Yvette Marie Stevens, better known as Chaka Khan, was born on March 23, 1953. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus.

Khan dubbed the “Queen of Funk,” was the first R&B artist to have crossover success with a rapper with “I Feel for You” in 1984. Khan has eleven Grammy Awards and an estimated 70 million albums sold globally.

The eldest of five children born to Charles Stevens and Sandra Coleman, she has described her father as a beatnik and her mother as “able to do anything”. Hyde Park, which she describes as “an island in the middle of the mayhem” of Chicago’s tough South Side housing complexes, is where she grew up.

Taka Boom, her sister, went on to become a brilliant performer in her own right. Her only brother, Mark, was a well-known musician who was a member of Aurra and co-founded the funk band Jamaica Boys. Her other sisters are Zaheva Stevens and Tammy McCrary.

When did Chaka Khan come out?

She rose to prominence in the 1970s as the lead singer for the funk band Rufus.

Khan became a solo artist in 1978, and her hit songs include I Feel for You, I’m Every Woman, Sweet Thing, and Through the Fire.

She was also nominated for multiple American Music Awards. Khan received the 2,440th Hollywood Walk of Fame star plaque on a stretch of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles on May 19, 2011.