Chaka Khan (real name: Yvette Stevens) grew up in a musical family in a poor neighborhood of Chicago. She did not finish high school, but sang in various bands. With the funk band Rufus she broke through to a large audience. That group was particularly successful especially at the end of the seventies. In 1978, Chaka released her first solo album penalty I'm Every Woman instantly a huge disco hit.
In the eighties and nineties, the singer also romped with jazz (the album Echoes Of An Era) hiphop (including in collaboration with rapper Guru) and R & B.more