Rufus (band)

Rufus is an American funk band from Chicago best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan.

[citation needed] In 1968, the American Breed (Gary Loizzo, guitar/vocals; Al Ciner, guitar; Charles "Chuck" Colbert, bass; and Lee Graziano, drums) had a top ten hit with the classic-rock single "Bend Me, Shape Me".

After their success, Colbert and Graziano (without Loizzo, who pursued a successful production career) created a new group adding later-day American Breed members Kevin Murphy (keyboards) and Paulette McWilliams (vocals) as well as James Stella (vocals), and Vern Pilder (guitar) from the bar band Circus.

[2] In 1970, after switching their management to Bob Monaco and Bill Traut, the group's name was changed again to Ask Rufus,[2] taken from the title of the advice column in Mechanix Illustrated.

At that point, Ciner came back replacing Pilder and Willie Weeks was added on bass after Colbert left.

Weeks was replaced by Dennis Belfield, James Stella by keyboardist/vocalist Ron Stockert, and Lee Graziano by Andre Fischer.

Khan had been performing at the Pumpkin Room on the south side of Chicago, with a local group, Lock and Chain which was led by drummer Scotty Harris.

[2] A few weeks before Monaco saw Rufus perform, the group had already caught the attention of musician Ike Turner who flew them to Los Angeles to record at his studio Bolic Sound in Inglewood, California.

[1] Ciner and Belfield left the group shortly thereafter along with Stockert who was replaced by keyboardist Nate Morgan, based in Los Angeles.

Additionally, Tony Maiden and bassist Bobby Watson, who was also from Los Angeles, were recruited by drummer Andre Fischer.

The trio's addition to Rufus added a unique sound to the group, bringing a stronger funk and jazz influence to complement Khan's now emerging powerful lead vocals.

[2] They landed opening spots for the tours of several top stars, including Stevie Wonder, Cheech and Chong, and the Hues Corporation.

Another Platinum success, the group again entered the top ten with the funk singles, "Once You Get Started" (penned by Gavin Christopher), "Stop on By", "I'm a Woman", "Pack'd My Bags" (later sampled for Jody Watley's "Lovin' You So"), and "Please Pardon Me (You Remind Me of a Friend)", penned by their friend Brenda Russell.

Attention to Khan began to make waves for some of the group's members, as they felt her presence overshadowed the band itself.

[2] The major hit on the album was a composition by Khan and Tony Maiden titled "Sweet Thing";[5] it reached the top five of the charts[6] and became their fourth record to go Gold.

[2] Though Khan said later that she was ready to leave Rufus at the time she released Chaka in 1978, she discovered that she had two more albums left in her ABC/MCA contract with the band and agreed to fulfill her obligations.

Khan soon released the album and smash single "I Feel for You", cementing her solo career, which continued successfully for decades.

In September 2011, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee announced that the band and Khan were jointly nominated for induction to the 27th annual class.

"Ain't Nobody" was covered by many artists, including Kelly Price, Faith Evans, Diana King, and George Michael.