In 1978, Khan recorded her highly-orchestrated
Arif Mardin-produced disco smash hit "
I'm Every Woman" (#1 R&B and #21 Pop, and a bigger Pop hit over a decade later for
Whitney Houston), from the album
Chaka.
Chaka proved to be a significant hit on the strength of the single (which was composed by Ashford & Simpson) however, Khan's success was somewhat tempered by her public rivalry with the remaining members of Rufus, to whom she was contractually bound for two more LPs.
As a solo artist, Khan recorded backing vocals for
Ry Cooder's 1979 effort "Bop Till You Drop," then cut her second album, 1980s
Naughty, a minor hit on the R&B charts, which featured 'Clouds' (also by Ashford & Simpson), 'Move Me No Mountain', and other songs that displayed Chaka's range as a singer. The 'Naughty' album also featured
Luther Vandross, Cissy Houston, and a young
Whitney Houston singing background vocals.
Her next album,
What Cha' Gonna Do for Me ?, was a gold seller and included at least two hit singles on Billboard's R&B Singles chart, including the title song (which topped the R&B chart and made #53 Pop). Chaka's 'Night In Tunisia (The Melody Remains The Same)' is also a timeless classic (featuring
Dizzy Gillespie &
Herbie Hancock) from the album, which has Chaka hitting 'notes that aren't in the book' (according to her legendary producer Arif Mardin).
In 1982, Warner Brothers released the Arif Mardin produced 'Chaka Khan' album. This album featured the single 'Tearin It Up', as well as Chaka's reading of
Michael Jackson's 'Got To Be There'. 'Slow Dancin' (a duet with
Rick James) was also featured, but her 'Be Bop Medley' won the Diva a Grammy Award, as well as praise from jazz legend
Betty Carter, who praised Chaka for her improvisational skills. 'Chaka Khan' was critically acclaimed, but it was not the huge hit that Warner Brothers wanted. The CD edition of 'Chaka Khan' is a rare collector's item because Warner Brothers refuses to release it in the United States. Fans can expect to pay almost $100.00 for mint CDs imported from Japan.
In 1981, she appeared on two songs on
Rick Wakeman's thematic album
1984.
According to the 'Chaka's World' website, Chaka was originally scheduled to duet on Tom Browne's hit "Funkin' For Jamaica" and
Dennis Edwards' hit "Don't Look Any Further" (which he went on to perform with
Siedah Garrett). She also recorded the song "
Addicted to Love" with
Robert Palmer. Her vocals were later removed after her management refused to allow its release.
