Legendary “Queen of Funk” Chaka Khan has always been known for her candidness, especially when it comes to her music. A prime example of this is her bold decision to turn down an initial song suggestion from Stevie Wonder, which ultimately led to the creation of the timeless hit “Tell Me Something Good.”
In a recent interview with The Independent, Khan recounted how her bold move paid off. While working on their second album, following their 1973 debut, Khan’s funk band Rufus was approached by Wonder, who offered them an unrecorded track titled “Come and Get This Stuff.” Unimpressed, Khan asked Wonder, “What else you got?”
Reflecting on the interaction, Khan remarked, “I don’t think he ever heard that at all. But I wasn’t thinking about that. I just tell the truth all the time, and I can’t help it. It upsets people sometimes. But hell, if the truth upsets you I can’t really help that.”
Fortunately, Wonder wasn’t upset by her honesty. Instead, he inquired about her zodiac sign and, upon learning she was an Aries, said, “Oh, I got the song for you…” He then played the distinctive “wakka-wakka” riff on the keyboard, leading to the creation of “Tell Me Something Good.”
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The song became a significant success, soaring to Billboard’s Top 3 in 1974 and transforming the dynamic of Rufus. “The record company renamed us ‘Rufus and Chaka Khan’,” Khan explained. “That caused a huge rift in how the band felt about me. I was totally against it, and made that very clear. But the label said, ‘Go along with it, or forget it.’ Of course, I had to ride the pony, for everybody’s sake. But it broke my heart, for them to feel… secondary to me. We’d all been equals. But something beautiful died during that second album, *Rags to Rufus*, and people are still recovering from what happened. I love those guys. But we can’t talk straight like we used to anymore.”
Khan also touched on the racism she and her band encountered during her time with Rufus. In an interview with The Guardian in May, she shared an incident where a gig in Illinois was almost canceled because the promoter felt there were “too many Black people in the band.” This occurred after the band had changed its lineup to include more Black members like Tony Maiden, Bobby Watson, and Andre Fischer.
Khan’s forthrightness and refusal to settle for anything less than what she believed in not only led to the creation of a classic hit but also highlights the challenges and triumphs of her storied career.
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