Everlasting Love: The Story of Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan was one of the coolest and most talented bands of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Early on, they proved themselves to be innovators with singles like “Tell Me Something Good,” “You Got the Love,” and “Sweet Thing.” Unlike many of their contemporaries, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan offered fully realized work that was non-compromising and filled with panache and professionalism despite the distractions, exits, and lineups.
Like many bands, the genesis of the Chicago band Rufus came out of the ashes of another group. Rufus came from a group called the American Breed that had the AM radio favorite, 1968’s Bend Me, Shape Me.” Early Rufus members Al Ciner (guitarist), Charles Colbert (bass), James Stella (keyboard/vocals), and Lou Graziano (drums) were original members of the American Breed.
The American Breed later became the Breed, Smoke, The Grip, and then Ask Rufus while undergoing stylistic changes. Kevin Murphy and Paulette McWilliams joined the band's last lineups. Renowned bassist Willie Weeks was a member for a time.
The early Rufus lineup released two non-charting singles for Epic Records and recorded a full album for the label. In the early ‘70s. McWilliams left, and she tapped her friend Chaka Khan to be her replacement.
The band was signed to ABC Records in 1972. At this time, the Rufus lineup included Kevin Murphy (keyboards), Al Ciner (guitar), Dennis Belfield (bass), Ron Stockert (keyboards and vocals), Andre Fischer (drums), and Chaka Khan (vocals).
Khan was barely out of her teens when the sessions for Rufus started in 1972. Rufus wasn’t a big seller but had key songs like the band’s covers of Stevie Wonder’s “Maybe Your Baby” and Valerie Simpson’s “Keep It Comin’.” Rufus was produced by Bob Monaco, who was behind the boards for the band’s first two albums. While the band certainly was impressive, it was Khan who earned the raves for her maturity, range, and singular voice and persona.
In 1974, Rufus released Rags to Rufus. The album featured the first single, Stevie Wonder’s “Tell Me Something Good,” the #1 R&B single “You Got the Love,” and Ashford and Simpson’s “Ain’t Nothing But a Maybe.” By this point, Rufus had a more commercial sound. “Tell Me Something Good” was a big pop hit and helped the band make appearances on Soul Train, The Midnight Special, and they even performed on Bob Hope’s 25th Anniversary.
By the time of the publicity swing, Al Ciner, Dennis Belfield, and Ron Stockert all left the band. The exited members were replaced by Tony Maiden (guitar), Bobby Watson (bass), and Nate Morgan (keyboards), who was in the group in the middle from 74–77. “Tell Me Something Good” received a Grammy for Best R&B song in early 1975.
Rufusized was released in late 1974. Rufusized was a more polished and refined album due to the change of players. The first single, “Once You Get Started,” is one of the much-loved songs where Khan shares vocals with Tony Maiden. Rufusized was typified by enigmatic and strongly produced songs like “Your Smile” and “Pack’d My Bags,’ “(Please Pardon Me) You Look Like a Friend,” and Bobby Womack’s “You’re Welcome, Stop On By.”
This edition of Rufus exhibited great camaraderie and was more adept at R&B and funk than the earlier editions. Chaka Khan and Tony Maiden traded vocals on a few of the tracks. The sound was also augmented by the Tower of Power, which played with the band for a few albums.
Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan found the band expounding on the sound and styles explored on Rufusized. The first single, the #1 R&B single “Sweet Thing,” was spare and delicate and sounded like nothing on the radio at the time. Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan also had much-loved gems like the atmospheric “Fool’s Paradise” and easy-groove-centered songs like “Everybody Has an Aura” and “Circles.”
In many respects, Rufus, Featuring Chaka Khan, solidified the band’s success and singular greatness. By this point, Khan’s eccentricities, sexuality, and stage presence had gained the band notoriety, but she was always acclaimed as a singer first and foremost.
As a singer, Khan was endlessly interesting. At her best, she was an intriguing amalgam of rock star flash and a jazz singer’s phrasing and tone, with R&B’s electricity and sincerity. Rufus featuring Chaka Khan’s talents as a singular band caused them to tour with acts such as The Rolling Stones, the Eagles, the Who, and a talented young Ohio outfit called the Gap Band.
1977's Ask Rufus was a work that seemed to be at once a more ambitious yet subdued effort. The first single was the sexy and danceable R&B #1 hit “(At Midnight) My Love Will Lift You Up.” Like the single, Ask Rufus featured one sensual song after the other, including “Everlasting Love,” “Magic In His Eyes,” “Close the Door,” and “Hollywood.” Keyboardist David “Hawk” Wolinksi made appearances with the Best in 1976, played on the album, and was later officially added to the band.
Ask Rufus suggests continued maturity and a broadening of styles. This move wasn’t unilaterally greeted with kudos. In the 1970s, a band could be seen as rising above their station by simply maturing.
Esteemed rock critic Robert Christgau’s thoughts typified a sentiment about bands like Rufus, and its in his Ask Rufus review from the 1981 book Christgau’s Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies:
So Chaka’s turning into a “sophisticated song stylist.” Just what we needed. What she needs is sophisticated songs. They never learn.”
There wasn’t much to learn. In retrospect, Ask Rufus is the band’s artistic and musical high point and has garnered decades of critical praise. The album is often viewed as their artistic peak, and like Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Clare Fischer (Andre Fischer’s uncle) made the gorgeous string arrangements.
Although Rufus sounded like a prototypical cohesive band, it wasn’t. During the Ask Rufus sessions, Rufus member Andre Fischer attacked Chaka Khan’s then-husband Richard Holland. Khan recounted the fracas in her 2003 autobiography Chaka! Through the Fire:
“Richard’s screams were so loud that they registered on the monitor inside the studio. Long story short: When I got to the bathroom, I went upside Andre’s head with a Courvoisier bottle (which didn’t break, like it does in the movies). And next, Andre was all over me. By then, a roadie and some of the guys in the band were on the scene, too,”
By the time Ask Rufus was released, Andre Fischer voluntarily left the group (he was gone by the LP promos and TV appearances) and was replaced by Richard “Moon” Calhoun.
Fischer was an original member and an architect of sound and style, but things weren’t quite the same after his departure. At the same time another change was in the offing that changed things once more.
In 1978, Khan signed a solo contract with Warner Brothers. Reportedly, Khan was planning to exit, but she still owed two albums her contract. Her self-titled first solo album spun off the hits “I’m Every Woman” and “Some Love.” Rufus and Chaka Khan offered Street Player, which had the hit “Stay” and strong album tracks like “Blue Love” and “Best of Your Heart.”
In early 1979, Rufus released Numbers without Khan, which resulted in dismal sales. Numbers saw another personnel shift, as drummer Moon Calhoun was replaced by John Robinson.
After ABC went out of business, Rufus and Chaka’s contract went to MCA Records. Later that year, they all reunited for Masterjam, and the album was credited to Rufus and Chaka. The album was produced by Quincy Jones and featured the hit song “Do You Love What You Feel” and album classics like “Any Love” and “Heaven Bound.”
Rufus members Bobby Watson, David “Hawk’ Wolinski, and John Robinson also became a big part of Quincy Jones’s productions of the time and appeared on albums like Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and Thriller, The Brothers Johnson Light Up the Night.
In contrast, neither Kevin Murphy nor Tony Maiden were asked to lend their talents to Jones’s productions, which had been a point of contention within the band.
Masterjam was MCA’s first new project with the band, and stylish and minimal videos were made for the tracks “Do You Love What You Feel” and “Masterjam.” Masterjam was the band’s first platinum LP since Ask Rufus.
Since her 1978 Warner Brothers debut, Chaka Khan’s solo albums were unstoppable, and she notched more classics like Naughty and Whatcha Gonna Do For Me. For better or worse, Khan’s producer, Arif Mardin, assembled a coterie of session players like Anthony Jackson, Hamish Stuart, and Steve Ferrone, among others, who gave Chaka a defining sound that might have made Rufus superfluous to some. On the other hand, even the best Arif Mardin assemblages didn’t have the quirky and loving sound Rufus created with and for Chaka Khan.
In 1981, Rufus released Party Til’ You’re Broke. Although Khan didn’t appear on the sessions, the album did modestly well. The fun single “Tonight We Love” hit the R&B top 20, and the band appeared on Solid Gold.
In late 1981, Khan again reunited with the band for Camouflage. Although the album wasn’t a dismal failure, the material certainly wasn’t there, nor was the band camaraderie. In 1983, Rufus signed to Warner Brothers, added vocalist Ivan Neville, and released Seal In Red. Later in 1983, Warner Brothers released Stompin’ at the Savoy, a double album commemorating Rufus and Khan’s 1982 reunion at the famed Savoy Theatre.
Three of the Stompin’ at the Savoy’s sides were live and featured versions of “Once You Get Started,” “Pack’d My Bags” as well as later work like “Do You Love What You Feel.” The studio side included David “Hawk” Wolinski’s “Ain’t Nobody,” a track that hit #1 on the R&B chart and appeared on the Breakin’ soundtrack. Stompin at the Savoy went gold, and “Ain’t Nobody” won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The band broke up in 1983.
In 2001, the 1978–1983 iteration of the band (including Chaka) attempted a world tour. The band could only do a few dates until old resentments, tensions, and gross mismanagement ended the tour.
During the intervening years, Rufus members have continued in the industry. Tony Maiden and Chaka Khan reunited for Khan’s 2007 album Funk This with a medley of “Pack’d My Bags/You Got the Love.”
Bobby Watson teamed with John Robinson for another Rufus lineup, which included members like keyboardist Larry Dunn and vocalist Niki Harris.
Like all of the best bands, the years have been good to Rufus featuring Chaka Khan and their worth and talents have been suitably assessed. The band became eligible for inclusion into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Rufus, featuring Chaka Khan, was nominated in 2012, 2018, 2019, and 2020. In 2023, Chaka Khan was nominated into the Rock Hall and was inducted in the same year.
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan's work is one of undeniable craft and has remained unique and timeless.
Jason Elias
Jason Elias is a pop culture historian and a music journalist
