Producer Chaka Khan

Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens; March 23, 1953) is an American singer and composer who gained fame in the 1970s as thefrontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career. Her signature hits, both with Rufus and as a solo performer, include "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Ain't Nobody", "I'm Every Woman", "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire".Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens in 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised in Chicago's rough Southside projects, Khan was the eldest of five children to Charles Stevens and Sandra Coleman. Her sister Yvonne Stevens later became a successful musician in her own right under the name Taka Boom. Her only brother Mark Stevens, who formed the funk group Aurra, also became a successful musician. She has two other sisters, Kathleen Burrell and Tammy McCrary, who is her current manager.^[1] Unlike many of her musical contemporaries, Khan was raised as Roman Catholic. Khan attributed her love of music to her grandmother, who introduced her to jazz music as a child. Khan became a fan of R&B music as a preteen and at eleven formed her first all-female singing group the Crystalettes, which also included her sister Taka. In the late 1960s, Khan and her sister formed the vocal group Shades of Black and joined the Black Panther Party after befriending fellow member, activist and Chicago native Fred Hampton in 1967.^[2] While a member, she was given a name change to Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi by an African shaman. In 1969, she left the Panthers, dropped out of high school, having attended Calumet High School, and married Indian bassist Hassan Khan in 1970; Khan later said she married Hassan to sign a recording contract. After this marriage ended, Khan kept her ex-husband's surname as a stage name. Khan briefly sung lead for her ex's band Lyfe, before she replaced the late Baby Huey as a member of the rock-soul group, the Babysitters, before the group disbanded in 1971. Khan then was contacted by friend Paulette McWilliams to replace her in the rock/soul ensemble Ask Rufus, a group formed by The American Breed members Kevin Murphy and Al Ciner. Alongside Andre Fischer, whom she met while performing in Chicago, and Ron Stockert, they would join the group in 1972 and the band shortened its name to simply Rufus. The band relocated to Los Angeles and soon got a deal with ABC. Khan was nineteen at the time of the band's signing to the label.