When CHAKA KHAN left RUFAS, Was There A Lot Of Drama - especailly among the fans?

[milven]

I watched a TV program on CENTR TV last night called BEING. It was about Chaka's challenges during her career.

In the show Chaka said she felt best when she part of Rufas. They were like brothers and sisters. But being focused on really bothered her even though that was the way that the wind was going to blow for her. One person interviewed said that it became obvious pretty quickly that she was the vocal centerpiece of that group. She commanded the kind of charismatic authority that commanded her own space.

Chaka says that she was uncomfortable with it. But, once the ball started rolling , everyone concurred that that's how it was. But she still tried to keep the camaraderie going with them but that's not how human nature works.

Chaka's sister, Taka Boom, said that when you start blowing up as an act, be careful of who gets the most spotlight because then you'll have jealousies and resentments.

Chaka said that after their first album, " the label decided to call them Rufas featuring Chaka Khan. That was the dagger twisted into the group and tore us apart". As things got uglier, Chaka said she didn't need this and eventually left for LA and started a solo career.

It was an enjoyable show and if it repeated, you should watch it.

With the current drama going on in the Motown section, the obvius question to ask is did the fans get mean and nasty when the name changed and the lead eventually went on to a solo career?

And I have a second question. I remember having a grey album by them, possibly their first, and I think it was called Ask Rufas. The members were white. Was the entire band replaced at some point?

[milven]

Ooops! Meant to post this in Soulful Detroit Forum.

[milven]

Repeat of the program tonight on CNTR at 8 pm

[midnightman]

I don't recall there being drama. Most of the people who were fans of RFCK were mainly fans of Chaka anyway. Chaka drew people to the group. So I guess it's a different thing idk.

[splanky]

Though I know it's not without mistakes, wikipedia can often be a very helpful site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_[[band)
And as it suggests, you'd do good to read Chaka's autobiography itself. It remains one of the
best,open and honest musician memoirs I've ever read and I do so every year...
since it's you I'll pardon the mispelling and mis-posting...

[supremester]

I don't recall anyone caring if she left or stayed - they just wanted to hear Chaka.

[milven]

...since it's you I'll pardon the mispelling and mis-posting...

I guess it is "obvius" that I should have used spell check, "especailly" in the title. A friend has the Chaka book. Maybe I can borrow it. From the show that I just watched, she seems to have an interesting story to tell

[soulster]

The music fans were oblivious to it all during their run as a band. But, the industry/musicians knew all about it, and there was a lot of bad blood in the band. I believe a couple of former members are still not on speaking terms with Chaka.

I think a lot of it ultimately had to do with her young age when she joined the band. She was still a teenager, and a couple of the guys had already had a hit record or two as The American Breed.

I listen to Rufus featuring Chaka Khan because of the MUSIC, not because of Chaka Khan. I fail to understand why people on this forum get so fixtated on the singers instead of the music. I'm really beginning to wonder if some of you collect albums because of the singer instead of the music on them.

[skooldem1]

Because the voice when used as a "musical instrument" is just as important to a song as other instruments. The singer, the musicians, the arrangement, the lyrics, are all important components of a song. To each his/her own.

[Motown Eddie]

I watched a TV program on CENTR TV last night called BEING. It was about Chaka's challenges during her career.

In the show Chaka said she felt best when she part of Rufas. They were like brothers and sisters. But being focused on really bothered her even though that was the way that the wind was going to blow for her. One person interviewed said that it became obvious pretty quickly that she was the vocal centerpiece of that group. She commanded the kind of charismatic authority that commanded her own space.

Chaka says that she was uncomfortable with it. But, once the ball started rolling , everyone concurred that that's how it was. But she still tried to keep the camaraderie going with them but that's not how human nature works.

Chaka's sister, Taka Boom, said that when you start blowing up as an act, be careful of who gets the most spotlight because then you'll have jealousies and resentments.

Chaka said that after their first album, " the label decided to call them Rufas featuring Chaka Khan. That was the dagger twisted into the group and tore us apart". As things got uglier, Chaka said she didn't need this and eventually left for LA and started a solo career.

It was an enjoyable show and if it repeated, you should watch it.

With the current drama going on in the Motown section, the obvius question to ask is did the fans get mean and nasty when the name changed and the lead eventually went on to a solo career?

And I have a second question. I remember having a grey album by them, possibly their first, and I think it was called Ask Rufas. The members were white. Was the entire band replaced at some point?

To answer the first question; I don't remember any particular nastiness among the fans when Chaka Khan left Rufus. She started her solo career with the "Chaka" in 1978 while still a member of [[and making hit records with) Rufus [[such as "Stay", "Do You Love What What You Feel" & their final record together, "Ain't Nobody"). After she finally left the band she had big hits with "I Feel For You", "Through The Fire", "Love Of A Lifetime" and others. For me, Rufus & Chaka Khan was a great combination that made some the best music of the funk era but I know that even the greatest bands in music history have to go their separate ways.

To answer your second question; the first album by Rufus with Chaka Khan was called simply "Rufus" released in 1973. There was no major hits from this album. "Ask Rufus", their fifth album, would come out in 1977 and had the hits "At Midnight [[My Love Will Lift You Up)" & "Everlasting Love". Both albums have a grey background to them. And most of the original members of Rufus had left the band after the second album, "Rags To Rufus" in 1974.

[soulster]

Because the voice when used as a "musical instrument" is just as important to a song as other instruments. The singer, the musicians, the arrangement, the lyrics, are all important components of a song.

I do indeed listen to vocals as instruments. That's why I hate it when vocals are mixed much louder than everything else. That was a fad in the 00s. but am glad it's going away, and the mixing style of the 70s is coming back.

When I listen to music, I listen to the whole thing as a single entity. I don't pick out just the voice. That's why I can't understand how or why people focus only on a singer. WTF! A lot of people went through a LOT of pain to get the music right, to get it recorded and mixed well, and all people pay attention to is the singer? No!

[soulster]

To answer the first question; I don't remember any particular nastiness among the fans when Chaka Khan left Rufus. She started her solo career with the "Chaka" in 1978 while still a member of [[and making hit records with) Rufus [[such as "Stay", "Do You Love What What You Feel" & their final record together, "Ain't Nobody"). After she finally left the band she had big hits with "I Feel For You", "Through The Fire", "Love Of A Lifetime" and others. For me, Rufus & Chaka Khan was a great combination that made some the best music of the funk era but I know that even the greatest bands in music history have to go their separate ways.

To answer your second question; the first album by Rufus with Chaka Khan was called simply "Rufus" released in 1973. There was no major hits from this album. "Ask Rufus", their fifth album, would come out in 1977 and had the hits "At Midnight [[My Love Will Lift You Up)" & "Everlasting Love". Both albums have a grey background to them. And most of the original members of Rufus had left the band after the second album, "Rags To Rufus" in 1974.

All that stuff was hidden from the public/press. It got so bad while recording the "Street Player" album that they had to bring Chaka in after the band had already recorded the backing tracks. Same with "Masterjam". The main issue when problems first started up was with the drummer Andre Ficsher, who left the band, and was replaced by others until they settled on John Robinson.

A buddy of mine built, and engineered at the studio they recorded "Street Player" in. There are things he still can't talk about to this day.

[skooldem1]

I do indeed listen to vocals as instruments. That's why I hate it when vocals are mixed much louder than everything else. That was a fad in the 00s. but am glad it's going away, and the mixing style of the 70s is coming back.

When I listen to music, I listen to the whole thing as a single entity. I don't pick out just the voice. That's why I can't understand how or why people focus only on a singer. WTF! A lot of people went through a LOT of pain to get the music right, to get it recorded and mixed well, and all people pay attention to is the singer? No!

Is it really any different from a "bass" fan focusing on James Jamerson? Some people like "voices", some like "bass", people like what they like.

[splanky]

Is it really any different from a "bass" fan focusing on James Jamerson? Some people like "voices", some like "bass", people like what they like.

I am in complete agreement with you on this one skool, though it scares the piss outta me... soulster's just being his technical sound geek nerd over anal-itical self.
Soulster, I LIKE SINGERS as much as I do out of body musical instruments. Sometimes MORE.
Sometimes with no accompaniment AT ALL. SUE ME! LOL!!!!........

[soulster]

Is it really any different from a "bass" fan focusing on James Jamerson? Some people like "voices", some like "bass", people like what they like.

I don't do that either. I'm a drummer and have the ear of an engineer, so naturally my attention turns to how well the drums are recorded, but i still take it all as a whole. I like ALL of the music. people who only listen to lyrics are particularly annoying. I can't believe they are even music fans.

[soulster]

I am in complete agreement with you on this one skool, though it scares the piss outta me... soulster's just being his technical sound geek nerd over anal-itical self.
Soulster, I LIKE SINGERS as much as I do out of body musical instruments. Sometimes MORE.
Sometimes with no accompaniment AT ALL. SUE ME! LOL!!!!........

All that music you love was made possible for you to enjoy by geeks and nerds!

I come from a different world. You should check out some of the forums I do. You'd see a whole 'nother side of music.

[splanky]

All that music you love was made possible for you to enjoy by geeks and nerds!

That's not exactly true, my man, sure, there had to be nerds among the engineers,studio
staff, behinds the boards and placing mikes and I appreciate their skills and care but
Aretha Franklin didn't have to know anything about a 32bit data transfer or whatever it is
you geeks moan about today when she recorded her vocals for Ain't No Way.....BTW, you
think the sound quality of youtube and cds are so bad? You should have been back when
we had transistor radios! AM and shit!....lol....

[soulster]

That's not exactly true, my man, sure, there had to be nerds among the engineers,studio
staff, behinds the boards and placing mikes and I appreciate their skills and care but

Well, that's what i'm talking about! And, a lot of them are musicians, too.

Aretha Franklin didn't have to know anything about a 32bit data transfer or whatever it is
you geeks moan about today when she recorded her vocals for Ain't No Way.....

They didn't have digital recording in 1967. Just thought you should know that. It took geeks and nerds to get Aretha down on tape and mix it. So there!

Instead of criticizing us and maybe even ridiculing us, why not find out a little bit of how your favorite recordings were made. They didn't magically appear through osmosis. You may enjoy them a bit more.

BTW, you think the sound quality of youtube and cds are so bad? You should have been back when we had transistor radios! AM and shit!....lol....

I was. I got my first pocket transistor AM radio back in 1967 when I was all of four years old. The first record player I owned the very next year was another little transistor radio with a record player attached to it. It came with three 4" flexi-plastic singles by Philco-Ford. You could play albums on it, too. My first tape recorder was a Trutone tape recorder that used 3" reels. But, my father had audiophile gear, and my mom had a huge stereo console.

[midnightman]

I just saw the Being show. I see she didn't mention Andre Fischer but I can kinda see why because the two have bad blood. Andre once initiated a fight with Chaka's second ex-husband over a song they were working on together and Chaka tried to hit Andre with a bottle. She said some of the Rufus members had to literally drag her from him. She did mention she and Tony Maiden [[the guitarist and co-lead vocalist after Ron Stockert left) got into it before they went out onstage. Chaka's friendship with Natalie Cole was tested in the '90s when Cole married Fischer due to the bad blood that still existed. Chaka had Tony on her "Funk This" album so I guess they've healed any bad blood between them.

[soulster]

That sounds correct, midnightman.

[Motown Eddie]

All that stuff was hidden from the public/press. It got so bad while recording the "Street Player" album that they had to bring Chaka in after the band had already recorded the backing tracks. Same with "Masterjam". The main issue when problems first started up was with the drummer Andre Ficsher, who left the band, and was replaced by others until they settled on John Robinson.

A buddy of mine built, and engineered at the studio they recorded "Street Player" in. There are things he still can't talk about to this day.

Didn't know about all this. It was so much easier to keep the problems that Chaka Khan was having with Rufus from the fans in the late '70s that it would be if were happening today [[with the internet and 24 hour news reporting).

[daddyacey]

The voice as an instrument is unique to an individual in sound and style. Now say a trumpet is a trumpet a bass is a bass , sax is a sax. Miles playing trumpet is not the same as Dizzy , Jamerson playing bass is not the same as Graham or Bootsy, Cannonball on sax is not JR. Walker. The constant factor is the instrument. The style of the individual playing that instrument is what makes them unique. I have an album where Charlie Parker is playing a plastic horn ,but there's no doubt that it's him playing. Hendrix played the STRAT left handed but all anybody can do, is SOUND like him on a STRAT lefty or righty.

RUFUS was a group of excellent musicians and the unique voice of CHAKA. People associated her voice with the sound of and identity of RUFUS. But that voice was so unique so powerful that even STEVIE could see that she was destined for greatness. Genius can see genius. That second album where she got the "featuring Chaka Kahn" credit , was proof that she could have been backed up by a high school band and still turned out! At the time she was the most dynamic new voice since Aretha, Glady's and Minnie that didn't require the build up in promotion that that other lady who left that trio of vocalists did. She was followed by STEPHANIE ,MARIAH and WHITNEY.
I didn't see any drama in her leaving the group at that time. As a matter of fact the slow and eventual leaving of RUFUS seemed natural. Most of her finest early work was with RUFUS , however for me her work with ARIF was genius. I loved her before that but after hearing "CLOUDS" at the PARADISE GARAGE for the first time ,she could sing to me first thing in the morning before brushing her teeth. I have a very close friend who was her wardrobe girl during that period and CHAKA went through a whole lot of shizit that's not talked about. CHAKA's gift and merits didn't need any drama that other so called divas have associated with fame. Billie ,Dinah ,Whitney, Etta and others have drama associated with them ,that don't diminish the fact that even in death and the ignorance of those that may not know of the work they have done ,still have little or no equal to their talent. I recently played SARAH's version of "VALENTINE" for a girlfriend of mine who raved about CHAKA's version but never heard SARAH's version. She is in her mid 40's and she knew of SARAH but not much. I watched her face as she listened to the track [[ over 50 years old and mono anolog) and when it ended all she could say while holding her hand to her chest was ,damn!!! I said to her ,"now you know why "CHAKA" is" CHAKA."

A priceless moment !!