FOCUS ON: DIANA ROSS

There is probably no singer who had such a major impact on me than Diana Ross. I think she's the perfect pop vocalist who is also a stunningly beautiful, glamorous goddess. Perhaps that might sound a little overboard but it's honestly how I felt ever since the very first time I heard and saw this dynamic entertainer. She is the true definition of an all-around performer who has found great success with everything she has attempted, whether first becoming a member of one of the biggest all-female singing groups of all-time to becoming one of the most successful female solo artists of all-time to earning an Oscar nomination for her first film role to performing a free concert in Central Park with the proceeds going to build a children's playground in New York City. Although Miss Ross has earned a reputation (fairly or not) for being a bit of a "diva" but that certainly does not diminish her great talent. But the real reason for her success is that you can sense her pure joy in sharing her gifts to the world and you can't help to be moved and transformed by the power of  Diana Ross.

Diana Ross was born on March 26, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan. Her parents, Ernestine and Fred actually named her "Diane" but a typo on her birth certificate has her listed as "Diana" but she went by Diane at home and school. In her early teens, Diana"s first love was fashion design and she studied at Cass Tech which was a four year prep-school. However, she soon became distracted by music as her school friend, Mary Wilson invited her to join a female singing group, The Primettes. Milton Jenkins, the manager of the male vocal group, The Primes wanted to put together a type of "sister act" with Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown filling out the quartet.

After The Primettes won a singing contest, the next step was a recording contract and they wanted to sign with the new local music company, Motown. Diana called her neighbor, William "Smokey" Robinson who was writing songs for the label, to help get the group an audition with Berry Gordy, the head of Motown. Although Gordy liked what he heard, he felt the teens were too young and wanted them to come back after they finished high school. Betty McGlown dropped out of the group and was replaced by Barbara Martin but the girls were determined to impress Gordy as they would hang out at the studios everyday after school. Eventually, The Primettes performed background vocals for several acts before Gordy finally agreed to sign the group in 1961 but he insisted they change their name. They were given a list of suggestions with Florence deciding on "The Supremes" although Diana thought it sounded a bit too masculine.

By 1962, Barbara Martin decided to leave group with The Supremes now remaining a trio.They released eight singles with none of them reaching anywhere near the top forty before The Supremes had a minor breakthrough with "When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" which made it to number twenty-three on the pop chart.

"Where Did Our Love Go" was written by the in-house team of Holland-Dozier-Holland and originally given to The Marvelettes but they passed on it. The Supremes actually didn't like it much better but recorded it anyway as the team had written their previous charting song. It was a good thing they did as it became the group's first number one song in 1964. Their next four singles, "Baby Love", "Come See About Me", "Stop! In The Name of Love" and "Back In My Arms Again" all went to number one and were also written by Holland-Dozier-Holland.

By 1965, The Supremes were a major international female r&b act that brought glamour and polish to pop music. Many other hit songs followed but.previously each member in the group would share lead singing but after their success, Gordy decided that Ross would now be the official lead singer for The Supremes which left the other two less than thrilled, most especially Ballard. She began to drink excessively, gained weight, missed performances and her relationship with Ross deteriorated. Gordy decided to change the name of the group to "Diana Ross & The Supremes" in 1967 which enraged Ballard even further. Soon, Gordy had had enough and fired Florence Ballard later that year and replaced her with Cindy Birdsong, a singer with Patti LaBelle and The Bluebells. Ballard attempted to start a solo career for several years but died in 1976 at the age of thirty-two of heart disease.

Diana Ross & The Supremes continued on but Gordy had plans for Ross to become a solo artist. After the single, "Someday We'll Be Together" became this line-up's twelfth and final number one hit in 1969 and one last concert in Las Vegas, Diana Ross left The Supremes in 1970. Jean Terrell would replace her as lead vocalist of The Supremes.

Ms Ross released her self-titled debut album later in 1970 that featured the now classic "Reach Out And Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and the smash remake of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"  that went to number one on the pop and r&b charts. More hits followed including "Remember Me", "Touch me In The Morning", "Love Hangover" and "The Boss".

In 1972, Ross starred in her first film role as jazz vocalist, Billie Holiday in "Lady Sings The Blues". The film was a box-office smash and her performance won her a Golden Globe Award and she was nominated for an Academy Award. She followed this up with "Mahogany" in 1975. The film about a fashion designer who becomes a successful model was another hit and featured the theme song, "Do You Know Where You're Going To" which went to number one on the pop chart and was nominated for an Oscar. Her next part was as Dorothy in the musical, "The Wiz", an African-American version of "The Wizard of Oz" in 1978. Ross was woefully miscast and the film became a costly failure with this putting an unfortunate end to her movie career.

Tension between Ross and Gordy had grown considerably, most especially during the filming of "Mahogany", so after her 1980 album, "Diana" (which was produced by Chic's, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards and became her biggest solo recording success) and "Endless Love" (her world-wide number one hit duet with Lionel Ritchie for the film of the same name), Ross left Motown to go to RCA Records for a twenty million dollar record deal in 1981.

While at the label, Ross had several successful recordings such as her cover of "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", "Swept Away", "Eaten Alive" and "Missing You" but it did not come close to matching her glory days at Motown. In 1988, Ross decided not to renew her contract with RCA and after making amends with Berry Gordy, re-signed with Motown Records although he had recently sold the company. She recorded four albums on the label but sales were disappointing and she left the label in 1999.

In 2006, Ross had two albums released on EMI; the first was the jazz album, "Blue" which was recorded around 1971-72 and was supposed to follow-up her successful "Lady Sings The Blues" soundtrack record but Gordy decided to shelve the project. The next was "I Love You", her first studio album in seven years and her last to date. It features a collection of love song covers including Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and Marvin Gaye's "I Want You" (co-written by Ross's late brother, Arthur).

Diana Ross was inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Supremes in 1988, was the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor in 2007, won a long overdue Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award (her only Grammy ever!) earlier this year and has sold well over one hundred million records during her career.

Ms Ross has been married twice. She wed Robert Silberstein, a music executive in 1971 and they had three children, Rhonda, Tracey and Chudney although it was publicly revealed recently that Rhonda was actually the daughter of Berry Gordy. Silberstein and Ross divorced in 1977. She met Arne Naess, Jr., a Norwegian businessman on a trip to the Bahamas in 1985. They married the following year and had two sons, Ross and Evan. The couple separated in 2000 and Naess died in a skiing accident in 2004.


These are just a few of my favorite Diana Ross tunes:

"Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Diana Ross (1970)

"The Boss" - Diana Ross (1979)

"I'm Coming Out" - Diana Ross (1980)

"Swept Away" - Diana Ross (1984)

"Missing You" - Diana Ross (1984)

Here is some early footage of The Supremes performing live "Back In My Arms Again":


This is Miss Ross performing her hit, "Love Hangover" live on The Midnight Special back in '76:



This is a great music video for the 1985 song, "Chain Reaction" (written by The Bee Gees) that revived the classic "Supremes" sound. She looks amazingly just like she does in The Supremes video above and it even seems like Miss Ross is wearing the same wig:

FOCUS ON: DAVID BOWIE

There have been many musical artists referred to as a "chameleon" but there has really been only one individual that that term can truly be applied to and that is David Bowie. Rock & roll has always involved theatrics but Bowie took it to whole other level as he literally became a completely different persona while recording and performing live on stage. He created several characters during his time but the one that made a major cultural impact was his first; Ziggy Stardust. This gender-bending, larger-than-life alien was inspiring, mind-blowing and (at the time) a little frightening. Ziggy would certainly be considered tame by today's standards but that's because Bowie paved the way to challenge convention and open minds.

Throughout his long career, he not only reinvented himself visually but musically. Bowie greatly appreciated the sounds of the past but was always looking forward, which allowed him to create innovative and exciting moments in rock. I think one of the main reasons why Bowie has had such a profound and powerful impact was that he made anyone who felt or looked different feel that it was okay to embrace that and should be celebrated.

He was born David Jones on January 8, 1947 in Brixton, London. As a young child, David was interested in art, dance and music, most especially early American rock & roll introduced to him by his father. By fifteen, he learned to play the sax and formed his first band, The Komrads, where they played at school functions and weddings. David soon became frustrated by his band-mates lack of ambition and joined another group, The King Bees. In 1964, Jones recorded his first single, "Liza Jane" under "Davie Jones and the King Bees" although it didn't achieve much success. David quickly moved on to perform with a succession of other blues-rock bands such as The Manish Boys, The Lower Third, The Buzz and The Riot Squad. Although he managed to record a single with each of these groups but none of them were a hit so David soon decided to go forward as a solo artist.

Unhappy with his surname and not wanting to be confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees, he renamed himself  "Bowie" which was the name of a nineteenth-century fighting knife. David Bowie released his first self-titled studio album in 1967 which was written mostly by him and featured a collection influenced by folk, music hall and psychedelic pop. This record was another commercial failure and Bowie took some time off before attempting to record a follow-up album.

By 1969, he released his next album which was originally also self-titled but would later be renamed "Space Oddity" after the success of this single. This song reached number five on the U.K. charts and was the first to feature his astronaut character, "Major Tom", inspired by the film, "2001: A Space Odyssey". Bowie met American model/actress, Angela Barnett in April of that year and he would marry her a year later. Angela would become a major influence to Bowie's music and style.

The release of Bowie's third album, "The Man Who Sold The World" in 1970 played up his androgynous looks and featured him wearing a dress on the original U.K. cover which he would wear during interviews while doing publicity in the U.S. The record's sound was heavy rock which was an extreme departure from his previous work and was the beginning of what would later be described as "glam-rock".

Following the 1971 album, "Hunky Dory" (which featured the classic song, "Changes" although it was never a big commercial success), came the album which completely altered the course of his career; "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars" was released in 1972 and introduced the world to this character, Ziggy Stardust who was an alien in the human form of an excessive rock & roller who came with a message of peace and love. Inspired by British rocker, Vince Taylor, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, Ziggy Stardust was a fashion-forward creation with many costumes designed by designer, Kansai Yamamoto. The music on the album fused heavy metal with the lighter pop sounds of his earlier work combined with a highly successful elaborate stage show that featured his band, The Spiders From Mars helped turn Bowie in to a major music star, most especially in Brittan. A documentary was filmed by D.A. Pennebaker which showcased the final concert of the tour in 1973 at the Hammersmith Odeon with Bowie announcing that he was retiring Ziggy Stardust.

In 1974, Bowie moved to the United States; first to New York before settling in Los Angeles. "Diamond Dogs" was released that year which was a concept album inspired by George Orwell's novel, "1984" combined with elements of the glam-rock of Ziggy Stardust and soul music. The single, "Rebel Rebel" became a U.K. top five hit.

"Young Americans" was recorded in Philadelphia and was heavily influenced by American r&b. The title track was released first as a single and briefly became his highest charting in the U.S.at number twenty-eight before the next, "Fame" (co-written with John Lennon) would become Bowie's first number one pop song in 1975. The song even made it on the r&b charts, peaking at number twenty-one. In fact, Bowie would be one of the few white artists to perform on "Soul Train" where he did this song and "Golden Years", the first single off of the follow-up album, "Station To Station" which reached the top five in the U.S and U.K. in 1976. During this time he was the lead in his first major film, "The Man Who Fell To Earth", created another character, "The Thin White Duke" to perform during his tour and became heavily dependent on drugs, specifically cocaine.

With his health deteriorating, Bowie left L.A.and eventually ended up in Berlin. After he finally went in to recovery, he was ready to return to music and teamed-up with musician, Brian Eno, a fellow Brit, to work on a series of avant-garde albums that would be referred to as "The Berlin trilogy". The first album was "Low" in 1977, followed by "Heroes" released later that same year and "Lodger" in 1979. Influenced by the emerging electronic music scene happening in Germany, these critically acclaimed and somewhat, commercially successful records contained experimental sounds and abstract lyrics which touched on his struggles with addiction and recovery.

Bowie entered the 1980's newly energized with the album, "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" which featured "Ashes To Ashes" that placed him back at number one on the British pop charts. Bowie returned to acting and appeared on Broadway in "The Elephant Man" in 1980 and he teamed up with Queen to record a single, "Under Pressure" which became a world-wide smash the following year.

In 1983, Bowie changed directions again and teamed with Nile Rodgers, the musician and producer of the disco group, Chic to work on a dance heavy album, "Let's Dance". The title track went to number one in eight countries and with the help of the successful follow-up singles, "Modern Love" and "China Girl", the album would become the biggest commercial hit of his career, selling ten million copies worldwide.

After this achievement, Bowie continued to record, although with more modest results, mostly in Europe. He decided to form another rock band in 1989 and Tin Machine was born. The group recorded two albums and toured extensively but the project was never a big success. Bowie's last solo album to date is "Reality", released in 2003 which was followed by his last tour to support this record that ended in 2004.

David Bowie has recorded twenty-three studio albums, he was inducted in to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 and has sold one hundred and forty million records over his career.

Bowie has been married twice; He was married to Angela Bowie for ten years before separating in 1980. They had a son they named Zowie in 1971 but he now goes by Duncan Jones and is a film director. Bowie married super-model, Iman in 1992 and they have a daughter, Alexandria, born in 2000.

Enjoy just a few of my favorite Bowie tracks:

"Changes" - David Bowie (1972)

"Rebel Rebel" - David Bowie (1974)

"Golden Years" - David Bowie (1975)

"Fashion" - David Bowie (1980)

"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" - David Bowie (1982)

Bowie was one of the first artists to use the music video not only for promotion but also as a creative visual extension of the song. Here is an early video for "Life On Mars" with Bowie looking very glam:



I love the song, "Ashes To Ashes" and I really love the music video:



Finally, this video for "Boys Keep Swinging" as I've always been a sucker for a man in a dress:

FOCUS ON: CHER

When people hear the name Cher, the first thing that immediately comes to mind is the big, outspoken personality with the outrageous stage costumes that only a drag queen could truly love. Unfortunately, that tends to overshadow all of her amazing accomplishments as an humanitarian, actress and singer. While her singing may be an acquired taste for some, Cher knows how to use that deep, husky voice to create some unique and magical moments in music for the last sixty years. What I truly admire about her is that whenever she seemed completely down and out, Cher has always been able to rise back to the top in an unbelievably spectacular fashion. She has done this multiple times and while that takes a certain amount of luck but also great talent that isn't always appreciated.

She was born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, CA. in 1946. Her parents divorced when she was a child and her mother, Georgia Holt remarried Gilbert LaPiere who adopted Cherilyn. When she was sixteen, Cherilyn met Salvatore Bono, who went by the name of "Sonny". Although he was eleven years older, the two became friends and eventually lovers before the couple married in 1964. Sonny worked as an assistant for record producer, Phil Spector and he dreamed of becoming a recording artist himself but he also saw the potential in the shy teenager. The couple sang background on several of Spector's hit songs and soon set out to get their own record deal.

They signed with Reprise Records under the name "Caesar & Cleo" and recorded several singles. After many failed to get any radio play, their first taste of success came with a song that Sonny wrote and produced, "Baby, Don't Go" in 1964 but under the new name, "Sonny & Cher". This single was a local hit in Los Angeles but their true breakthrough came with another Bono composition, "I Got You Babe" the following year. This song became a number one smash and soon they became a top act around the world. The duo would have six top-ten U.S. pop hits and also made appearances on all of the major television variety programs of the day. Cher released solo material as well with the hits, "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) and the the theme song from the film, "Alfie", both in 1966. In 1967, Bono got them a film, "Good Times" which co-starred George Sanders. The movie was a flop and it's only remembered today as the directorial debut of William Friedkin who would have better much luck with the films, "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist".

By 1968, their recording career had cooled off, so Bono took them to Las Vegas where they created an act that portrayed Cher as a wise-cracking wife and he happily took being the butt of her jokes. They became one of the hottest shows on the strip which lead to a television special, "The Nitty Gritty Hour". The program did well and they were soon offered their own variety show, "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour". It began as a summer replacement before becoming a regular series in the fall of 1971. This show was a successful top ten hit and during this time, Cher became a hot solo recording artist with three number one singles, "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves", "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady". The series ran for four years but the marriage came to a bitter end by 1974 and so did the show. Each attempted to do their own variety show but neither was a great success. Sonny and Cher managed to patch up their differences and re-teamed for a new program, "The Sonny & Cher Show" in 1976 as an unmarried couple but the magic was gone and this show was cancelled by the following year.

Cher tried to continue her recording career but she just had a series of largely, unsuccessful albums. She had a brief peak with her disco album and had her first top ten hit in years with the title track, "Take Me Home" in 1979. After her 1982 album, "I Paralyze" failed to connect with audiences, despite heavy promotion, Cher decided to focus on working on an acting career.

She had much difficulty being taken seriously as an actress until director, Robert Altman gave Cher her first big break by casting her in the Broadway play, "Come Back To The Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" in 1982. She also performed in the filmed version of the play later that year which inspired director, Mike Nichols to hire her for a supporting part in his film, "Silkwood" that starred Meryl Streep. Cher received her first Academy Award nomination for this role which lead her to many other film roles until Cher won the Oscar for Best Actress for the romantic comedy, "Moonstruck" in 1987.

After her great achievement in film, Cher was ready to return to music as she signs with Geffen Records and releases a self-titled rock album later in '87. "I Found Someone" (written by Michael Bolton) placed Cher back in to the top ten and with the help of the follow-up single, "We All Sleep Alone", the album would sell over seven million copies worldwide. Cher releases two more highly successful, platinum albums; "Heart of Stone" (1989) and "Love Hurts" (1991) before she has to take some time off to recover from chronic fatigue syndrome.

She made occasional cameo film appearances before signing with WEA Records and releasing, "It's A Man's World" in 1995. It was mostly a rock cover album and had minor success only in Europe but it would be the next album that would become Cher's biggest commercial hit ever in her long career. "Believe" came out in 1998 and featured a collection of high-energy dance tracks. The title song became a massive smash, reaching number one in twenty-three countries and was the best selling record of that year. With the success of two other singles; "All Or Nothing" and "Strong Enough", the album went on to sell over twenty million copies and won a Grammy Award for "Best Dance Recording".

Cher followed-up with another dance album, "Living Proof" in 2002 and while it was no where near as successful as "Believe" but the world tour to support this new record was. It was billed as "Living Proof: The Farewell Tour" and it was supposed to be Cher's last time to perform live in front of audiences as well as a tribute to her many years in show business. The tour began in June 2002 and didn't end until April 2005 as it covered Europe, Asia and North America with a total of 3.2 million people attending these concerts.

Recently, Cher returned to the big screen in 2010 with, "Burlesque" that co-starred singer, Christina Aguilera making her film debut. The film's soundtrack featured a ballad performed by Cher, "You Haven't Seen The Last of Me" (written by Diane Warren) that won the Golden Globe for "Best Original Song". This song was also remixed in to a dance tune and went to number one on the U.S. dance chart. There are rumors that Cher is working on new music and may even go on tour to support the record.

Cher has recorded twenty-five solo studio albums, she is the only female recording artist to have a number one single on the Billboard charts over each of the past six decades and has sold over one hundred million albums.

Cher has been married twice; She was married to Sonny Bono for thirteen years before divorcing in 1975. They had a daughter, Chasity who recently went through gender reassignment in 2010 and is now a man named Chaz Bono. Sonny Bono passed away in 1998 during a skiing accident.

Shortly after her divorce from Bono, Cher met and quickly married blues-rock musician, Gregg Allman. This union lasted two years before ending in 1979. The couple have a son, Elijah Blue who is a rock guitarist and has his own band as well as touring with his mother.

Here are a just a few of my favorite Cher singles:

"All I Really Want To Do" - Cher (1965)

"Half-Breed" - Cher (1973)

"Dark Lady" - Cher (1974)

"Take Me Home" - Cher (1979)

"I Found Someone" - Cher (1987)

"Song For The Lonely" -  Cher (2002)

Sonny & Cher perform their first hit, "I Got You Babe" on the British program, "Top of The Pops" in 1965:



Here is Cher performing "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves" live on "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour":



This is the music video for "If I Could Turn Back Time" from 1989 that actually got banned on MTV because people were uncomfortable with seeing too much of Cher's tattooed ass. Although it seems like a complete overreaction now but the outfit she's wearing is still a little too much (even by today's standards):

FOCUS ON: MARVIN GAYE

I was very surprised to learn that one of the greatest soul vocalists of our time, Marvin Gaye had originally wanted to be a pop singer in the vein of Nat "King" Cole.  Now, I don't doubt that he would have been brilliant but it would have been such a tragic loss. R&B was where his powerful talent was best served. The strikingly handsome Gaye brought his unique sense of style, class and sensuality to music that was exhilarating and impassioned. Marvin Gaye was an exceptionally gifted musician and entertainer that we lost much too soon

He was born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. in 1939 in the Washington D.C. area. He was the eldest child of four born to Marvin Gay Sr., a minister at the House Of God, a Hebrew-Pentecostal sect and Alberta Gay, a schoolteacher. Marvin's father was very strict, physically abusive and did not allow his children to listen to anything but gospel music.

This didn't stop Marvin Jr.'s love of music and he began playing drums and piano as a young child. By the time he reached high school, Marvin would run off regularly so he could attend r&b and doo-wop concerts. During this time, Marvin also joined several singing groups in the D.C. area. Finally fed up with his father's rules, Marvin enlisted in the U.S. Air Force with the hope of becoming a pilot. However, this was not a great environment for him either as he was tired of dealing with authority figures and Gaye wound up faking mental illness to get discharged.

In 1958, Marvin and his childhood friend, Reese Palmer formed their own vocal group, The Marquees with Chester Simmons and James Knowland. After being discovered by Bo Diddley, The Marquees were signed to Okeh Records. Their single was not a great success but it did capture the attention of Harvey Fuqua, the founder and co-lead vocalist of The Moonglows. They were a top act with several hit singles but broke-up due to friction between Fuqua and the other members of the group. Fuqua brought in The Marquees to become "The New Moonglows" and recorded several singles including "Mama Loocie" which featured the first lead vocal by Marvin Gaye. By 1960, Fuqua decided to disband The New Moonglows but kept Gaye by his side. Fuqua had begun a relationship with Gwen Gordy, a sister of Berry who had founded Motown Records. The couple soon married and formed two record labels, Harvey Records and Tri-Phi Records with Gaye being signed to this label.

There have been several stories on how Berry Gordy actually met Marvin Gaye but however it happened, it's clear that he saw the potential in Gaye and wanted him at Motown. Gordy eventually absorbed Fuqua's record companies and Gaye was assigned to Motown's Tamla label. Marvin Gaye immediately clashed with his new label over material as Motown wanted him to record the music that made them famous while Gaye wanted to do jazz and standards. During this time, he added and "e" to the end of his last name as he claimed it looked more professional but he later revealed that it was actually a way to quell rumors about his sexuality and to further distance himself from his father.

Gaye released two singles, "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide" and "Mr. Sandman" in 1961 before his debut solo album, "The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye". The collection was made up of mostly jazz with a couple of r&b songs but the album failed to generate any interest in the new artist. Despite this setback, Gaye kept busy playing drums on many of the recordings for other Motown artists as well as co-writing some songs including the hits,  "Beechwood 4-5789" and "Dancing In The Streets".

Inspired by an argument with his then girlfriend, Anna Gordy (another sister of Berry) who he would later wed, Marvin wrote the song, "A Stubborn Kind of Fellow" and it became his first hit reaching number eight on the r&b chart and forty-six on the pop in 1963. The follow-up, "Hitch-Hike" was also a success and Gaye was on his way to becoming a major artist at Motown. He had a long string of hits including "Pride & Joy", "Can I Get a Witness", "Ain't That Peculiar", "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and his first number one song, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine". However, Gaye struggled with his fame as he still wanted a career more like Frank Sinatra or Nat "King" Cole and he had difficulty performing in front of an audience as he suffered from bouts of stage fright.

Marvin Gaye would be teamed up to record with several female vocalists on the label such as Mary Wells, Kim Weston and Diana Ross but it was with Tammi Terrell where he had the greatest success and felt she was the perfect musical partner. The duo had many top hits together including "Your Precious Love", "You're All I Need To Get By" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" but the partnership came to a tragic end when Terrell, who had been complaining of headaches for weeks, collapsed  in to Gaye's arms during a concert in 1967. She was later diagnosed with a brain tumor and died in 1970. Marvin never fully recovered from the loss and sank in to a deep depression with him canceling performances.

Marvin managed to later come out of the darkness to co-write the song, "What's Going On" which was inspired by the Vietnam War and the police brutality against the anti-war protesters. The problem was that Berry Gordy had no interest in releasing such a controversial song on Motown and felt it would harm Gaye's image. The song was eventually released in 1971 with little fanfare but it became a huge hit anyway with it topping the r&b chart for five weeks. An album was put together that dealt with the themes of drug abuse, poverty and pollution with "What's Going On" becoming one of the first concept albums in soul music and crossed over to rock fans. What the album also gave Gaye was creative control of his music which most artists at Motown did not have. He took advantage of his newly earned power and recorded a jazz album, an instrumental album and the soundtrack for the film, "Trouble Man" before recording the album, "Let's Get it On" in 1973. This album included some unused tracks from the "What's Going On" sessions with the title track, which started off as a religious song but evolved in to a song about sex, that went to number one on the pop and r&b charts.

The subsequent years found many difficulties in Marvin Gaye's life as he saw his fifteen year marriage to Anna Gordy end which was followed by a bitter divorce, his facing jail time for his failure to pay back taxes and alimony payments and an emerging drug problem but he still managed to create some memorable music such as the hits, "I Want You" and "Got To Give it Up, Pt. 1". After Motown released "In Our Lifetime" in 1981, Gaye claimed the album was unfinished and was remixed without his permission. He refused to ever record on the label again and signed with Columbia Records with "Midnight Love" being the first album released in 1982. The first single, "Sexual Healing" became a world-wide smash, bringing Gaye back to the top of the charts and won him a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

After touring to support the album, Marvin went to live with his parents to try and escape some of the pressures of the business. However, his behaviour had become more erratic due to his continued drug use and depression. On April 1, 1984, after Marvin tried to intervene an argument between his parents, Marvin Sr. fatally shot his son to death. Marvin Sr.was sentenced to five years probation after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter with the charges of first-degree murder dropped after it was revealed that Marvin had beaten his father prior to the shooting.

Marvin Gaye was married twice; First, to Anna Gordy, who was eighteen years older when they married in 1964. The marriage ended due to Gaye's affair with Janis Hunter, the seventeen year-old daughter of jazz artist, Slim Gaillard. They married in 1976 and had two children, Frankie and Nona but the couple split by 1979. Gaye also had a son, Marvin Pentz Gaye III by Denise Gordy, the niece of Anna who secretly had a child for the couple in 1965.

Here are some classic tracks by Marvin Gaye:

"I'll Be Doggone" - Marvin Gaye (1965)

"Ain't That Peculiar" - Marvin Gaye (1965)

"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" - Marvin Gaye (1968)

"Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" - Marvin Gaye (1971)

"Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)" - Marvin Gaye (1971)

This is an early live performance by Marvin of "Can I Get A Witness" from the film, "The T.A.M.I. Show":



A cute promo clip of Marvin and Tammi performing the classic "Ain't No Mountain High Enough":

 

Here is Marvin performing his comeback song, "Sexual Healing" live at the 1983 Grammy Awards:

FOCUS ON: OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN

When people think of Olivia Newton-John, they tend to think of a pretty, blonde and wholesome vocalist who sang sunny pop songs. While this is certainly a fairly accurate description, you can also see there was much more to her than simply that. Like Sandy, the character she played in film musical, "Grease", Olivia could musically go from sweet and tender to sexy and rough and make it all feel believable. I don't think she is truly appreciated as an artist due to her very good looks and her ability to make it all seem effortless but Olivia Newton-John is an amazing, gifted talent and one of the best pop singers in history.

She was born in Cambridge, England in 1948, the youngest of three children of Brinley and Irene Newton-John. In 1954, the family moved to Melbourne, Australia as her father got a job teaching at the University of Melbourne.

At the age of fourteen, Olivia joined an all-girl singing group, Sol-Four, made up of her fellow classmates. She soon became a regular on "The Happy Show", a local children's program, where she was billed as "Lovely 'Livvy". Later, she joined another program, "The Go Show" and it was here where Olivia met two people who would become very important to her career; Pat Carroll, who became her singing partner and John Farrar who would later become the writer/producer of much of her music.

Olivia entered a singing competition on the TV show, "Sing, Sing, Sing" and won. The prize was a trip to London to record a single and in 1966, she released, "Till You Say You'll Be Mine" on Decca Records. While in England, Olivia became homesick and wanted to return home but decided to stay when her friend, Pat Carroll arrived to start her own music career. The two decided to form an act called Pat & Olivia and they performed across Europe. After Pat's visa expired, she had to return to Australia but Olivia stayed to pursue work.

In 1970, Olivia joined a group, Toomorrow which was formed by American producer, Don Kirshner. He put together a musical film built around the group and released a soundtrack but the project was not much of a success and Toomorrow disbanded.

The following year, Olivia released her first solo album, "If Not For You". The album was country-flavored and the title track, written and originally performed by Bob Dylan, became a top-ten hit for her in Britain and Australia and reached the top-forty in the U.S. The follow-up, "Banks Of Ohio" also reached the top-ten which lead to her being voted "Best Female Vocalist" two years in a row by Record Mirror Magazine. During this time, she made regular appearances on singer Cliff Richard's hit television show, "It's Cliff Richard".

In the United States, Olivia was not nearly as popular. None of her singles or albums after "If Not For You" made any impact until 1973 when her country-pop song, "Let Me Be There" hit the top-ten; number six on the pop charts and number two on the country. The song would win her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocalist.

After this success, a 1974 U.S. only album, "If You Love Me, Let Me Know" was assembled using two albums unreleased in America; "Olivia", her second album in 1972 and "Long Live Love" in 1974. The two new songs for the album, the title track and "I Honestly Love You" became top-ten hits on the U.S. pop and country charts. The album sold over two million copies and won her two more Grammys for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Record Of The Year for "I Honestly Love You".

Although Olivia achieved much success in the U.S. but the country music community did not welcome her with open arms due to the fact that they saw her as a foreigner singing their music although she still managed to win the CMA Award in 1974 for Female Vocalist Of The Year.

Another fellow Aussie, Helen Reddy had become a pop superstar in America and was living here, so Olivia decided to leave England and give the U.S. a try. She soon became a top musical act herself with many more chart-toppers including "Have You Ever Been Mellow", "Please Mr. Please" and "Something Better To Do" but by 1977 the hits had slowed down.

In 1978, Olivia was offered a lead role in the film adaption of the hit Broadway musical, "Grease" which would co-star John Travolta. The film became the biggest box-office hit of 1978 with the soundtrack also becoming a major smash, ultimately selling over twenty-eight million copies world-wide. There were five singles released with her duet with Travolta, "You're The One That I Want" reaching number one in eight countries.

With the help of the film, Olivia's image changed from the sweet girl next door to the sexier chick down the block and she decided to change her musical direction as well to less country and focus more on a pop-rock sound. She released "Totally Hot" later in '78 and it was a major success with the single, "A Little More Love" bringing her back to the U.S. top-ten as a solo artist.

She made a follow-up film, "Xanadu" in 1980 which featured the last screen appearance of film musical legend, Gene Kelly. The movie was a disappointment but the soundtrack still managed to become a huge hit. It featured music from Newton-John and the rock band, ELO and it sold over two million copies with five hit singles including Olivia's number one song, "Magic".

The next year, Olivia released the album, "Physical" that would become the most successful studio album of her career, selling over two million copies. The title track became one of her biggest hits, with it staying at the top of the pop charts for ten weeks and it was so popular that the song even managed to land on the r&b chart. The song did have some controversy as "Physical" contained some provocative lyrics (at that time) and was even banned on some radio stations but to counter this, a humorous, work-out themed music video was created.

She re-teamed with John Travolta to make the film, "Two of A Kind" in 1983. This was nowhere near the success of their last cinematic pairing but the soundtrack did very well with the single,"Twist Of Fate" being her last top-ten hit to date, reaching number five. Also that year, Newton-John and Pat Carroll opened a retail store called Koala Blue. It intially sold Australian imports but later became a chain of women's clothing. The company closed in 1992.

Olivia has released several albums over the following years, even recording another country album, "Back With A Heart" in 1998 but none of them reached the heights she acheived during her peak years. Overall, she has recorded twenty-seven studio albums, had five number one singles, a total of fifteen top-ten pop hits and has sold well over one hundred million albums across the globe. Olivia still makes occasional live performances as well as taking on film and television roles including a recent turn on the hit show, "Glee".

Olivia Newton-John married Matt Lattanzi, a dancer she met on the set of the film, "Xanadu" in 1984 and they had a daughter, Chloe in 1986. The couple divorced in 1995. She married John Easterling, the founder of the Amazon Herb Company in 2008.

Here are just a few of my favorites tunes from Ms. Newton-John:

"I Honestly Love You" - Olivia Newton-John (1974)

 "A Little More Love" - Olivia Newton-John (1978)

 "Totally Hot" - Olivia Newton-John (1978)

 "Suddenly" - Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard (1980)

 "Xanadu" - Olivia Newton-John & ELO (1980)

This is Olivia performing her first big hit single on an Australian Television program:

 

Finally, here is the infamous music video for "Physical":

 

FOCUS ON: STEVIE WONDER

Stevie Wonder is certainly one of the most influential musical artists in history who not only revolutionized the sound of soul but altered people's perception of what could be done to music in general. He is daring, bold and fearless, who is willing to try almost anything and throw in any idea that inspires or moves him which is what makes his music so special and unique.

While preparing to write this, I was listening to his music and I was amazed by the wide range and the beautifully, complex textures to his songs. Stevie Wonder's brilliance as a song writer and musician can be quite shocking considering that he has never been able to actually see the world around him but he has the ability to vividly and accurately capture everything.. He is truly a living legend and an important part of our musical history.

He was born Stevland Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan in 1950. He was six weeks premature and because the blood vessels at the back of his eyes had not yet reached the front, his retinas became detached and Stevie was left blind.

When Stevie was four, his parents separated and his mother moved him and his five siblings to Detroit. She went back to her maiden name and changed Stevie's surname to "Morris". Stevie learned to play a variety of instruments including the piano, bass and harmonica.and performed in his church's choir.

He was discovered by Gerald White, the brother of The Miracles singer, Ronnie, who first saw Stevie perform at a friend's house. Gerald later brought Ronnie to see Stevie, then Ronnie brought the eleven year old to Motown to audition for Berry Gordy. He was signed to the Tamla label in 1961 and Clarence Paul, one of Stevie's first producers, is the one who came up with his new stage name, "Wonder" and he became professionally known as "Little Stevie Wonder".

Little Stevie recorded two albums in 1962 with little success but at thirteen, he had his first hit single, "Fingertips (Pt. 2)" which was taken from a live recording. The song went to number one on the pop and r&b charts in 1963 and a new star was born. He later appeared, as himself, in the films, "Muscle Beach Party" and the sequel, "Bikini Beach in 1964.

As he matured, Stevie decided to drop the "Little" from his name and continued to have several hit songs including "Uptight (Every thing's Alright)", "I Was Made To Love Her" and "For Once In My Life". During this time, he developed as a song writer in which he wrote not only for himself but for other Motown artists.

By the time he was twenty-one, Stevie was so frustrated by his lack of artistic control at Motown that he allowed his recording contract to expire in 1971. He recorded two independently produced albums as well as wrote and produced for other artists to use as a bargaining tool during contract negotiations with the label. This ploy worked and Motown gave Wonder full creative control, rights to his songs and a higher royalty rate.

Motown released the first of Stevie's self produced albums, "Music Of My Mind" in 1972. It was different from the typical Motown album as Wonder played all the instruments and it dealt with social and political issues with the songs connected together thematically. Later in the year, "Talking Book" was released which featured the smash hits, "Superstition" and "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" with both songs topping the pop charts. The album won Stevie his first three Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop, Best Male R&B and Best R&B Song.

In 1973, Wonder released "Intervisions" which had two top ten hits, "Higher Ground" and "Living For The City" and the album won him three more Grammys including Album Of The Year.  Later that year, Stevie was in a near fatal car accident that left him in a coma for four days. He recovered and was able to triumphantly return to the stage to perform during a comeback concert at Madison Square Garden in March of 1974.

"Songs In The Key Of Life", released in 1976, was an ambitious and accomplished work that would become Wonder's best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of his career. It was a two-LP collection with a four song bonus EP that features his classic songs, "I Wish", "Sir Duke" and "Isn't She Lovely" which was written about the birth of his daughter, Aisha. The record would go on to sell over ten million copies in the U.S. alone and won four Grammy Awards including his third award for Album Of The Year.

After taking some time off, he returned in 1979 with a mostly instrumental soundtrack album for the film, "The Secret Life Of Plants" and writing and producing a hit song for Jermaine Jackson, "Let's Get Serious" before releasing "Hotter Than July" in 1980. The album, inspired by his love of reggae music and meeting Bob Marley, became a huge hit with the singles, "Master Blaster (Jammin)", "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It", "Lately" and "Happy Birthday" (which was written in honor of Martin Luther King and used to encourage the passage of a national holiday in his honor) helping the album become a million seller.

During this period, Stevie Wonder contributed vocals to two big charity singles, "We Are The World" (1985) and "That's What Friends Are For" (1986), made guest appearances on recordings for a wide variety of different artists such as The Beach Boys, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, The Eurythmics, and Paul McCartney, either singing, playing the harmonica or both and he won an Academy Award for the number one song on the pop and r&b charts, "I Just Called To Say I Love You" from the film, "The Woman In Red" in 1985.

In the 1990's, Stevie continued to work but at a much slower pace as he released only one studio album, "Conversation Piece" (1995) during the decade but recorded material for the soundtrack of two Spike Lee films, "Jungle Fever" and "Bamboozled" and continued to make occasional guest appearances on the music for other artists. "A Time To Love" was released in 2005 and has been the last studio album for Mr. Wonder to date but he continues to make live performances around the world.

Stevie Wonder has had thirty top-ten U.S. hits with ten reaching number one, twenty number one r&b hit songs, won twenty-two Grammy Awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award,  was inducted in to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and has sold over one hundred million records.

Stevie Wonder married fellow Motown artist, Syreeta Wright in 1970. She co-wrote many songs with him on his albums and he worked on her first two solo recordings but the marriage ended in 1972. He has been married to Kai Milla Morris, a designer, since 2001 and they have two sons, Kailand and Mandla. He has a total of seven children from previous relationships.

Here is a sample of some of Mr. Wonder's greatest hits from throughout his career:

"For Once In My Life" - Stevie Wonder (1968)

"My Cherie Amour" - Stevie Wonder (1969)

"Signed, Sealed, Deliered (I'm Yours)" - Stevie Wonder (1970)

"If You Really Love Me" - Stevie Wonder (1971)

"Living For The City" - Stevie Wonder (1973)

"You Are The Sunshine Of My Life" - Stevie Wonder (1973)

"Don't You Worry 'bout A Thing" - Stevie Wonder (1974)

"All I Do" - Stevie Wonder (1980)

This is early footage of Stevie performing "Uptight (Everything's Alright):


This is the music video for "Part-Time Lover" that features Luther Vandross on background:

FOCUS ON: BILLY JOEL

Billy Joel went from years as a struggling piano man, playing to small crowds in smoky bars to, seemingly overnight, becoming a wildly, popular international rock star, performing in large stadiums in front of millions of fans but the one thing that never changed during this evolution was his music. He has made plenty of memorable pop and rock tunes but is probably best known for his love songs, which are certainly personal and heartfelt but never feel overly sentimental.

What I love about Billy Joel is that all his songs are honest reflections and recollections from a wide variety of influences and combined with his voice of fiery passion and touching tenderness that  comes together to create powerfully, unforgettable music.

He was born William Martin Joel in 1949 in the Bronx, New York. His father, Karl was a classical pianist and Billy began to take piano lessons at a young age at his mother's insistence. By the time Billy was a teenager, he took up boxing because his interest in music instead of sports caused him to be teased and bullied. He was a good boxer, winning several bouts in the amateur circuit but Billy quickly ended his boxing career after he broke his nose during a match.

After seeing The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1964, Billy had decided to wanted to become a musician. He formed a band first called, The Echoes and they performed covers of the popular British groups of the day. The band went through a few name changes before settling on The Lost Souls and they played on several recording sessions for local bands. Because Joel was out late playing piano with his band in local clubs, he overslept and missed an important test which left him a credit short to graduate. He decided that as a musician he didn't need a high school diploma and left school to pursue music full-time.

Joel left The Lost Souls and joined a Long Island band, The Hassles in 1967 and they signed with United Artists Records. The Hassles recorded two albums and released four singles but all were a commercial failure. Joel and Hassles drummer, Jon Small formed a duo, Attila and they released a self-titled album in 1970 but they disbanded shortly after.

Billy Joel signed his first solo recording contract in 1971 with Artie Ripp's label, Family Productions. His debut album, "Cold Spring Harbor" was recorded at the wrong speed which caused Joel's voice to sound too high. Joel, to say the least, was not at all happy with the album.

Joel toured around New York before deciding to relocate to Los Angeles in 1972. He attracted some buzz by playing in local bars and clubs before eventually going on to open for such acts as The J. Geils Band and The Beach Boys. An executive from Columbia Records heard Joel's music and wanted to sign him to the label, so they had to buy out his contract with Artie Ripp. However, Joel had signed a ten-record deal with Family Productions so part of the agreement allowed Ripp to collect royalties on the next ten albums on Columbia.

"Piano Man" was the first release on his new label with the title track being the biggest hit, reaching number twenty-five on the Billboard Pop Chart in 1973. The song was inspired by Joel's days of playing in bars in Los Angeles. Billy Joel released two more albums, "Streetlife Serenade" (1974) and "Turnstiles" (1976), which both sold modestly, before his major breakthrough album in 1977, "The Stranger".

"The Stranger" was the first time Joel teamed up with producer, Phil Ramone who would go on to work with him on the next six albums. This album was a commercial hit, ultimately selling over ten million copies as well as a critical success with "The Stranger" ranking number fifty-seven on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time". There were four top-forty singles with "Just The Way You Are", which was written about his first wife, Elizabeth, being the highest charting song, reaching number three. The song would go on to win Grammy Awards for "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year".

With this album, Billy Joel became a superstar with his following albums selling millions of copies, his songs became major hits, played regularly on the radio throughout the 1980's and early 1990's and he performed sold-out concerts around the world including in 1987, being one of the first American rock acts to perform in Russia since 1961.

Following the release of his 1993 album, " River of Dreams", Joel focused on only on touring but after a performance at Madison Square Garden in 1999, he announced that this would be his final live performance. Although he would end up making occasional concert appearances afterwards, including the popular "Face to Face" tour with Elton John that they first began in 1994, Joel hasn't made another rock album. In 2001, however, Joel teamed up with pianist, Richard Joo to compose an album of classical music entitled, "Fantasies and Delusions". Twyla Tharp created a stage musical that was based on the songs of Billy Joel called, "Movin' Out" which was first staged in 2002, won two Tony Awards and has been performed across the globe.

Billy Joel has been married three times; He wed Elizabeth Small in 1973, who was his business manager and she left her husband, Jon Small, who was Joel's musical partner in their band, Attila, to marry. The couple divorced in 1982. His second marriage was to supermodel, Christie Brinkley in 1985 and they had a daughter, Alexa Ray who is now an aspiring singer/songwriter.Their marriage ended in 1994. His last marriage was to Katie Lee who was twenty-three when they married in 2004 but they recently split-up in 2009.

During his career, Billy Joel has had thirty-three top-forty hits, he has been nominated for Grammy Awards twenty-three times and wining six, he was inducted in to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and has sold well over one hundred and fifty million records worldwide.

Here is a small sample of some of Billy Joel's timeless songs:

"Piano Man" - Billy Joel (1973)

"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" - Billy Joel (1977)

"Only The Good Die Young" - Billy Joel (1977)

"It's Still Rock & Roll To Me" - Billy Joel (1980)

"Keeping The Faith" - Billy Joel (1984)

This video for "Tell Her About It" touches on his own experience of watching The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show":



And finally, here is a live performance of one of his most popular songs, "Just The Way You Are":

FOCUS ON: CHAKA KHAN

There have been plenty of soul singers in history but there has only been one Chaka Khan.

There are many words you could use to describe her: wild, fiery, sexy, passionate and outrageous and while they are all certainly accurate but it's hard to properly articulate the feeling you get when you hear her sing or watch her perform. While she has been praised and admired over the years, I think she is still undervalued as a musical performer. So, this is my little part in shining a light on one of my all-time favorite singers.

She was born Yvette Stevens in 1953 in Chicago, Illinois and raised in the city's rough, Southside projects. Yvette was the eldest of five children with her sister, Yvonne who later became a singer under the name, Taka Boom, her only brother, Mark formed the funk band, Aurra and her sisters, Kathleen and Tammy, who is currently her manager.

Her first introduction to music was jazz by her grandmother and later to r&b. Yvette formed an all-female singing group, The Crystalettes which also featured Yvonne. Later, Yvette and Yvonne became a part of another band, Shades of Black as well as joining the Black Panther party in 1967. While a member, Yvette was given the name, Chaka Adunne Aduffe Hodarhi Karifi by an African shaman.

In 1969, Chaka left the Panthers, dropped out of high school and met musician, Hassan Khan who she later married the following year. Their marriage was very brief but Chaka would later join her ex-husband's band, Lyfe where she sang lead vocals before joining a rock/soul group, The Babysitters but they disbanded in 1971.

Chaka was approached by friend, Paulette McWilliams to replace her as the vocalist for the band, Ask Rufus. This Chicago-based group performed rock and soul that featured Kevin Murphy, Al Ciner, Ron Stockert, Dennis Belfield and Andre Fischer. The band shortened it's name to Rufus, moved to Los Angeles and signed a recording contract with ABC Records in 1972. By this time, Chaka was only nineteen years old. Rufus released their self titled album in 1973 and while the singles that featured Chaka's vocals attracted some attention on r&b radio, the album was not a success.

During the recording of their second album, Al Ciner and Dennis Belfield left Rufus and was quickly replaced with guitarist, Tony Maiden and Bobby Watson on bass. The group had recorded their version of Stevie Wonder's song, "Maybe Your Baby" on their first album which lead to him writing a song specifically for Chaka Khan to sing. That song, "Tell Me Something Good" was the lead single off of the album, "Rags To Rufus", and became their first hit single, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well as winning the group their first Grammy Award.

Rufus and Chaka would go on to release six more albums, between the years 1974 thru 1979, with each selling over a million copies that featured many hit songs charting on the r&b and pop charts including, "Sweet Thing", "You Got The Love", "Hollywood" and "Do You Love What You Feel?" As always, with success comes stress and tension, which grew between Khan and other members of Rufus. This eventually caused band members to leave the group between almost every album.

In 1978, Chaka Khan signed a solo recording contract with Warner Bros. Records although she made no plans to leave Rufus at this time. "Chaka" was her debut album released that year and included her smash hit single, "I'm Every Woman" which went to number one on the r&b chart.

The following year, Khan reunited with Rufus for the album, "Masterjam" which was produced by Quincy Jones. In 1983, Rufus and Chaka teamed up for their last album together, "Live: Stompin at the Savoy" that featured the studio recording, "Ain't Nobody (Album Version)". It became their final charting success, peaking at number twenty-two on the pop chart and another number one hit on the r&b.

Now, Khan focused on her solo career full time and on her sixth studio album, "I Feel For You", she released the title track in 1984 which was a remake of a Prince composition. The song, which features a Stevie Wonder sample and rapper, Melle Mel,  became a huge hit for Chaka Khan that topped the r&b chart and sold a million copies.

Chaka Khan has released eleven solo album during her career with her latest, "Funk This" which came out in 2007. She has won ten Grammy Awards including two as a member of Rufus. Chaka has been married and divorced three times and has two children, a daughter, Milini from her relationship with Rahsaan Morris and son, Damien with second husband, Richard Holland. She has battled drug addiction and alcoholism for many years but has declared herself completely sober since 2005.

Here are some of my favorite songs of Rufus featuring Chaka Khan:

"At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)' - Rufus & Chaka Khan (1977)

"Hollywood" - Rufus & Chaka Khan (1977)

"Do You Love What You Feel?" - Rufus & Chaka Khan (1979)

"Ain't Nobody" - Rufus & Chaka Khan (1983)

Here is the band performing their signature song, "Sweet Thing" on Soul Train:



Now enjoy a few of Chaka' solo hits:

"What Cha Gonna Do For Me?" - Chaka Khan (1981)

"Through The Fire" - Chaka Khan (1985)

"Angel" - Chaka Khan (2007)

This is the classic music video for Chaka's first solo hit song:


Chaka Khan - Im Every Woman (1978) from André Costa on Vimeo.