Chaka is the debut solo album by American R&B/funk singer Chaka Khan, released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1978.
Still very much an integral part of Rufus, Chaka Khan set the charts on fire with her debut solo release. The first single was the R&B chart-topper "I'm Every Woman," an Ashford & Simpson track with Khan lighting up the lyric with her tantalizing vocals. Although Khan had much credibility from her association with Rufus, this album demonstrated that the dynamic vocalist could hold her own ground alone.
Two singles were released from Chaka, the first being her anthemic solo debut "I'm Every Woman", one of Khan's signature tunes alongside "Ain't Nobody" (1983) and "I Feel For You" (1984). The song has over the past three decades been re-released, remixed and covered a number of times, most notably by Whitney Houston in 1992 for the soundtrack album The Bodyguard, then featuring guest vocals by Khan herself and topping Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. A remix of Khan's original recording was also a Top Ten hit in the U.K. in 1989. The remix was included on the compilation Life is a Dance - The Remix Project, the title track of which was the second single release from the Chaka album in early 1979 (US R&B #40). The album also features the ballad "Roll Me Through the Rushes", never commercially released as a single but still receiving considerable airplay in 1979, as well as Khan's cover version of Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made To Love Her", re-titled "I Was Made to Love Him".
Following the release of the Chaka album Khan reunited with Rufus for the recording of 1979's Masterjam, produced by Quincy Jones. Her second solo album Naughty followed in 1980.
The Chaka album was re-released on CD in the United States by the Warner Music Group in 1998.
Chaka Khan - lead vocals, backing vocals
Gene Orloff - concert master
Steve Ferrone - drums
Will Lee - bass guitar & backing vocals tracks 1, 5, bass track 3, backing vocals tracks 4, 10
Hamish Stuart - guitar & backing vocals tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, backing vocals track 3, guitar tracks 6, 8, 10, bass track 9
Phil Upchurch - guitar tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, bass track 6
Andrew Kastner - Guitar tracks 4,8
Richard Tee - piano tracks 1, 2, 7, 8, electric piano track 4, clavinet track 5, piano & clavinet track 10
Cissy Houston - backing vocals tracks 1, 2, 3
David Lasley - backing vocals tracks 2, 3
Anthony Jackson - bass tracks 2, 4, 10
George Young - alto saxophone tracks 2, 5, 6
Ronnie Cuber - baritone saxophone tracks 2, 5, 6
Michael Brecker - tenor saxophone tracks 2, 5, 6, 7, tenor saxophone solo tracks 7, 9
Barry Rogers - trombone tracks 2, 5, 6
Randy Brecker - trumpet tracks 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, trumpet & flugelhorn track 7
Rick Marotta - drums track 3
Leon Pendarvis - electric piano track 3
Brook Tillotson - french horn tracks 3, 4, 7, 8, 9
Jim Buffington - french horn tracks 3, 4
Cornell Dupree - guitar track 3
Gene Bianco - harp track 3
Alan Gorrie - backing vocals tracks 3, 5
Ken Bichel - synthesizer (S.R.M.) tracks 4, 6, 8
Raphael Cruz - congas track 6, track 9
Arthur Jenkins - electric piano track 6, clavinet track 9
Eddie Daniels - flute track 6
Phil Bodner - flute track 6
George Marge - alto flute track 6
George Benson - vocals track 6
Mark Stevens - bass track 7, backing vocals track 10
John Clark - french horn track 7, 8, 9
Onnie McIntyre - guitar tracks 7, 9
Airto Moreira - percussion track 7
David Sanborn - alto saxophone tracks 7, 8
Sammy Figueroa - percussion track 8
Paul Faulise - bass trombone track 8, 9
Jesse Levy - cello track 9
Kermit Moore - cello track 9
Richard Bock - cello track 9
Terri Gonzales - backing vocals track 10
Tony Maiden - guitar solo track 10
Luther Vandross - backing vocals track 3
F. Buldrini - strings
E. Bianco - strings
G. Marge - strings
G. Lumia - strings
H. Kohon - strings
J. Levy - strings
J. Malin - strings
J. Abramowitz - strings
J. Barber - strings
K. Moore - strings
M. Morgenstern - strings
M. Takayama - strings
P. Winter - strings
R. Iandiorio - strings
R. Bock - strings
R. Sortomme - strings
S. Allen - strings
T. Israel - strings
Arif Mardin - record producer, musical arranger brass, strings, woodwind
Chaka Khan - musical arranger track 5
James Douglass - sound engineer
Bill Dooley - assistant sound engineer
Michael O'Reilly - assistant sound engineer
Randy Mason - assistant sound engineer
Sheridan Eldridge - assistant sound engineer
Anthony D'Amico - assistant sound engineer
Lew Hahn - additional recording engineer, remix
Gene Paul - additional recording engineer
Recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York
Additional recording at Cherokee Recording Studios, Los Angeles
