Chaka Khan Archives - Rolling Out

Singer Betty Wright, who rose to fame in the 1970s and ’80s, has died from a mysterious and undisclosed illness. She was 66 years old. Wright is the latest in a rapid succession of losses as legendary rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Little Richard and famed music exec Andre Harrell died within the past 48 hours.…

Chaka Khan and Michael McDonald have teamed up for a co-headlining tour for the summer. The tour made a stop in Minnesota at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. Before Khan hit the stage, she had a meet and greet with fans. Some fans brought in her old albums, dolls that they made for her and…

Black Enterprise opened its annual Women of Power Summit with the Legacy Awards. Held at The Mirage in Las Vegas, the event honored several women who have achieved success in business, entertainment, literature and theology. Earl “Butch” Graves Jr., president and CEO of Black Enterprise, opened the ceremony by welcoming the 1,500 attendees who were present…

Chaka Khan says Prince’s death was a wake-up call. The Queen of Funk — whose biggest hit, “I Feel For You,” was written by the late singer — revealed that finding out he had died from an overdose in April 2016 made her realize she had to make changes in her own life. Speaking to The…

The Aretha Franklin homegoing celebration was simply amazing. Dignitaries from the worlds of politics, entertainment and gospel music came together to send the “Queen of Soul” off this earthly plane on a high note. Those in attendance included former president Bill Clinton and former First Lady and U.S. Sen. Hilary Clinton, former U.S. Attorney General…

More than 40 performance artists will salute the life and legacy of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Louise Franklin, during A People’s Tribute to the Queen at Detroit’s Chene Park Amphitheatre on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, 6-9 p.m. EST. The musical tribute is produced by Entertainments Finest. Leading artists representing the R&B, gospel, jazz and blues genres…

Let me start off by saying that this is not just about Lauryn Hill. (Stay with me. We’ll get to her.) This is about the amazing festival called Pitchfork and how Union Park on the West Side of Chicago was transformed into all things music over the course of three days in mid-July. With that…

Through five decades, Chaka Khan has graced the stage of just about every theater and concert hall worldwide. Chaka Khan, who is currently on tour, made a stop in Minnesota to perform at the Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater. As I recalled earlier this year at Jazz in the Gardens in South Florida, many fans left during…

Derek Blanks is probably the most recognizable photographer in the southeast. His name has become synonymous with the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” for his numerous appearances and there are few urban celebs who haven’t graced his lens. The former art student has been applying his artistic gift to models and celebs for over a decade…

March signifies the beginning of Women’s History Month — a reflective time in our society where we pay homage to all of the women past, present and future who unapologetically kick butt. And while it would be sacrilegious to suggest that any of these women march to the beat of any drum other than their…

Najee is an international saxophonist and flutist with over three decades of experience in the music industry. Not only has this Grammy-nominated artist collaborated with the likes of Prince, Quincy Jones and Chaka Khan as an instrumentalist, he has released 17 musical projects of his own, including his latest, Poetry in Motion. Najee has become one…

Will Downing

For his latest album, R&B veteran Will Downing decided to flip the lyric. On Black Pearls, listeners will find the crooner covering a staple of songs made famous by Chaka Khan, Deniece Williams, Cherrelle, Jean Carne and Phyllis Hyman, among others. We spoke with Downing to get his thoughts on breaking gender stereotypes, the mental challenge…

Toni Redd released her album, Her Reddness featuring Kirk Whalum in October 2015. She is an internationally known performer. Her smooth style of singing infuses R&B, contemporary jazz and classical soul that gives her a unique sound. Do you most often actively seek inspiration or does it find you? Or is it a combination of the…

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced its official 2015 inductee list and, despite a push for more diversity in fan voting and nominations, this year’s list is dominated by older, White classic rock bands.

It was Kellz to the rescue, as prolific singer-songwriter R. Kelly performed at a benefit concert in his hometown of Chicago last week to help his childhood music teacher, Lena McLin. Kelly, who is currently on tour promoting his soon to be released new album, The Buffet, came home to help raise money for McLin to…

The 2015 ESSENCE Black Women in Music took both celebrity attendees and consumers on a journey through four decades of music with performances by Chaka Khan, MC Lyte, Brandy and Lianne La Havas. The event honored Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Jill Scott. Lincoln Motor Company was the presenting sponsor for ESSENCE’s 6th Annual…

British soul crooner Sam Smith is not impressed with the humility of some of his contemporary pop star counterparts. In a recent interview for V magazine the “Stay With Me” singer told legendary diva Chaka Khan that there are more than a few music stars of today that could use an attitude adjustment. “Even when you…

It’s one of Atlanta’s most talked about events of the holiday season; the UNCF Atlanta Mayor’s Masked Ball, and this year’s event didn’t disappoint. Co-hosted by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, UNCF President and CEO Michael L. Lomax and UNCF EVP Maurice Jenkins, the 31st Annual charity event was held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and…

A welcome tradition is back. The 85th annual Bud Billiken Parade was held this past weekend, and as usual, it didn’t disappoint in providing good entertainment and a great cultural experience. This year’s theme was “Education, the one tool you can never lose.” Great energy was generated as music was blasting and people gathered around to have a…