Disco Diva: 2010-10-24

Friday, October 29, 2010

Suzi Lane is an American female singer who had a number-one track on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1979 with the Giorgio Moroder-produced tracks, "Harmony"/"Ooh, La, La". The dance hit was number one for one week while remaining on the chart for six months.
At the time the tracks charted some thought it was recorded by Donna Summer because they thought that "Harmony" sounded like Summers' 1977 hit "I Feel Love." That confusion alone may have fueled the song's climb to the top of the Dance chart. It was Lane's lone charting hit.

Prior to her singing career, she had success as a model with the Ford Agency in New York City. She was involved in an automobile accident after her album became a hit.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Melba Moore - Pick Me Up I'll Dance ( Disco 1978 )

Melba Moore

Beatrice Melba Smith (born October 29, 1945), known by her stage name, Melba Moore is an American disco, R&B singer and actress. She is the daughter of saxophonist Teddy Hill and R&B singer Bonnie Davis.

Early life

Melba Moore was born in 1945 in New York City, New York to parents Teddy Hill and Gertrude Melba Smith, later known as Bonnie Davis. She initially was raised in Harlem, New York until the age of nine when her mother remarried a jazz pianist named Clement Moorman. Moore attended Newark Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey.^[2] Her mother, Bonnie Davis had a No. 1 R&B hit with "Don't Stop Now", prior to Melba's birth. Although her biological father was legendary Big Band leader and saxophonist Teddy Hill, it was her stepfather Moorman (who played on "Don't Stop Now") who became a prime influence and encouragement in Moore's musical pursuits and talent, insisting she learn to play the piano. Initially, Moore graduated from college and worked as a music teacher, but soon opted to switch careers. Moore chose her stage name by shortening her stepfather's surname from Moorman to Moore and using her middle name, "Melba".^{[citation needed]}

Early career

Moore began her performing career in 1967 as a member of the original cast of the musical Hair along with Ronnie Dyson and Diane Keaton. Moore replaced Keaton in the role of Sheila. In 1970, Moore won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in Purlie (she portrayed Lutiebelle). She would not return to Broadway afterwards until 1978 when she appeared (as Marsinah) with Eartha Kitt in Timbuktu!, but left the show after a few weeks and was replaced by Vanessa Shaw. Following the success of Purlie, Moore landed two big screen film roles, released two successful albums including 1970's I Got Love and Look What You're Doing to the Man and co-starred with actor Clifton Davis in the then-couple's own successful variety television series in 1972. Both Moore and Davis revealed that the show was canceled after its brief run when their relationship came to an end. Moore's career faced problems after Moore's managers and accountants left her in 1973. Moore returned to Newark and began singing for benefits. Her career picked up after meeting record manager and business promoter Charles Huggins following a performance at the Apollo Theater in 1974. Marrying in 1975, Moore and Huggins formed Hush Productions, signing notable R&B artists such as Freddie Jackson and Meli'sa Morgan.

Music career

In 1975, Moore signed with Buddah Records and released the critically successful R&B album, Peach Melba, which included the minor hit, "I Am His Lady". The following year, in 1976, Moore scored her first significant hit with the Van McCoy-penned "This Is It", which reached the Billboard Hot 100, the top twenty position on the R&B chart and also reached the top ten in the UK, becoming her biggest success in that country. In 1976, she scored her third Grammy nomination with the R&B ballad, "Lean on Me", which had originally been recorded by Moore's idol Aretha Franklin. The song is most notable for Moore's extended long note at the end of the track. In 1983, she re-recorded the song as a tribute to McCoy, who died four years earlier of illness. Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Moore struggled to match the success of This Is It with minor R&B/dance hits, gaining another hit with 1979's "You Stepped Into My Life", which was released on Epic Records and hit the top 20 on the R&B charts and also became one of her biggest pop hits.
It wouldn't be until 1982 when Moore started to gain huge success as a singer signing with Capitol Records and reaching the top 5 on the R&B charts with the dance pop/funk single, "Love's Comin' At Ya", which also hit the top 20 in the UK and became a sizable hit in some European countries for its post-disco sound. A string of R&B hits would follow during this decade including 1983's "Keepin' My Lover Satisfied" and "Love Me Right", 1984's "Livin' For Your Love", 1985's "Read My Lips", which later won Moore a fourth Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, making her just the third black artist after Donna Summer and Michael Jackson to be nominated in the rock category, and 1985's "When You Love Me Like This". In 1986, she scored two number-one R&B hits, including the duet, "A Little Bit More", with Freddie Jackson and "Falling". She scored other popular R&B hits including "Love the One I'm With (A Lot of Love)" and "It's Been So Long". In 1986 Moore also headlined the CBS television sitcom Melba that debuted the same night as the Challenger explosion and was abruptly canceled shortly thereafter. Her success began to wane as the decade closed, although she managed two further Top 10 R&B hits, "Do You Really (Want My Love)" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (which featured such artists as Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Jeffrey Osborne, Anita Baker and Stephanie Mills).

Turmoil and current work

In 1991, Moore received divorce papers from Huggins, without any prior warning. In the ensuing months, she found that her personal savings with Huggins, as well as investment in their company, Hush Productions, had all vanished. She filed for bankruptcy amid heavy media attention, and the next few years found Moore struggling to recover from the personal and professional setbacks she had endured.^{[citation needed]}
She began recording and performing live again, recording such albums as Happy Together (with the Lafayette Harris Jr. Trio) and I'm Still Here. Moore returned to Broadway in 1995 landing a part in Les Miserables, a year later, she started her long-running one-woman show, Sweet Songs of the Soul, later renamed, I'm Still Standing, and in 2007, she landed a role in the Broadway revival of Ain't Misbehavin'. In 2003, she was featured in the film, The Fighting Temptations, which starred Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Beyoncé Knowles.
In 2009 independent label Breaking Records released the EP Book of Dreams, in which Moore was featured. That same year Moore told her life story on TV-One^{[disambiguation needed]}'s Unsung and later that year, released her first R&B album in nearly 20 years, in a duet release with Phil Perry.
Moore is a born-again Christian.

Awards

In addition to her Tony Award, Moore music career brought additional accolades. She was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1971 for 'Best New Artist'. Her 1975 second album, Peach Melba, saw her get a Grammy nomination. In 1976, she earned another Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female for the song "Lean on Me",^[3]. Moore was also nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal in 1986 for "Read My Lips".

Discography

Albums

Label	Year	Album	Chart positions
Label	Year	Album	U.S.	U.S. R&B
Mercury Records	1970	I Got Love	—	—
	1971	Look What You're Doing to The Man	157	43
	1972	Live!	—	—
Buddah Records	1975	Peach Melba	176	49
	1976	This Is It	145	32
	1976	Melba	177	30
	1977	A Portrait of Melba	—	—
Epic Records	1978	Melba	114	35
Epic Records	1979	Burn	—	71
Buddah Records	1979	Dancin' With Melba	—	—
CBS	1979	Get Into My Mind	—	—
Epic Records	1980	Closer	—	—
EMI Records	1981	What a Woman Needs	—	46
Capitol Records	1982	The Other Side of the Rainbow	152	18
	1983	Never Say Never	147	9
	1985	Read My Lips	130	30
	1986	A Lot of Love	91	7
	1988	I'm In Love	—	45
	1990	Soul Exposed	—	52
"—" denotes release did not chart or was not released

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions
Year	Single	U.S.	U.S. R&B	U.S. Dance	UK ^[4]
1975	"I Am His Lady"	—	82	—	—
1976	"This Is It"	91	18	2	9
	"Lean On Me"	—	14	—	—
	"Free"	—	—	14	—
	"Make Me Believe In You"	—	—	6	—
	"Play Boy Scout"	—	—	14	—
1977	"Good Love Makes Everything Alright (Greatest Feeling)"	—	—	36	—
	"The Long and Winding Road"	—	94	—	—
	"The Way You Make Me Feel"	—	62	—	—
1978	"You Stepped Into My Life"	47	12	5	—
1978	"Standing Right Here"	—	62	53	—
1979	"Miss Thing"	—	90	41	—
1979	"Pick Me Up, I'll Dance"	—	85	22	48
1981	"Let's Stand Together" ¹	—	44	12	—
1981	"Take My Love" ¹	—	15	12	—
1982	"Love's Comin' At Ya"	—	5	2	15
1983	"Keepin' My Lover Satisfied"	—	14	57	—
	"Mind Up Tonight"	—	25	17	22
	"Underlove"	—	35	42	60
1984	"Livin' for Your Love"	—	6	—	—
1985	"I Can't Believe (It's Over)"	—	29	—	—
	"Read My Lips"	—	12	—	—
	"When You Love Me Like This"	—	14	—	—
1986	"A Little Bit More" (with Freddie Jackson)	—	1	—	—
	"Love the One I'm With (A Lot of Love)"	—	5	—	—
	"Falling"	—	1	—	—
1987	"I'm Not Gonna Let You Go"	—	26	—	—
1987	"It's Been So Long"	—	6	—	—
1988	"I Can't Complain"	—	12	—	—
	"I'm in Love"	—	13	—	—
	"Love & Kisses"	—	68	—	—
1990	"Do You Really (Want My Love?)"	—	10	39	—
1990	"Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing"	—	9	—	—
"—" denotes release did not chart or was not released

^1 "Let's Stand Together" and "Take My Love" charted together on the U.S. Billboard Dance chart, but charted separately elsewhere.

Rick James - Glow ft. Smokey Robinson

Rick James - Super Freak

Rick James

James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known under his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four #1 hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B. Among his well known songs are "Super Freak" and "You and I". In addition to his music, James gained notoriety for his wild lifestyle, which led to widely publicized legal problems. Prior to his death in August 2004, James gained notoriety after comedian Dave Chappelle parodied the singer's 1980s drug-infused heyday with a series of stories told by acquaintance Charlie Murphy. These popularised the catch phrase "I'm Rick James, bitch". The singer was in the middle of recording what would be his final album, Deeper Still, when he passed away.

Childhood

James was born on February 1, 1948 in Buffalo, New York. His father, an autoworker, abandoned him and his siblings as a child. His mother, a former vaudeville dancer, later reportedly ran errands for a Mafia family to make ends meet. James grew up singing in street corners with fellow neighborhood boys. James' early idols included Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and The Temptations, which included Melvin Franklin, who was his uncle. After being briefly involved in street activity, James dropped out of high school at fifteen to avoid a possible draft and joined the U.S. Naval Reserve. A year later, James left the Reserve after he began to miss weekend training, because it interfered with his music career. Fleeing north to Toronto, Ontario in the summer of 1964, James, now using the stage name Big Jimmy, continued his musical career. His first band, formed with future Steppenwolf member Nick St. Nicholas was initially called the Sailor Boys but soon changed their name to the Mynah Birds. Bassist Bruce Palmer took over for St. Nicholas in early 1965, and the group soon released their first single, "Mynah Bird Hop"/"Mynah Bird Song" for Columbia Records of Canada.
James and Palmer soon formed a new Mynah Birds lineup with guitarists Tom Morgan and Xavier Taylor, and drummer Rick Mason. In early 1966, the Mynah Birds auditioned for the Motown label in Detroit. Morgan was unhappy with the label's attitude towards the musicians and left, with Neil Young taking his place. With Young on board, the Mynah Birds returned to Motown to record an album, but their manager pocketed the advance money the label had given the band. The band fired their manager, who in turn told the label that James was AWOL. Motown told him to give himself up to the FBI, and the Mynah Birds' album was shelved.

Early career

James spent a year in the Brooklyn Brig, after which he briefly returned to Toronto. During the summer of 1967, Rick James formed a new version of The Mynah Birds (sometimes spelled "Myna Byrds") with Neil Merryweather. The band returned to Detroit and recorded a new version of James and Neil Young's It's My Time, but the band broke up soon afterwards. During early 1968, James returned to Motown and became a songwriter and producer, writing under an assumed name and working with Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Canadian band Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers and The Spinners.
In late 1968, James and Greg Reeves moved to Los Angeles, California and formed a band called Salt and Pepper (under the name Rick Matthews) with drummer Steve Rumph from T.I.M.E and Michael Rummans from the Yellow Payges. A later version consisted of Coffi Hall from Mama Lion and Merryweather and guitarist Dave Burt and Keyboardist Ed Roth from Merryweather.Former Buffalo Springfield roadie Chris Sarns played bass for a while, before Ron Johnson from Kaleidoscope stepped in the following year. The group recorded a demo for Atlantic Records, and played at The Fillmore West with Jethro Tull.
In 1971, James and Roth both appeared on Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer's solo album, The Cycle is Complete. Then they returned to Toronto, where they recorded two singles - Big Showdown and Don't You Worry - as part of Heaven and Earth, a band that also featured guitarist Stan Endersby, bass player Denny Gerrard, and drummer Pat Little. Heaven and Earth, minus Little, then merged with another local group, Milestone, to form Great White Cane with horn players Bob Doughty and Ian Kojima, drummer Norman Wellbanks, guitarist Paul C Saenz, and keyboard player John Cleveland Hughes. The group recorded an album for Lion Records in Los Angeles in March 1972, but by that summer, they had disbanded.
In 1973 A&M Records released the first Rick James single, "My Mama", which is likely to have been recorded in Los Angeles.
In 1976, James and South African guitarist Aidan Mason co-wrote, "Get Up and Dance," which was released as a single but failed to chart.
In 1977, he returned to Motown as a songwriter/producer. He soon began recording for Motown's Gordy label, first with the Hot Lips and then with a new version of the Stone City Band.

Solo career

Rick's breakthrough was "You and I", an eight-minute single from his 1978 debut album Come Get It!. The album also featured his ode to marijuana, "Mary Jane".
In 1981 he recorded Street Songs, which included James's signature song "Super Freak". The song featured guest vocals by The Temptations, and was sampled for MC Hammer's 1990 Grammy Award-winning song "U Can't Touch This", as well as Jay-Z's "Kingdom Come", released in 2006. Other hits from Street Songs included "Give It to Me Baby", "Fire and Desire" with protégé Teena Marie, and "Ghetto Life".
The stream of hits continued into the mid-1980s with "Teardrops", "Cold Blooded", "17", "You Turn Me On", "Can't Stop", "P.I.M.P. the S.I.M.P." (with Grandmaster Flash), and "Glow". His last R&B hit was "Loosey's Rap" in 1989, featuring a rap by Roxanne Shante. During this period, he also helped launch the Mary Jane Girls, and helped produce and write Eddie Murphy's one hit, "Party All the Time".
While he is best known for his up tempo songs in pop circles, the R&B world also remembers him as one of the premier soul balladeers in the late seventies and early eighties. He recorded an early eighties hit with Motown legend Smokey Robinson entitled "Ebony Eyes" that captures his voice almost as well as "Fire and Desire". He also recorded the ballad, "Tell Me What You Want". Part of the Cold Blooded album, this was a duet with Billy Dee Williams.
During this time, he guest-starred on an episode of The A-Team entitled "The Heart of Rock N' Roll", in which he played himself and performed at a prison concert singing "Super Freak". Isaac Hayes also guest starred in this episode.

1990s-2004

The start of the 90s brought with it a string of bizarre and sometimes horrific incidents for Rick James. He was a known drug user, mainly addicted to crack cocaine, which he often smoked; he later admitted to spending about $7,000 a week on drugs for five years straight. In 1991, a coked-up James assaulted music executive Mary Sauger, at the St. James Club and Hotel in West Hollywood. Sauger claims she met James and his future wife Tanya Hijazi for a business meeting, but claims the two kidnapped and beat her over a 20-hour period.
In 1993, while out on bail for that earlier incident, he and Hijazi were accused of holding 24-year old Frances Alley hostage for up to 6 days (accounts vary on how long she was actually held), tying her up, forcing her to perform sexual acts, and burning her legs and abdomen with the hot end of a crack cocaine pipe during a week long cocaine binge. He was found guilty of both offenses, but was cleared of a torture charge in the crack-pipe incident that could have put him behind bars for the rest of his life.
Serving two years in Folsom Prison, as well as losing $2 million in a civil suit to one of the women, did not stop him from writing new songs, even if he did it behind bars. He was released in 1996, and during interviews for a segment of the VH1 series Behind the Music, he spoke openly about his life and his battle with drugs for the first time. The concert footage for the 1996 Behind the Music segment was shot just months after James' release and, the show itself, produced by Timothy Olague Entertainment at a new Casino in the desert of Southern California, featured James performing each of his hits, before a sold-out audience of 10,000 fans.
James attempted a comeback with a new album and tour in 1997, but suffered a mild stroke during a concert in Denver, Colorado, effectively ending his musical career. In 1998 he recorded the song "Love Gravy" on the South Park Soundtrack along with Ike Turner. In 1999 he appeared on Judge Joe Brown as a plaintiff suing Jerome Turner (J.T.) for a guitar and amp. His last song recording was a re-collaboration with his protégé Teena Marie with the song "I Got You" on her 2004 album La Doña, which was Teena's first studio release after a 10-year hiatus in her music career.
In 2003, James was a part of a skit on Chappelle's Show called "Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories". He, along with Charlie Murphy (brother of Eddie Murphy) recounted humorous stories of their experiences together during the early 1980s. During the Skit, Rick James' character, played by Dave Chappelle, utters the now famous catchphrase "I'm Rick James, Bitch!" The skits were punctuated by James, as himself, explaining his past behavior with the phrase "Cocaine is a hell of a drug!"
At the time of his death, he was working on an autobiography, The Confessions of Rick James: Memoirs of a Superfreak, as well as a new album. The book was finally published toward the end of 2007 by Colossus Books. It is quite comprehensive and features a picture of his tombstone. He was also supporting Teena Marie's tour of her album La Doña.
I'm Rick James is a documentary about the life and career of Rick James released in 2008. James' daughter, Ty James, is a co-executive producer of the film. The film was Originally scheduled to be finished and released in 2006, the filmmakers spent over an additional year tweaking and adding scenes to the film. After almost three years of production, it was completed in December 2007. The film is the only documentary authorized by the estate and family of James. Music producer David Tickle is the Executive Producer, Perry Santos (once an assistant to James Cameron on Titanic) is the producer/director, and HiddenDoor Documedia is the production company. Eddie Griffin, Charlie Murphy, George Clinton, Janice Dickinson, family and close associates also appear in the film. Noticeably absent are Eddie Murphy, Freda O'Neal and Teena Marie, who declined to appear in the documentary, as well as long time girlfriend Alfie Davison who was a hidden fixture in James life since his signing with Motown in the 1970's throughout his many tumultuous public affairs, drug addiction, incarceration, his ultimate downfall and untimely death. James protected that part of his life. Motown sources confirmed speculation, as well as Davison's quiet presence amongst his family at James memorial service.

Death

On the morning of August 6, 2004, Rick James was found dead in his Burbank, California, home at the Oakwood apartment complex on Barham Boulevard by his caretaker. James had died from pulmonary failure and cardiac failure with his various health conditions of diabetes, stroke, a pacemaker, and a heart attack. Through his autopsy it was discovered he was under the influence of alprazolam, diazepam, bupropion, citalopram, hydrocodone, digoxin, chlorpheniramine, methamphetamine and cocaine However the coroner would go on to say; "None of the drugs or drug combinations were found to be at levels that were life threatening in and of themselves. " He was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.

Albums

Studio albums

Year	Album	Chart Positions^[1]			US Certifications^[2]	Record Label
Year	Album	US	US R&B	UK^[3]	US Certifications^[2]	Record Label
1978	Come Get It!	13	3	—	platinum	Gordy
1979	Bustin' Out of L Seven	16	2	—	—
1979	Fire It Up	34	5		Gold
1980	Garden of Love	83	17		Gold
1981	Street Songs	3	1	—	3x platinum
1982	Throwin' Down	13	2	93	Gold
1983	Cold Blooded	16	1	—	Gold
1985	Glow	50	7	—	—
1986	The Flag	95	16	—	—
1988	Wonderful	148	12	—	—	Reprise
1989	Kickin'	—	—	—	—	Reprise
1997	Urban Rapsody	170	31	—	—	Private I
2007	Deeper Still	185	19	—	—	Stone City
"—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified

Compilation albums

Year	Album	Chart Positions^[1]		Record Label
Year	Album	US	US R&B	Record Label
1984	Reflections	41	10	Gordy
1994	Bustin' Out: The Very Best of Rick James	—	—	Motown
1997	Ultimate Collection	—	—
2000	The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rick James	—	—
2002	Anthology	—	—
2004	Greatest Hits	—	—
2005	Gold	—	—
2005	The Millennium Collection: The Best of Rick James, Vol. 2	—	—
2006	The Definitive Collection	—	—
"—" denotes the album failed to chart

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions^[4]
Year	Single	US	US R&B	US Dance	UK^[3]
1978	"You and I"	13	1	3	46
1978	"Mary Jane"	41	3	—	—
1979	"High on You Love Suite"	72	12	—	—
	"Bustin' Out"	71	8	—	—
	"Fool on the Street"	—	35	—	—
	"Love Gun"	—	13	32	—
1980	"Come into My Life (Part 1)"	—	26	—	—
1980	"Big Time"	—	17	38	41
1981	"Give It to Me Baby"	40	1	1	47
	"Super Freak (Part 1)"	16	3		—
	"Ghetto Life"	102	38		—
1982	"Standing on the Top (Part 1)" (with The Temptations)	66	6	—	53
	"Dance Wit' Me (Part 1)"	64	3	7	53
	"Hard to Get"	—	15	—	—
	"She Blew My Mind (69 Times)"	—	62	—	—
1983	"Cold Blooded"	40	1	17	93
	"U Bring the Freak Out"	101	16	—	—
	"Ebony Eyes" (with Smokey Robinson)	43	22	—	96
1984	"17"	36	6	—	76
1984	"You Turn Me On"	—	31	—	89
1985	"Can't Stop"	50	10	9	—
	"Glow"	106	5	1	80
	"Spend the Night With Me"	—	41	—	—
1986	"Sweet and Sexy Thing"	—	6	4	—
1988	"Loosey's Rap" (featuring Roxanne Shanté)	—	1	25	80
1988	"Wonderful"	—	50	—	—
1989	"This Magic Moment"/"Dance with Me" (medley)	—	74	—	—
2006	"In the Ghetto" (with Busta Rhymes)	—	50	—	—

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Esther Phillips - What A Difference A Day Makes

What a difference a day makes - Esther Phillips

Esther Phillips

Esther Phillips (December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) was an American singer. Phillips was known for her R&B vocals, but she was a versatile singer, also performing pop,disco, country, jazz, blues and soul music.

Biography

Early life

Born Esther Mae Jones in Galveston, Texas, when she was an adolescent, her parents divorced, and she was forced to divide her time between her father in Houston and her mother in the Watts area of Los Angeles. Because she was brought up singing in church, she was hesitant to enter a talent contest at a local blues club, but her sister insisted and she complied. A mature singer at age fourteen, she won the amateur talent contest in 1949 at the Barrelhouse Club owned by Johnny Otis. Otis was so impressed that he recorded her for Modern Records and added her to his traveling revue, the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, billed as 'Little Esther Phillips' (she reportedly took the surname from a gas station sign). Early career
Her first hit record was "Double Crossing Blues", recorded in 1950 for Savoy Records. After several hit records with Savoy, including her duet with Mel Walker on "Mistrusting Blues", which went to number one that year, as did "Cupid Boogie". Other Phillips records that made it onto the U.S. Billboard R&B chart in 1950 include "Misery" (number 9), "Deceivin' Blues" (number 4), "Wedding Boogie" (number 6), and "Faraway Blues" (number 6). Few female artists, R&B or otherwise, had ever enjoyed such success in their debut year. Phillips left Otis and the Savoy label at the end of 1950 and signed with Federal Records.
But just as quickly as the hits had started, they stopped. Although she recorded more than thirty sides for Federal, only one, "Ring-a-Ding-Doo", charted; the song made it to number 8 in 1952. Not working with Otis was part of her problem; the other part was her drug usage. By the middle of the decade Phillips was chronically addicted to drugsIn 1954, she returned to Houston to live with her father to recuperate. Short on money, she worked in small nightclubs around the South, punctuated by periodic hospital stays in Lexington, Kentucky, stemming from her addiction. In 1962, Kenny Rogers re-discovered her while singing at a Houston club and got her signed to his brother Lelan’s Lenox label.

Comeback

Phillips ultimately got well enough to launch a comeback in 1962. Now billed as Esther Phillips instead of Little Esther, she recorded a country tune, "Release Me," with producer Bob Gans. This went to number 1 R&B and number 8 on the pop listings. After several other minor R&B hits on Lenox, she was signed by Atlantic Records. Her cover of The Beatles' song "And I Love Him" nearly made the R&B Top Ten in 1965 and the Beatles flew her to the UK for her first overseas performances.She had other hits in the 1960s on the label, but no more chart toppers, and she waged a battle with heroin dependency. With her addiction worsening, Phillips checked into a rehab facility. While undergoing treatment, she cut some sides for Roulette in 1969, mostly produced by Lelan Rogers. On her release, she moved back to Los Angeles and re-signed with the Atlantic label. A late 1969 gig at Freddie Jett's Pied Piper club produced the album Burnin'. She performed with the Johnny Otis Show at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1970.

The 1970s

One of her biggest post-1950s triumphs was in 1972 with her first album for Kudu Records. The song penned by Gil Scott-Heron, "Home Is Where the Hatred Is," - an account of drug use — was lead track on From a Whisper to a Scream which went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award. When Phillips lost to Aretha Franklin, the latter presented the trophy to Phillips, saying she should have won it instead.Taylor continued to cut albums with her until in 1975, she scored her biggest hit single since "Release Me" with a disco-style update of Dinah Washington's "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes". It reached a high of a Top 20 chart appearance in the U.S., and Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. On November 8, 1975 she performed the song on an episode of NBC's Saturday Night hosted by Candice Bergen. The accompanying album of the same name became her biggest seller yet, with arranger Joe Beck on guitar, Michael Brecker on tenor sax, David Sanborn on alto sax, and Randy Brecker on trumpet to Steve Khan on guitar and Don Grolnick on keyboards.
She continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, completing a total of seven albums on Kudu and four with Mercury Records, for whom she signed in 1977. In 1983, she charted for the final time on a tiny independent label, Winning with "Turn Me Out," which reached #85 R&B. She completed recording her final album a few months before her death, but it was not until 1986 that the label (Muse) released the record.

Death

Phillips died at UCLA Medical Center in Carson, California in 1984, at the age of 48 from liver and kidney failure due to drug use. Her funeral services were conducted by Johnny Otis.^,and was buried in the Morning Light section, at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. He bronze marker recognizes her career achievements, as well as quoting a Bible passage, "In My Father's House Are Many Mansions" -St. John 14:2

Grammy nominations

Career Nominations: 4

Year	Category	Title	Genre	Label	Result
Esther Phillips Grammy Award History
1970	Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female	"Set Me Free"	R&B	Atlantic	Nominee
1972	Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female	"From a Whisper to a Scream"	R&B	Kudu/CTI	Nominee
1973	Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female	"Alone Again (Naturally)"	R&B	Kudu/CTI	Nominee
1975	Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Female	"What a Diff'rence a Day Makes"	R&B	Kudu/CTI	Nominee

Discography

Albums

Year

Title

Label

Billboard Chart^{[ 11]}


1979	Here's Esther, Are You Ready	47
1981	Good Black Is Hard to Crack
1986	A Way to Say Goodbye	Muse

1951

Hollerin' and Screaming

Yorkshire

1963

Release Me

Lenox

1965

And I Love Him!

Atlantic

1966

Esther Phillips Sings

The Country Side of Esther

1970

Live at Freddie Jett's Pied Piper

Burnin' (Live)

1972

From a Whisper to a Scream

Kudu/CTI

Alone Again (Naturally)

Kudu/CTI

1974

Black-Eyed Blues

1975

Performance

Esther Phillips and Joe Beck

What a Diff'rence a Day Makes

Kudu/CTI

1976

Capricorn Princess

Kudu/CTI

Confessin' the Blues

Atlantic

For All We Know

Kudu/CTI

1977

You've Come a Long Way, Baby

Mercury

1978

All About Esther

1979

Here's Esther, Are You Ready

1981

Good Black Is Hard to Crack

1986

A Way to Say Goodbye

Muse

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions
Year	Single	US	US R&B	US AC	UK
1950	"Double Crossing Blues"*	-	1	-	-
	"Mistrusting Blues"*	-	1	-	-
	"Misery"*	-	9	-	-
	"Cupid Blues"*	-	1	-	-
	"Deceivin' Blues"*	-	4	-	-
	"Wedding Boogie"*	-	6	-	-
	"Far Away Blues (Xmas Blues)"*	-	6	-	-
1952	"Ring-a-Ding-Doo"	-	8	-	-
1962	"Release Me"	8	1	-	-
1963	"I Really Don't Want To Know"	61	-	-	-
	"Am I That Easy To Forget"	112	-	-	-
	"You Never Miss Your Water (Til the Well Runs Dry)"**	73	-	-	-
	"If You Want It (I've Got It)"**	129	-	-	-
1965	"And I Love Him"	54	11	14	-
	"Moonglow and Theme from Picnic"	115	-	28	-
	"Let Me Know When It's Over"	129	-	-	-
1966	"When a Woman Loves a Man"	73	26	-	-
1969	"Too Late To Worry, Too Blue To Cry"	121	35	-	-
1970	"Set Me Free"	118	39	-	-
1972	"Home Is Where the Hatred Is"	122	40	-	-
	"Baby, I'm For Real"	-	38	-	-
	"I've Never Found a Man (To Love Me Like You Do)"	106	17	-	-
1975	"What a Diff'rence a Day Makes"	20	10	29	6
1976	"For All We Know"	-	98	-	-
1983	"Turn Me Out"	-	85	-	-

N.B. * with Johnny Otis Orchestra ** with Big Al Downing.

Filmography

Television

1965: The Music of Lennon & McCartney, musical guest1970: The Barbara McNair Show, musical guest1970: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, musical guest
1975: Saturday Night Live, musical guest

Chaka Khan "I feel for You" live

CHAKA KHAN - Ain't Nobody

Chaka Khan

Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens; March 23, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the seventies as the front woman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career. Her signature hits, both with Rufus and solo, include "Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing", "Ain't Nobody", "I'm Every Woman", "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire".

Biography

Early life: 1953-1972

Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens in 1953 in North Chicago, Illinois. Raised in Chicago's rough Southside projects, Khan, who is of African American and Native American ancestry, was the eldest of five children to Charles Stevens and Sandra Coleman. Her sister Yvonne Stevens later became a successful musician in her own right under the name Taka Boom. Her only brother Mark Stevens, who formed the funk group Aurra, also became a successful musician. She has two other sisters, Kathleen Burrell and Tammy McCrary, who is her current manager. Unlike her musical contemporaries, Khan was raised as Roman Catholic. Khan attributed her love of music to her grandmother, who introduced her to jazz music as a child. Khan became a fan of R&B music as a preteen and at eleven formed her first all-female singing group the Crystalettes, which also included her sister Taka. In the late 1960s, Khan and her sister formed the vocal group Shades of Black and joined the Black Panther Party after befriending fellow member, activist and Chicago native Fred Hampton in 1967. Khan often was seen around a handgun while a member of the Panthers. While a member, she was given a name change to Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi by an African shaman. In 1969, she left the Panthers, dropped out of high school and married Indian bassist Hassan Khan in 1970; Khan later said she married Hassan to sign a recording contract. After this marriage ended, Khan kept her ex-husband's surname as a stage name. Khan briefly sung lead for her ex's band Lyfe, before she replaced the late Baby Huey as a member of the rock-soul group, the Babysitters, before the group disbanded in 1971. Khan then was contacted by friend Paulette McWilliams to replace her in the rock/soul ensemble Ask Rufus, a group formed by The American Breed members Kevin Murphy and Al Ciner. Alongside Andre Fischer, whom she met while performing in Chicago, and Ron Stockert, they would join the group in 1972 and the band shortened its name to simply Rufus. The band relocated to Los Angeles and soon got a deal with ABC. Khan was nineteen at the time of the band's signing to the label.

Early career and success: 1973-1978

Main article: Rufus (band)

In 1973, Rufus released their self-titled debut album. Despite their fiery rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Maybe Your Baby" from Wonder's acclaimed Talking Book and the modest success of the Khan-led ballad "Whoever's Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)", the album failed to garner attention. That changed when Wonder himself collaborated with the group on a song he had written for Khan. That song, "Tell Me Something Good", became the group's breakthrough hit, reaching number-three on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974 later winning the group their first Grammy Award. The single's success and the subsequent follow-up, "You Got the Love", which peaked at number-eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 helped their second parent album, Rags to Rufus, go platinum selling over a million copies. Between 1974 and 1979, Rufus would release six platinum-selling albums including Rufusized, Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan, Ask Rufus, Street Player and Masterjam. Hits the group would score during this time included "Once You Get Started", "Sweet Thing", "Hollywood", "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)" and "Do You Love What You Feel".
The band gained a reputation as a live performing act with Khan becoming the star attraction, thanks to her powerful vocals and stage attire, which sometimes included Native American garb and showing her midriff. Most of the band's material was written and produced by the band itself with few exceptions. Khan has also been noted for being an instrumentalist playing drums and bass, she also provided percussion during her tenure with Rufus. Most of Khan's compositions were often collaborations with guitarist Tony Maiden. Relations between Khan and the group, particularly between Khan and group member Andre Fischer, became stormy. Several group members left with nearly every release. While Khan remained a member of the group, she signed a solo contract with Warner Bros in 1978. While Khan was busy at work on solo material, Rufus released three albums without Khan's participation including 1979's Numbers, 1980's Party 'Til You're Broke and 1983's Seal in Red.

Early solo career and final years with Rufus: 1978-1983

In 1978, Warner Bros. Records released Khan's solo debut album, which featured the crossover disco hit, "I'm Every Woman", written for her by songwriters Ashford & Simpson. The success of the single helped the album go platinum, selling over a million copies. Khan also was a featured performer on Quincy Jones' hit, "Stuff Like That", also released in 1978.
In 1979, Khan reunited with Rufus to collaborate on the Jones-produced Masterjam, which featured their hit, "Do You Love What You Feel", which Khan sung with Tony Maiden. Despite her sometimes-acrimonious relationship with some of the group's band mates, Khan and Maiden have maintained a friendship over the years. In 1980, while Rufus released their second non-Khan release, Party 'Til You're Broke, Khan released her second solo album, Naughty, which featured Khan on the cover with her six-year-old daughter Milini. The album yielded the minor disco hit "Clouds" and went gold. Khan released two albums in 1981, the Rufus release, Camouflage and the solo album, What Cha' Gonna Do for Me. In 1982, Khan issued two more solo albums, the jazz-oriented Echoes of an Era and a more funk/pop-oriented self-titled album. The latter album's track, the jazz-inflected "Bebop Medley", won Khan a Grammy and earned praise from Betty Carter who loved Khan's vocal scatting in the song^..
In 1983, following the release of Rufus' final studio album, Seal in Red, which did not feature Khan, the singer returned with Rufus on a live album, Stompin' at the Savoy - Live, which featured the studio single, "Ain't Nobody", which became the group's final charting success reaching number twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one on the Hot R&B chart, while also reaching the top ten in the United Kingdom. Following this release, Rufus separated for good.

Solo success: 1984-1996

In 1984, Khan released her sixth studio album, I Feel for You, which featured the title track. The title track, originally written and recorded by Prince for his eponymous follow-up to his debut album in 1979, had been previously recorded by The Pointer Sisters, Rebbie Jackson and Mary Wells. Khan's version, which featured Stevie Wonder and rapper Melle Mel, reached number-two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one in the United Kingdom. Other singles from the album included "This is my Night" and "Through the Fire" and all three singles helped the album to go platinum. Khan followed that success with albums such as 1986's Destiny and 1988's C.K.. Khan was the featured performer on Steve Winwood's number-one hit, "Higher Love", in 1986. Khan found more success in the UK in the late 1980s as a remix album, Life is a Dance - The Remix Project, reached the top ten on the UK albums chart. Khan reacted to the success by performing in the United Kingdom, where she maintained a strong fan base.
In 1990, she was a featured performer on another major hit when she collaborated with Ray Charles and Quincy Jones on a new jack swing cover of The Brothers Johnson's "I'll Be Good to You", which was featured on Jones' Back on the Block. The song reached number-eighteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number-one on the Hot R&B chart, later winning Charles and Khan a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group. Khan returned with her first studio album in four years in 1992 with the release of The Woman I Am, which went gold thanks to the R&B success of the songs "Love You All My Lifetime" and "You Can Make the Story Right". Khan also contributed to soundtracks and worked on a follow-up to The Woman I Am which she titled Dare You to Love Me, which was eventually shelved. In 1995, she and rapper Guru had a hit with the duet "Watch What You Say", in the UK. That same year, she provided a contemporary R&B cover of the classic standard, "My Funny Valentine", for the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack. In 1996, following the release of her greatest-hits album, Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1, Khan abruptly left Warner Bros. after stating the label had neglected her and failed to release Dare You to Love Me.^[4]

Later career and current work: 1998-present

In 1998, Khan signed a contract with Prince's NPG Records label and issued Come 2 My House, followed by the single "Don't Talk 2 Strangers", a cover of a 1996 Prince song. Khan later went on a tour with Prince as a co-headlining act. In 2000, Khan departed from NPG and in 2004 released her first jazz covers album in twenty-two years with 2004's ClassiKhan. Three years later, after signing with Burgundy Records, Khan released what many critics called a "comeback album" with Funk This, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
The album featured the hit, "Angel", and the Mary J. Blige duet, "Disrespectful". The latter track went to number one on the U.S. dance singles chart, winning the singers a Grammy Award, while Funk This also won a Grammy for Best R&B Album. The album was notable for Khan's covers of Dee Dee Warwick's "Foolish Fool" and Prince's "Sign O' the Times". In 2008, Khan participated in the Broadway adaptation of The Color Purple playing Ms. Sofia to Fantasia Barrino's Celie.^[5]
In 2010, Khan contributed to vocals for Beverley Knight's "Soul Survivor" and also collaborated with Clay Aiken on a song for the kids show, Phineas and Ferb. Khan continues to perform to packed audiences both in her native United States and overseas.

Personal life

Khan has been married three times and has two children. Khan married her first husband, Hassan Khan, in 1970. They divorced in 1971. The birth of Khan's daughter Milini was the result of a relationship between Khan and a man named Rahsaan MorrisIn 1976, Khan married Richard Holland. Their marriage produced a son, Damien, who was born three years later. In 1980, the couple divorced. In 2001, Khan married a third time to Doug Rasheed, which ended in divorce three years later. Khan is also the grandmother of two. In 2006 Khan's son Damien Holland was accused of murder after 17-year-old Christopher Bailey was shot to death. Khan testified on her son's behalf defending her son's innocence. Holland was found not guilty and confirmed Holland's defense that the shooting was an accident.Khan has struggled with drug abuse, alcoholism and weight over the years. She had addictions to heroin and cocaine, which she kicked in the early nineties. After an on-again and off-again bouts with alcoholism, in 2005, Khan declared herself sober. Though she sang at both the 2000 Democratic and Republican conventions, Khan says that she is more of a "Democratic-minded person". In 1990, Khan immigrated to the United Kingdom where she had a steady relationship. She splits her time between Los Angeles, Germany and London but has been living mainly in London since 2006.
In a 2008 interview Khan said that she, unlike other artists, feels very optimistic about the current changes in the recording industry, including music downloading. "I'm glad things are shifting and artists – not labels – are having more control over their art. My previous big record company (Warner Music) has vaults of my recordings that haven't seen the light of day that people need to hear. This includes Robert Palmer's original recording of "Addicted to Love" – which they took my vocals off of! We are working on getting it (and other tracks) all back now."[edit] Awards

Grammy Awards

To date, Chaka Khan has won 10 Grammy Awards, including two as a member of Rufus. She has received 22 Grammy Award nominations, including three as a member of Rufus.

2008 Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals - Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige - "Disrespectful" Track from album: Funk This
2008 Best R&B Album - Chaka Khan - Funk This
2003 Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance - Chaka Khan, The Funk Brothers - "What's Going On" Track from album: Standing in the Shadows Of Motown - Soundtrack (Various Artists)
1993 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Chaka Khan - album The Woman I Am
1991 Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal - Ray Charles, Chaka Khan - "I'll Be Good to You". Track from album: Back on the Block (Quincy Jones)
1985 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Chaka Khan - "I Feel for You" Track from album: I Feel for You
1984 Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Chaka Khan - Chaka Khan (1982 album)
1984 Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Rufus - "Ain't Nobody" Track from album: Stompin' at the Savoy - Live (Rufus)
1984 Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices - Arif Mardin, Chaka Khan - "Be Bop Medley" Track from album: Chaka Khan (1982 album)
1975 Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus - Rufus - "Tell Me Something Good" Track from album: Rags To Rufus (Rufus)

American Music Award nominations

To date, she has had four American Music Award nominations.

1985 Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Tina Turner)
1985 Favorite Female Video Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Tina Turner)
1982 Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Stephanie Mills)
1981 Favorite Female Artist - Soul/Rhythm & Blues (Nominee only. Award recipient was Diana Ross)

Albums

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Chart positions ^[1]^[2]^[3]				Certifications^[4] (sales threshold)
Year	Album details	US	US R&B	US Jazz	UK	Certifications^[4] (sales threshold)
1978	Chaka Released: October 13, 1978 Label: Tatoo/Warner Bros. Records	12	2	—	—	US: Platinum
1980	Naughty Released: March 26, 1980 Label: Warner Bros. Records	43	6	—	—	RIAA: Gold
1981	What Cha' Gonna Do for Me Released: April 15, 1981 Label: Warner Bros. Records	17	3	35	—	US: Platinum
1982	Echoes of an Era Released: 1982 Label: Elektra/Rhino	—	—	11	—
1982	Chaka Khan Released: November 17, 1982 Label: Warner Bros. Records	52	5	—	—	US: Gold
1984	I Feel for You Released: October 1, 1984 Label: Warner Bros. Records	16	2	—	15	US: Platinum UK: Gold
1986	Destiny Released: June 27, 1986 Label: Warner Bros. Records	67	25	—	77
1988	C.K. Released: November 12, 1988 Label: Warner Bros. Records	125	17	—	—
1992	The Woman I Am Released: April 14, 1992 Label: Warner Bros. Records	92	9	—	—	US: Gold
1998	Come 2 My House Released: July 21, 1998 Label: NPG	—	49	—	—
2004	ClassiKhan Released: October 5, 2004 Label: AgU Music Group/Earthson/Sanctuary	—	42	—	—
2007	Funk This Released: September 25, 2007 Label: Burgundy	15	5	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilation albums

Year	Album details	Chart positions^[1]^[2]^[3]			Certifications^[4] (sales threshold)
Year	Album details	US	US R&B	UK	Certifications^[4] (sales threshold)
1989	Life is a Dance - The Remix Project Released: June 20, 1989 Label: Warner Bros. Records	—	—	14	UK: Gold
1996	Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1 Released: November 12, 1996 Label: Warner Bros. Records	84	22	—	US: Gold
1999	Dance Classics of Chaka Khan Released: March 16, 1999 (Japan release only) Label: Warner Music Japan	—	—	—
1999	I'm Every Woman: The Best of Chaka Khan Released: September 14, 1999 Label: Reprise	—	—	62
2006	The Platinum Collection Released: June 26, 2006 Label: Warner Music Group	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Solo

Year	Song	Chart positions ^[1]^[2]^[3]				Album
Year	Song	US	US R&B	US Dance	UK	Album
1978	"I'm Every Woman"	21	1	30	11	Chaka
1979	"Life Is a Dance"	—	40	—	—	Chaka
1980	"Clouds"	103	10	31	—	Naughty
	"Papillon (aka Hot Butterfly)"	—	22	31	—
	"Get Ready, Get Set"	—	48	—	—
1981	"What Cha' Gonna Do for Me"	53	1	22	—	What Cha' Gonna Do for Me
	"We Can Work It Out"	—	34	22	—
	"Any Old Sunday"	—	68	—	—
1982	"Got to Be There"	67	5	—	—	Chaka Khan
1983	"Tearin' It Up"	—	48	26	—	Chaka Khan
1984	"I Feel for You"	3	1	1	1	I Feel for You
1985	"This Is My Night"	60	11	1	14
	"Eye to Eye"	—	—	—	16
	"Through the Fire"	60	15	—	77
	"(Krush Groove) Can't Stop the Street"	—	18	30	80	Krush Groove (soundtrack)
	"Own the Night"	57	66	—	—	Miami Vice (soundtrack)
1986	"The Other Side of the World"	—	81	—	—	Destiny
	"Love of a Lifetime"	53	21	11	52
	"Tight Fit"	—	28	—	—
1987	"Earth to Mickey"	—	93	—	—
1988	"It's My Party"	—	5	—	71	C.K.
1988	"Soul Talkin'"	—	—	—	—
1989	"Baby Me"	—	12	—	—
	"I'm Every Woman" (remix)	—	—	1	8	Life is a Dance - The Remix Project
	"I Feel for You" (remix)	—	—		45
	"Ain't Nobody" (remix)	22	1		6
1992	"Love You All My Lifetime"	68	2	1	49	The Woman I Am
	"You Can Make the Story Right"	—	8	—	—
	"I Want"	—	62	—	—
1993	"Don't Look at Me That Way"	—	—	—	73
1996	"Never Miss the Water" (featuring Me'Shell Ndegeocello)	102	36	1	59	Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Vol. 1
1998	"Spoon"	—	—	—	—	Come 2 My House
	"This Crazy Life of Mine"	—	—	—	—
	"Don't Talk 2 Strangers"	—	—	—	—
	"I'll Never B Another Fool"	—	—	—	—
1999	"I Remember You"	—	—	—	—
2007	"Angel"	119	26	—	—	Funk This
	"Disrespectful" (featuring Mary J. Blige)	—	—	1	—
	"You Belong to Me" (featuring Michael McDonald)	—	63	—	—
2008	"One for All Time"	—	35	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

As featured performer

Year	Song	Artist	Chart positions^[1]^[2]^[3]				Album
Year	Song	Artist	US	US R&B	US Dance	UK	Album
1986	"Higher Love"	Steve Winwood	1	—	—	13	Back in the High Life
1990	"I'll Be Good to You"	Quincy Jones w/ Ray Charles	18	1	1	21	Back on the Block
1993	"Feels Like Heaven"	Peter Cetera	71	—	—	—	World Falling Down
1995	"Watch What You Say"	Guru	—	—	—	28	Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality
1996	"Missing You"	Brandy Gladys Knight Tamia	25	10	—	—	Set It Off (soundtrack)
2000	"All Good"	De La Soul	96	41	17	33	Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump
2001	"Your Amazing Grace"	Marcus Miller	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	100%
2010	"Soul Survivor"	Beverley Knight	TBA	TBA	TBA	183	100%

Friday, October 29, 2010

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Early life

Early career

Music career

Turmoil and current work

Awards

Discography

Albums

Singles

Childhood

Early career

Solo career

1990s-2004

Death

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Biography

Early life

Comeback

The 1970s

Death

Grammy nominations

Discography

Albums

Singles

Filmography

Biography

Early life: 1953-1972

Early career and success: 1973-1978

Early solo career and final years with Rufus: 1978-1983

Solo success: 1984-1996

Later career and current work: 1998-present

Personal life

Grammy Awards

Grammy Award nominations

BET Awards

Soul Train Awards

American Music Award nominations

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Solo

As featured performer