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Chaka Khan, nonetheless a diva, was a singing sensation of the 70s and 80s. This Grammy-winning musician started her career in the 1970s.
Khan first got her career highlight in a band called Rufus. Her career spans almost five decades, giving no signs of retirement.
While the “Queen of Funk” has an infinite number of hits, some of her fan favourites are “Tell Me Something Good” and “Ain’t Nobody” from her band. Her solo hits include R&B songs “I’m Every Woman” and “What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me”.
This article will disclose everything from her career hits to her personal life. Please read the article until the end to learn more about Chaka Khan’s net worth, height, and career as a musician.
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About Chaka Khan
| Real Name/Full Name | Yvette Marie Stevens |
| Nick Name/Celebrated Name | Chaka Khan |
| Birth Place | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Date Of Birth/Birthday | March 23, 1953 |
| Age/How Old | 70 years old |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Husband/Spouse Name | Doug Rasheed |
| Nationality | American |
| Gender | Female |
| Profession | Singer, Songwriter |
| Genres | Funk, R&B, Soul, Pop, Disco, Jazz, Gospel |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | ABC, Warner Bros., Reprise, MCA, NPG, Burgundy |
| Social Media | |
| Net Worth | $30-35 million |
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Who is Chaka Khan?
Born on March 23, 1953, as Yvette Marie Stevens, Khan was raised happily in a musically artistic household. Chaka Khan is her iconic stage name. She adopted it at the age of 13.
Khan was born to African-American parents. She spends most of her childhood in the Hyde Park area, in Chicago, Illinois. She was raised as a Catholic.
Although she started her musical journey at a young age, influenced by her grandmother, she performed in many small groups but finally got success when she joined the group Rufus as the lead singer.
Chaka is the eldest daughter of five siblings. Her siblings also have successful musical careers.
Chaka Khan Height? How Tall is Chaka Khan?
Now let’s check out Chaka Khan‘s physical attributions. Before going there, one must remember that by telling specific height and weight we are not demeaning the artist. We should not find any flaw in someone’s physical attribution.
According to online sources, Chaka Khan’s height is 163 centimetres. She is roughly 5 feet 4 inches tall.
Chaka Khan’s weight is 216 lbs. She is 98 kg and has a solid body. As we all know, she is a brilliant stage performer, her robust body carries a strong stage persona.
What is Chaka Khan’s Ethnicity?
Ethnicity is the feature that determines someone’s physical identity along with their cultural and racial distinctiveness. By ethnicity, we can specify someone’s lineage identity.
Chaka Khan was born in an African American family. Her ethnicity is Black. That means her ancestors are immigrants from Africa. However, her kids are half Black and half Brown.
She is a Christian by birth and is taught Catholic values.
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Chaka Khan’s Marital Status and Affairs
Contrary to her successful career, Chaka Khan had a few unhappy relationships. In 1970, Chaka Khan tied the knot with her boyfriend Hassan Khan at the age of 17. Shortly, the marriage ended. She divorced Hassan Khan in 1971.
Chaka Khan went into another relationship with Rahsaan Morris. Indira Milini is their daughter.
She married for the second time to Richard Holland in 1976. The relationship somehow caused damage to her and her group. Due to this, there was a rift between Khan and her band members, particularly the drummer Andre Fischer.
Her husband Holland wanted her to withdraw her sexy image on stage, which she firmly refused. They split up in 1979. During this challenging time, she spent most of her time in the studio, where she met Ike Turner, the one who offered a big music contract to the group Rufus during their initial years.
Ike Turner was a real inspiration during her tough time. He was a significant support backing her mental and emotional breakdown. She filed for divorce from Holland in 1980.
Khan started her solo journey in the 1980s. During this, she ended up dating a Chicago-based schoolteacher. The relationship was also unsuccessful, and she moved to Europe.
Chaka Khan is currently with Doug Raseed, whom she married in 2001.
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Chaka Khan’s Career As a Singer
Chaka Khan has quite a successful career as both a group and solo artist. She also collaborated with many famous artists.
Rufus
The band Rufus tied their music deal with ABC Records and released their debut album in 1973. Despite a strong rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Maybe Your Baby”, the group failed to gain enough attention.
Later, Stevie himself teamed up and released “Tell Me Something Good”. The song broke records and achieved number three on the Billboard Hot 100. It even earned them their first Grammy Award in 1974.
Their next hit, “You Got the Love”, went No. 3 in the R&B chart. Later, they released their album number two, Rags to Rufus. They released back-to-back six albums in the following years.
Khan’s reputation was rapidly growing due to her powerful voice and wonderful attire on stage. Khan and the band had a few arguments years later, which made her sign a solo contract.
While she was still present in the group, she confirmed her solo deal with Warner Bros. Records. On the other hand, Rufus released three more albums without her.
She reunited with the band in 1979 and released “Do You Love What You Feel”, featured in the album.
In 1983, she rejoined Rufus to work on a live album called “Stompin’ at the Savoy- Live”. The band broke up after that.
Solo Career
In 1978, Chaka Khan released her first single, a crossover disco song, “I’m Every Woman”, featured in her debut album. The hit song earned her album a Platinum.
Khan released her second album, Naughty, in 1980, which featured hit songs like “Clouds” and “Papillon”.
Khan released double albums in 1981. The first one is for Rufus and the other one is her solo album “What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me”. In 1982, Khan released two solo albums, one with jazz-focused Echoes of an Era and the other self-titled Chaka Khan.
Her self-titled album has a Jazz song named “Be Bop Medley ”, which earned her first solo Grammy.
In 1984, she released a new album, I Feel for You. The title track rapidly became the rage, smashing records in both the US and the UK. She even won a Grammy for Best R&B Song.
Next few years, she continued working with numerous artists and released solo albums. If we pay attention, Khan had comparatively more success in the late 1980s and 1990s.
In 1996, the genius went ahead to compile her greatest songs for the album Epiphany- The Best of Chaka Khan. Hereafter, she begrudgingly left Warner Bros. Records. In 1998, she signed Prince’s NPG Records. She did a concert tour with Prince.
Later, in 2000, Khan left NPG. She released the Jazz covers album ClassiKhan in 2004.
In 2007, Khan signed with Burgundy Records and released her comeback album Funk This. The hit song includes “Angel” and a collaboration with Mary J. Blige named “Disrespectful”. The breathtaking collaboration was a big hit which earned the duo a Grammy Award. Her album won another Grammy for Best R&B Album.
Following her great work in music, Berklee College of Music gave Chaka Khan an Honorary Doctorate of Music in 2004. More success followed her in 2011 when Khan was honoured with Hollywood Walk of Fame plaques on the ever-popular Hollywood Boulevard in LA.
Recently in 2019, Khan collaborated with Ariana Grande on the song “Nobody” for the film soundtrack Charlie’s Angel. In 2021, she guest-starred and performed on the American Idol finale episode.
Her talent didn’t diminish even at this age. She recorded her latest single, “Woman Like Me” in 2022. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine gave her 29th rank in their 200 Greatest Singers of All Time list.
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Nominations and Awards
| Grammy Awards | 10 Wins, 22 Nominations |
| Soul Train Music Special Female Legend Music Award | 2009 |
| BET Lifetime Achievement Award | 2006 |
| Other Honors |
|
Grammy
Chaka was nominated 22 times in the Grammy Awards, which includes three from Rufus.
Chaka Khan won a total of 10 Grammy Awards, including two from her group Rufus.
American Music Awards
Khan has a total of 4 nominations in the American Music Awards and won 3 times.
UK Music Video Awards
Khan has won two UK Music Video Awards for the song “Like Sugar”.
Billboard Japan Music Awards
Khan won one Billboard Japan Music Award for the International Collaboration Special Awards for her collaboration with Ai.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Khan was given the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for Musical Excellence Award.
United Negro College Fund Award
Khan was a recipient of the UNCF Award of Excellence in 2011.
Family Background
Chaka Khan grew up in a bohemian artistic household to Charles Stevens and Sandra Coleman. Her sister Yonvvne, stage name Taka Boom, was also a successful singer. Chaka’s brother Mark was the founder of the band Jamaica Boys. He also had a booming music career.
Chaka’s grandmother was a significant influence as she introduced her to Jazz. She fell in love with the rhythm and blues genre in her pre-teen.
Chaka Khan has two children, Indira Milini Khan and Damien Holland. Milini Khan is also a musician.
Personal Life and Controversies
Chaka Khan moved to Europe after some unsuccessful relationships. She first stayed in London and then moved to Germany. She is currently married to Doug Rasheed.
Chaka Khan has Type-2 Diabetes and high blood pressure. To tackle these, she adopted a vegan diet.
On the darker side, she got addicted to drugs, particularly cocaine and heroin. But it ended in the 1990s. She furthermore struggled with alcoholism, which finally ended in 2005, coming out sober.
One of the most devastating controversies of her life is her son being accused of murder. In 2006, Damien Holland was charged when 17-year-old Christopher Bailey died of a gunshot.
Holland pleaded it was an accident. Chaka Khan testified at the trial on her son’s behalf. Holland was acquitted but found liable in the civil suit. He was ordered to pay 1.3 Million.
Chaka Khan’s Net Worth
In her 50-plus years of career in the music industry, Chaka Khan has grabbed enough accolades. Her economic and financial standing has still been rising.
Chaka Khan has an estimated net worth of $30-35 million.
FAQs About Chaka Khan
When did Chaka Khan start her music career?
Chaka Khan began her music career in the 1970s, gaining prominence with the band Rufus.
What are some of Chaka Khan's notable hits?
Some of Chaka Khan’s notable hits include “Tell Me Something Good,” “Ain’t Nobody,” and “I’m Every Woman.”
What is Chaka Khan's net worth?
Chaka Khan’s estimated net worth is between $30-35 million.
How many Grammy Awards has Chaka Khan won?
Chaka Khan has won a total of 10 Grammy Awards, including two with her group Rufus.
What is Chaka Khan's current marital status?
Chaka Khan is currently married to Doug Rasheed, with whom she tied the knot in 2001.
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