She’s Every Woman – the Story of Chaka Khan
TX BBC Radio 2: 11th & 18th April 2012, 10pm
I'm Every Woman is an anthemic song that females worldwide identify with; yet the woman who recorded it, felt reluctant and embarrassed to ‘sing out for her sisters’.
Chaka talks candidly about her life and music; she is winner of 10 Grammy Awards and has been in the music business for over 5 decades and is still going strong. She talks about her childhood in Chicago, her wild teenage ways, becoming a member of the Black Panthers and nights as a fifty dollar performer in raucous clubs.
Then along came Rufus and the first hits, followed by her solo career. She had amazingly fortuitous meetings with Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones who helped her career along. Her work with music producer Arif Mardin who guided Chaka’s career and made certain she had classic hits. Many of her tracks have been sampled by hip hop artists and her influence continues. Today, she has her own record label and a foundation to help women and children in crisis.
Female artists including Angie Stone, Lalah Hathaway and Beverley Knight talk about the importance of Chaka and how she has inspired them. A woman who can sing in many musical styles, from soul to jazz and r’n’b to gospel – she’ll always be known as the ‘Queen of Funk’.
Contributions from Chaka Khan, her sisters Taka Boom and Tammy McCrary, Valerie Simpson , Russ Titelman, Brenda Russell, Beverley Knight, Angie Stone, Lalah Hathaway, Mary J Blige and Bluey, Founder of the band Incognito.
11 April 2012
Photos of Chaka Khan with Arif Mardin, Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones.
©SueClarkProductions 2012 - Use of this content is restricted. Please email Sue if you would like to use this soundclip or any images from this site. Acks: ©Sue Clark Productions incl. link to www.sueclarkproductions.com
Valerie Simpson (of the famous songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson) agrees to tell Chaka's Story. Here she is recording scripts with co-producer Vicki Wickham and far right, with sound engineers Mitch & Ira at M&I Studios in New York last week
BBC Radio 2
Sue Clark Productions
Co Producers: Vicki Wickham & Sue Clark
Presenter: Valerie Simpson
website design & build: Yvonne Macken © Sue Clark Productions 2004-2012
She’s Every Woman - Chaka Khan
Episode 1 (11th Apr 2012)
Music Playlist
Chaka Khan - I’m Every Woman
Ella Fitzgerald - I Remember You
Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love
Stan Getz - Yvette
Miriam Makeba & the Skylarks - U Shaka
Donny Hathaway - The Ghetto
Rufus - Sideways
Rufus - Maybe Your Baby
Rufus - Keep It Coming
Rufus - Rags to Rufus
Rufus - Tell Me Something Good
Rufus - You Got the Love
Rufus - Once You Get Started
Rufus - Please Pardon Me
Rufus - Sweet Thing
Rufus - Ain’t Nothing But a Maybe
Rufus - Destiny
Rufus - Masterjam
Chaka Khan - Life is a Dance
Chaka Khan - I’m Every Woman
Chaka Khan - Roll Me Through the Rushes
Chaka Khan - Clouds
Chaka Khan - So Naughty
Chaka Khan - Got to be There
Rufus - Do You Love What You Feel
Rufus - Don’t Go To Strangers
Rufus - Ain’t Nobody
Chaka Khan - Papillon (aka Hot Butterfly)
SEE BELOW FOR PLAYLIST
She’s Every Woman - Chaka Khan
Episode 2 (18 Apr 2012)
Music Playlist
Chaka Khan - I’m Every Woman
Incognito featuring Chaka Khan - The Song
Chaka Khan & Mary J Blige - Disrespectful
Stan Getz - Yvette
Chaka Khan - Be Bop Medley
Chaka Khan - I Loves You Porgy
Prince - I Feel for You
Chaka Khan - I Feel For You
Chaka Khan - Through the Fire
Chaka Khan - The Melody Still Lingers on (Night in Tunisia)
Steve Winwood feat Chaka Khan - Higher Love
Eric Clapton feat Chaka Khan - Pretending
Chaka Khan feat Miles Davis - I’ll Be Around
Chaka Khan - Tight Fit
Chaka Khan - Soul Talkin’
Chaka Khan - The Woman I Am
Chaka Khan - Come 2 My House
Mary J Blige - Sweet Thing
De La Soul feat Chaka Khan - All Good
Kanye West - Thru the Wire
Chaka Khan - This Crazy Life
Chaka Khan & the Funk Brothers - What’s Going On
Chaka Khan - Faith Can Move a Mountain (from Musical Mama I Want to Sing)
Chaka Khan - Angel
Chaka Khan - Ladies Man
Ernie K Doe - Here Come the Girls
Incognito feat Mario Biondi & Chaka Khan - Lowdown
Beverley Knight & Chaka Khan - Soul Survivor
Chaka Khan - This is My Night
Chaka Khan - Super Life
Chaka Khan - I’m Every Woman
Hi Sue, This was an excellent piece! Thank you for putting together such a great tribute... Tammy
[Chaka’s younger sister and personal manager]
Great documentary! Beverley Knight
Hello Sue, You don't know me and I found your address by putting you into Google. I have just finished listening to ‘She's Every Woman’ (God bless the iPlayer) and just wanted to tell you that I think it is the best radio documentary I have heard in years, truly. I am a music publisher by trade, a music fan from short trousers and a huge Chaka fan (so probably somewhat biased) and have heard a lot of good programmes recently (profiles on Curtis Mayfield, Prince and Paul Morley's series ‘From Edison to iTunes’) but I enjoyed it so much I went straight to iTunes and bought all my early vinyl albums on CD. I thought it was superbly written, edited and presented and the sound design in particular is great with headphones. I learned a lot things I didn't know and heard a number of songs for the first time so thanks and congratulations for an enthralling two hours. Allen Jacobs