Singer-Song writer


 Yvette Stevens aka Chaka Khan was born into a artistic, bohemian household in Chicago, Illinois. She was the eldest of five children born to Charles Stevens & Sandra Coleman. Raised in the Hyde Park area (an island in the middle of Chicago's south side housing projects). She attributes her grandmother for her love of jazz as a child. Later on as a pre-teen became a fan of rhythm and blues, at age eleven formed a girl group, The Crystalettes, which included her sister Taka. In the late 1960's Stevens attended several civil rights rallies with her father's secind wife Connie, a strong support er of the movement, and joined the Black Panther Party after befriending fellow member, activist and fellow Chicago native Fred Hampton in 1967.


While a member of The BPP, she was given a name change to Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi by a African Shaman. In 1969, she left the panthers and dropped out of high school. She began performing with small groups around the Chicago area, first preforming with Cash McCall's group, Lyfe, which included her then boyfriend Hassan Khan. She was asked to replace Baby Huey of Baby Huey and The Babysitters after Huey's death in 1970. The group disbanded a year later. While performing in local bands in 1972, she was scouted by two members of a new group Rufus and soon won her position in the group (replacing Rock & Roll singer Paulette McWilliams). They later signed with ABC Records in 1973. Prior to signing a record deal she married on again off again boyfriend Hassan and changing her stage name Chaka Khan.


She has 7 gold singles. 7 gold albums. 3 platinum albums. She's also the first R&b artist to feature a rapper. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll fall of fame twice. Khan has won ten grammys and sold over 70 million records worldwide. And is widely known as the Queen of Funk.

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