at-risk children and helps low-income families
with autistic children.
In 2002, Chaka Khan scored her eighth Grammy Award—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." She also revealed that she had a history of bad luck when it
came to relationships.
With her life on track, Khan experimented with different musical styles.
She did an album of standards with the London Symphony Orchestra entitled ClassiKhan
in 2004. That same year, Khan faced a personal tragedy. Her son Damien was
arrested and charged with murder. He and a friend had been fighting in her home
when Damien accidentally shot him. Rallying her family together, Khan attended
the trial and testified on her son's behalf. He was found not guilty in 2006.
Making her first original recording in years, Khan returned to the
studio to make FunkThis (2007). The album features a
diverse mix of songs and guests. The ballad "Angel" came from a poem
she wrote while high years earlier. The up-tempo "Disrespectful"
paired Khan with one of her musical protégées, Mary J. Blige. On the cover
of "You Belong to Me," she sang with former member of the rock group
the Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald. She included a few more covers on the
album, including tracks by Prince, Jimi Hendrix, and Joni Mitchell.
In 2008 Chaka Khan appeared as Sofia in the Broadway musical The Color Purple,
based on the book by Alice Walker.
CAROL JIANI - THE GRAND DIVA OF DISCO WHO SHAPED THE DISCO ERA
Carol Jiani the grand diva of disco, well known for the biggest ever gay anthem from 1981, "Hit And Run Lover", which was so popular with D.J.s. For anyone who doesn't know, Carol is a deliciously outrageous, larger than life, African singer, who moved to Montreal and had a huge hit with "Hit And Run Lover". Her real name is Uchena Ikejiani. She then moved to England and worked with record producer Ian Levine. She signed to Record Shack to record "Vanity". After that she got a record deal with MCA records, and released " Such A Joy Honey ". Then came the song, " Turning My Back And Walking Away ", which was to have been her second single for MCA, and was indeed recorded for them. After that, we ended up doing a whole album, "The Best Of Carol Jiani" for Hot Records in Miami, and we re-recorded "Hit And Run Lover" as well as a great version of the Dells' old soul classic, " Make Sure You Have Someone Who Loves You ".
Carol Jiani's "Hit N Run Lover" became a long-running anthem within the '80s Hi-NRG scene, a song that never seemed to lose its appeal, particularly among the gay community. The song soared to the top of the disco chart in May 1981, and continued to be spun by DJs for years afterward and compiled on the occasional compilation CD. In the '90s, a few Jiani best-ofs surfaced, and many of her songs were re-released on vinyl.
Another of the 1980s Record Shack classics that people most remember. This song, "Vanity" was originally recorded by Barbara Pennington, who didn't want to release it, because she was determined to get away from High Energy and back to real soul, so we recorded it on Carol, and released it as a single on the Record Shack label.
Carol sang one of the key songs from the album, "Northern Soul 2007", which we released on Centre City Records and is still available to buy. Carol was reunited with producer extraordinaire Ian Levine, who first produced her music for Record Shack Records. Carol is a true Diva, she is still performing to this day, and in 2006 we made a brand new recording together, a version of France Joli's "Come To Me". But to this day, she is best known for this song.
London Guru: For those who may be a little unfamiliar with you, would you be so kind as to give our readers a quick snapshot of Carol Jiani the diva?
Uchenna Carol Ikejiani was born in Nigeria to an Igbo family. i moved from Nigeria to Montreal, Canada in the mid-1970s to study at Concordia University. In autumn 1977 i auditioned to appear on Joe La Greca's album Montreal. In early 1978 I recorded two tracks for the project, "If You Believe in Me" and "Higher and Higher". These were released on an EP, with credited under Uchenna Nigerian name Carol is my middle name. Glenn LaRusso of Salsoul Records convinced me to shorten my name from Uchenna Ikejiani to Carol Jiani to make it easier for North Americans to pronounce.
In 1980 i recorded two Sandy Wilbur-written pieces with La Greca, "Hit N Run Lover" and "All The People Of The World". "Hit N Run Lover" was remixed by San Francisco-based Moby Dick Records for their Gold Standard imprint and would become my signature song, peaking at number 4 on the US Billboard Club Play Singles chart in 1981. On the heels "Hit N' Run Lover's" success Matra Records commissioned a complete album, also titled Hit N' Run Lover. "The Woman in Me" was the album's second single but its B-side, the uptempo "Mercy" written by Pete Bellotte and Sylvester Levay which featured off-key horns, exceeded the A-side in popularity among DJs becoming another hit for me. "Mercy," the only track on the album not composed by Sandy Wilbur, was recorded earlier by Judy Cheeks.
A follow-up album, Ask Me was released the next year generating the singles "Ask Me," "X-Rated," and "You're Gonna Lose My Love". In 1982 i recorded vocals for "Get Up and Do It Again.
Carol Jiani – Turning My Back and Walking Away
London Guru: What’s something that people would never guess about you upon a first encounter?
Well for some strange reason people never believe that i am Nigerian not sure why hahahah they always say " You don't look it "hahahaha hey i am constantly trying to prove to people that i am a true full blooded Nigerian born in Nigeria hey i can sing we are worthy and yes indeed i am hahahahahaha
London Guru: How did you get into the music business, have you always known you wanted to be a singer?
Wow long story when i was young my dad had so many parties with lots of influencial people and Legends in the business King Sunny Ade, Fela kuti i grew up surrounded by music Nigerians love to party. Now i met my producer at Concordia University although i majored in drama i had so much music in me.......... from there it all began but really music saved my life music is a powerful tool i respect it and till the day i die the music will live on ...
London Guru: You grew up in Nigeria and Canada, what was life like for you growing up?
I grew up in Nigeria as a child we had great times really then Africa was great in the begining my parents moved to Canada and it was there really that things changed , my mum was stubborn she moved here to the U k and my dad ended moving his second wife i call it mistress.......... to Canada . She was most evil a typical cinderella story really as you can see my escape was music when my dad sent me away because i just did not get on with this evil woman i had to start performing in clubs to keep a roof over my head. My dad stopped supporting me because i fought hard defending my mothers rights after all my mum suffered from Manic Depression.. he let the family down now to make a long story short you can understand now why to me music is a most powerful tool it saw me through
London Guru: What’s life like behind the scenes, is there bits of the music industry you don’t like?
Lord behind the scene i am always in Diva mode for my sanity hahaha well when i started my career we worked hard for our classic's today music has changed and i do not like the politics behind the scene. Especially some of the booking agents that really do not understand the business ... the greed and not respecting the artist.. we need to get back to the way it was real talent and respecting the artist's. One last thing even when I am shopping at tesco i shop DIVA STYLE hahahahaha makeup and all for my DIVA NERVES hahahaha.
London Guru:You’ve just re-released dance classic “Hit and Run Lover” for its 30th anniversary and it’s already garnering lots of attention! I personally love it; I even caught myself humming the tune in the shower after listening to it. Can you tell us all a little about the process, and what it was like to create such a hit?
Yes indeed time flies hahaha the Hit and run lover Album was produced by Joe La Greca and the group Lime .. every instrument was played live just like the good old days cannot beat it.. It was amazing in the studio there was electric we had such passion in those days we loved every step. The trick live instrumentation happy days the song is a classic today because of an amazing melody and instrumentation. Real musicians that was the magic i was so young when i recorded the single and album but the music was great happy times we need to bring back the good old days...........
London Guru: How would you describe your music style?
In my early ears my music was disco that was how i started my career now i would say dance music ,House Music really but i love ballads and working on a special single for Nigeria this summer.
London Guru: Do you write your own songs? Or does your love for music exist more in the singing/performance realm of this business?
I write some of my songs indeed but my favorite time is recording and creating in the studio.
Carol Jiani - Work My Fingers To The Bone
London Guru:Are there any notable differences between working in the Europe especially the U.K and working in Canada?
I have to admit one is treated better in Canada the standard of living is better there really... saying that I love France they also have standards love working there too
London Guru: Who or what is your greatest muse?
My greatest inspiration comes from people that do great things TINA TURNER. My stumbling block became my stepping stone really...
London Guru: What was your experience like when you got your first opportunity in the music industry in Canada?
It was amazing remember i come from the old school the good old days of studio 54 ,i was lucky to have performed there in those days .. music was great then we had great melodies then how i wish we could bring back the good old days really.
Carol at Gay Pride Event
The Diva Perfoming
London Guru: What was in like working with Ian Levine when you moved to the UK?
It was amazing Ian Levine is a legend knows his music he comes from the good old days on MOTOWN and has worked with most of the legends at Motown records too. Brilliant to record with he is a character he is amazing period.
London Guru: What do you consider to have been the turning point in your artistic/creative path? Have you met anyone along the way that you’ve found to be particularly influential, encouraging, etc?
My experiences in life made me stronger i threw myself into my music, my vocals they became stronger more powerful as i got older. I watched the best at work and learn't from the best right now i am changing directions again i need to get back to my heritage so many Africans are suffering and we can use the music to win back the younger generation.... i have so many messages on facebook so many young people are hungry living on the streets back home so recording African friendly styles now so that i can go back home and establish myself back there and give back and help my people.
London Guru: What has been the highlight of your music career so far?
My classic "HIT AND RUN LOVER" and also when Freddy Mercury from Queen came to see me perform in Germany and performing at Studio 54
London Guru: You are mentioned on www.discomusic.comas one of the people who shaped disco music. How do you feel when you are recognised for having influenced music in such an important way?
It feels great i worked so hard and i was lucky to have walked with giants legends in this business , i am honored and i am most humble now do not laugh i often joke with my friends and say to them "I AM A LEGEND IN MY OWN TIME" hahaha i am touched really.
London Guru: Where would be your dream gig?
To perform at the White house.Aso Rock and also perform for my people in Nigeria for one night when we all come together as one.
London Guru: Can you tell people a little bit about your upcoming performances or concert dates, or where they might be able to find you in the coming months?
Darlings in the coming months i am concentrating on my t v show and also travelling to Nigeria to host a new t v show similar to NIGERIAN POP IDOL .Will be posting dates on my facebook page as they come in March 10th i will be in Cumbria for a charity show more details will be posted on my profile.
Carol on the Sporah Chat Show (1)
Carol on the Sporah Chat Show
London Guru:You have been offered a TV Chat show in the UK. How exciting tell us about that!
Yes so excited indeed the show is called "NOLLYWOOD TALKS" setting the standard with Nollywood and bringing you all the Red Carpet Events from Nollywood and also reviewing latest Nollywood films excited indeed COMING REAL SOON...................
London Guru: Why did you start the “Campaign for safer roads in Nigeria” and how has it been received so far by the authorities and the people?
I started the campaign because so many people were dying because of the bad roads in Nigeria but really it was when a Nigerian Recording Artist that i was to collaborate with died in a car accident his name was MC LOPH that really made me so angry and that was why i started the campaign things must change back home for the better we must deal with this mess and save lives.
London Guru: You have also been vocal about housing the homeless in Nigeria. How serious is the situation and how do you hope your campaign will change things?
It is serious back home people are leaving under bridges there is no welfare system back home it is a right that all human beings are housed.. this makes me sad this is a priority man is greedy and things must change. Well i own most of my master recordings and sales from my music will help towards building shelters .. that is why i have no time for politics in this business some of us are luck with our gifts we must give back to the society. Speaking to govt officials something must be done , we are all Gods children i am really stressed about this.
London Guru: How do you fit friends and relationships around your busy career?
Hahahahaha hey Carol Jiani is all about music most of my friends are in the business so we are all mad dear hahahahahahahah music , music music ,.....
London Guru: What do you do to de-stress and relax?
Red Wine and watching period drama's hahahaha
London Guru: Is there a item you carry with you that you can’t live without?
Don't laugh my mirror i need my mirror to remind me who i am when the world drives me insane hahahahah
London Guru: What music is on your ipod? (or other if not I-pod any other gadget....)
Always my all time favourite male recording Artist TEDDY PENDERGRASS listening now to "CLOSE THE DOOR"
LASTLY HERE IS OUR QUICK FIRE ROUND!
1. Favorite Food? ...............Chicken
2. Favorite TV show.......... Oprah Winfrey
3. Favourite book?............. Pride and prejudice by Jane Austen published in 1813
4. Fave celeb?.......................Tina Turner
5. Guilty pleasure ?.........................Fried Chicken Lord help me.
6. Shopaholic or sensible?.......................Shopasensible hahahahaha oh i love shopping Louis Vuitton HANDBAGS FOR DAYS......................
