‘Soundchecking’ with Chaka Khan

In the tradition of DJ/journalist Bobbito Garcia, CL names the tracks and Chaka states the facts.

Photo credit: Photo by Timothy Fielding

At a time when some of soul and R&B’s biggest names have passed away, the music world is blessed to have legends like Chaka Khan still alive and working. The Grammy-winning singer has lent her booming voice to countless hits — both as a member of the band Rufus and as a solo artist. And even faced with her own health challenges, such as recent stint in rehab due to an addiction to pain medication, she still regularly performs at venues around the world. Case in point: Khan is set to hit the stage in Atlanta this Friday, August 5. But before she takes her mark behind the mic, we decided to take a walk down memory lane with her (in the tradition of DJ/journalist Bobbito Garcia’s famed, 1990s-era Vibe magazine column, “Soundcheck”) rattling off the names of a few of her most beloved songs and then getting her to drop thoughts, anecdotes and memories about the tunes. In other words, we name the tracks and Chaka states the facts.

“Clouds”: I was living in New York at the time. I had the best freaking band on the planet playing on those recordings in the ’80s. And I had the best producer on the planet at that time, Arif Mardin, and we were just going full-steam ahead. And I just recall being at the studio freaking out over how beautifully everyone in the band gelled together — how we all gelled together.

“Papillon”: That was during that time in the ’80s when we were popping, and a lot of songs I did back then were submitted by songwriters. … When Arif put the word out that we were looking for songs, we’d get a box full of cassettes. We’d listen to the songs, and we could tell by the first verse whether we wanted it or not. At that time, I was doing a lot of stuff by songwriters Ashford and Simpson — like “Clouds” and “I’m Every Woman”; I would have to do their stuff. But there were a lot of other writers I loved — like Greg Diamond who wrote “Papilion.” The song had an old-fashioned ring to it, and I fell in love with its old-fashioned melody.

“I Feel For You”: When Arif and I were in the studio recording “I Feel For You” … we did the song and then went home. The next day when I came back, Arif said: “I’ve got a surprise for you.” I said: “Oh, shoot!” I hate surprises. I walk into the studio, and I hear rapper Melle Mel saying my name over and over again. And I said, “How am I going to live with that?” Arif said to me, when I was floored and embarrassed, “Look, it’s gonna be a hit.” Now, whenever I meet somebody or somebody recognizes me, they give me that “Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan.” But I have to say, it was a landmark song because it was one of the first songs to put rap and R&B together.

trong>? “You’ve Got the Love”: Yeah, that was Rufus. I’d just moved to LA, and Rufus and I were doing really well. We were a new group trying to put down some anchors — and I think we did a pretty good job.

Chaka Khan plays Atlanta this Friday, August 5. $37-$107. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway. www.cobbenergycentre.com.