9 Fun & Funky Facts About Chaka Kahn & Her Upcoming ‘The Queens’ Tour
Chaka Khan fans, your favorite singer wants to tell you something good. Very good.
The 10-time Grammy winner, who first found fame in the funk band Rufus, will soon head out on a brand-new arena tour, in addition to her current international solo tour. But that’s not all. Khan will be joined by her fellow R&B and soul goddesses Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle and Stephanie Mills. The 11-date first leg of “The Queens” tour launches May 9 in Las Vegas and wraps up in Indianapolis on June 1. The tour picks up again in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Sept. 19 and closes Oct. 5 in Cleveland.
“The Queens” tour — billed as “4 Legends. 1 Stage.” — promises music fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these ageless powerhouses perform some of R&B’s greatest songs all in a single night.
Khan announced the first leg of the tour on her Instagram, adding that she is “beyond excited to hit the road with three incredible women — @msgladysknight @mspattilabelle , and @iamstephaniemills — for a tour that will be nothing short of legendary! The Queens are bringing the music and the magic to a city near you.”
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Over the course of a career that has produced 22 albums, 10 Billboard No. 1 singles, 10 Grammys, eight certified gold albums, seven certified gold singles, two platinum albums and that platinum single, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and avowed Joni Mitchell fan has explored whatever musical genre captures her attention, penned her autobiography and even dabbled in acting. “I’ve got five generations in any given audience,” Khan — who dropped her newest single, the distinctly modern power anthem “Woman Like Me,” last summer — recently told Entertainment Tonight. “Five generations of people — and I think that’s significant.”
In honor of Khan’s six-decade career and her birthday on March 23, here are some fun facts about this iconic Every Woman.
1 Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi
Khan was born Yvette Stevens to bohemian parents in South Chicago and raised in a musical home. As kids, Khan and her sister performed in a local group called the Crystalettes, vying for talent show wins against the Emotions, who would later find fame with “Best of My Love” and “Boogie Wonderland.” Khan was given the name “Chaka” — or “Woman of Fire” — by a mystic when she was in her early teens.
2 Rags to Rufus
GAB Archive/Redferns
In 1972, 18-year-old Khan was spotted by members of a new group called Ask Rufus, whose female lead singer was planning to depart and suggested to Khan that she step in. With Khan onboard, Ask Rufus was shortened to just Rufus and caught the attention of Ike Turner, who invited the band out to Los Angeles to record at his studio. Turner was so enchanted with Khan that he invited her to become one of his Ikettes, but she turned him down.
3 She Didn’t Celie the Deal
Khan turned down the lead role of Celie in Steven Spielberg‘s iconic 1985 film adaptation of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, but played Sofia, the role originated by Oprah Winfrey, in a Winfrey-produced Broadway adaptation 23 years later.
4 I Think I Loooove You
Khan’s 1984 disco-tinged smash “I Feel for You” — forever known for Grandmaster Melle Mel chanting intro “ChakaChakaChakaChaka … Chaka Khan! Chaka Khan!” — was penned by then-rising star Prince, who recorded it himself (without that intro) in 1979. Prince idolized Khan so much that he had her likeness painted on a wall of his home, Paisley Park. “I Feel for You” featured the first rap verses ever recorded as part of an R&B tune, spent 26 weeks on the Billboard charts and earned Khan her fifth of 10 Grammys.
5 A Foundation of Giving
Khan and her sister Tina founded the Chaka Khan Foundation in 1999 when Tina’s son Tallon was diagnosed with autism. The foundation quickly became a major force in advocating for and funding autism research. In 2023, Khan and famed movie director David Lynch combined their foundations’ resources to champion wellness practices, especially for underserved youth.
6 That’s Definitely Her
Khan’s friendship with fellow soul legend Aretha Franklin began with a volley of insults, she told talk show host — and fellow belter — Jennifer Hudson.
Then in her ’20s, Khan encountered Franklin backstage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Noticing that the Queen of Soul avoided the higher end of her impressive vocal range during her performance, Khan got Franklin’s attention by boldly asking if she’d had enough sleep the night before. Khan said Franklin sized her up and sniffed, “You that girl my kids won’t take off the radio.” To which Chaka replied, “That’s probably me!”
“Sometimes, that’s how best friendships start,” Chaka told Hudson, “through insults!
7 Eight Ways From Sunday
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Though she is best known as the Queen of Funk, Khan was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2023. And she’d rather not get hung up on titles, noting that she has successfully performed and recorded gospel, R&B/soul, pop, rock, country, world music, dance and classical music.
8 Over the Rainbow
In 1999, Kahn took over vocals on the Reading Rainbow theme song from Tina Fabrique, whose version had been used since 1983.
9 Sweet Things
As a way to raise money for autism research, Khan came up with the idea of a line of handmade confections she called Chakalates in 2013. Offered up at Neiman Marcus and in the Grammy gifting lounge, the treats came in flavors such as macadamia nut, ginger and praline, and Jamaican dark rum.
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May 2019
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