Sexy and Stupid

Best known for Soul/Funk tracks like Tell Me Something Good and Sweet Thing as lead singer of the band Rufus. She later had solo success in the 80s, like with her 1984 cover of Prince’s I Feel for You R&B singer Chaka Khan enjoyed solo success as well as popularity as a member of the group Rufus.

Chaka Khan (born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23, 1953), is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter best known for such hit songs as "I'm Every Woman", "Ain't Nobody", "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire". She sang a modernized theme song for the popular children's TV show Reading Rainbow in the show's later years. Khan was featured vocalist in the funk band Rufus with hit songs, "Tell Me Something Good", "You Got The Love", "Once You Get Started", 'Sweet Thing", "Everlasting Love" and "Stay", before launching a solo career.

Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens in North Chicago, Illinois. Her sister is dance music artist Taka Boom, and her brother is Mark Stevens of the band Aurra. Khan was raised on Chicago's South Side, and at the age of eleven formed her first group, the Crystalettes. She went to Calumet High School and Kenwood Academy on the city's south side and while in high school, she joined the Afro-Arts Theater group, which toured with Motown great Mary Wells. She adopted the African name "Chaka" while working as a volunteer on the Black Panthers' Free Breakfast for Children program in Chicago. During a naming ceremony at the Afro-Arts Theater, a Yoruba priest christened her Chaka Adunne Aduffe Yemoja Hodarhi Karifi (as stated on her official website). After quitting high school in 1969, Chaka joined the group Lyfe, before leaving to join another soul band, The Babysitters, replacing former lead singer Baby Huey. Neither group enjoyed mainstream success, but her fortunes changed when she teamed with ex-American Breed member Kevin Murphy and Andre Fischer to form Rufus. Around this time she married bass guitarist Hassan Khan.

Love began her singing with her local church choir in Hawthorne, California. While still in high school (1959) she was invited to join a little-known girl group called The Blossoms, who in 1962 began working with producer Phil Spector. With her powerful voice she was soon a highly sought-after vocalist, and managed to work with many of the legends of 1950s and 1960s rock and soul, including Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones and Sonny and Cher; Darlene and the Blossoms sang back-up vocals on Shelley Fabares's hit, "Johnny Angel" as well as John Phillips' solo album John, Wolfking of L.A. recorded in 1969. They also appeared on Johnny Rivers' hits including "Poor Side of Town" and Motown covers "Baby I Need Your Loving" and "The Tracks of My Tears."(The Blossoms recorded singles, usually with little success, on Capitol 1957-58 [pre-Darlene Love], Challenge 1961-62, OKeh 1963, Reprise 1966-67, Ode 1967, MGM 1968, Bell 1969-70, and Lion 1972.)Amazingly, Darlene Love, a superb vocalist, hasn’t had much of a track record as a solo singer, at least not in terms of hits. Love was a founding member of The Blossoms in 1957. They did several sessions and were resident singers on the television show Shindig. Into the 1970s Love continued to work as a back-up singer, before taking a break in order to raise a family. In 1973, she recorded vocals as a cheerleader along with Michelle Phillips, for the Cheech & Chong single "Basketball Jones", which peaked at No.15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Personal Information

Born September 27, 1936, in Chicago, IL; married Delores Harrison, 1956; children: Anthony, Raymond.
Education: Attended broadcasting school, 1966.
Military/Wartime Service: U.S. Marines, c. 1954-55, served in Korea.

Career

Insurance salesman, Golden State Mutual Life, 1956-66; announcer, WVON, Chicago, IL, 1966; sports anchor, A Black View of the News, WCIU-TV, Chicago, beginning in 1968; creator, producer, and host of Soul Train, first aired on August 17, 1970, nationally syndicated, 1971--; founder, with Dick Griffey, of Soul Train Records, 1975; creator of Soul Train Music Awards, 1987, and Soul Train Comedy Awards (nationally-syndicated special honoring African-American comedy performers), first annual telecast, August 3, 1993.

With the news of the BET Awards 2009 making last minute alterations to pay tribute to the pop star Michael Jackson, it was expected to be a memorable show. Don Cornelius of the Soul Train fame remembered his experience with Jackson while talking about him onstage. Don who had Known Jackson since childhood but only as a young singer onstage mentioned about the huge talent thatthe pop star possessed since childhood. It was in the mid 1960s when Don encountered MJ from among the five brothers from Indiana who were performing to covers of the then established bands namely the Temptations. The then four feet tall young Jackson’s vocal skills and dance onstage caught the eyes of Cornelius as he reminisced.

Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger (10 October 1825 – 14 July 1904), better known as Paul Kruger and affectionately known as Uncle Paul (Afrikaans: "Oom Paul") was State President of the South African Republic (Transvaal). He gained international renown as the face of Boer resistance against the British during the South African or Second Boer War (1899-1902).

The trekkers crossed the Vaal River in 1838 and at first stayed in the area that is known today as Potchefstroom. Kruger's father later decided to settle in the district now known as Rustenburg. At the age of 16, Paul Kruger was entitled to choose a farm for himself at the foot of the Magaliesberg where he settled in 1841.

The following year he married Maria du Plessis and the young couple accompanied Casper Kruger to live in the Eastern Transvaal for a while. After the family had returned to Rustenburg, Kruger's wife and infant son died, probably from malaria. He then married Gezina du Plessis, who was his constant and devoted companion until her death in 1901. Seven daughters and nine sons were born of the marriage, some dying in infancy.

He was called the "old lion of Transvaal". This can be attributed to his general appearance - a mane of grey hair and an impressive beard framing an impassive and stubborn looking face. He was also the president of the Republic of South Africa for many years.

He was born Stephanus Johannes Paul Kruger on 10 October 1825 - for many years until South Africa's democratic elections in 1994, the 10th of October was celebrated as a public holiday in honour of Paul Kruger. He was born on Bulhoek, his family's farm situated near the town of Craddock in the Eastern Province of South Africa. Paul Kruger's forefathers were Prussians who arrived in South Africa in 1713.

Paul Kruger taught himself to read and write and at the tender age of sixteen, he owned his first farm, which he called Waterkloof, situated in the northern area of Transvaal near the town of Rustenburg. He married at the age of seventeen, but his wife Maria and their child died of Malaria in 1846. Paul Kruger was only twenty-one years old and remarried the year after. His second wife was Gezina du Plessis, his first wife's cousin. They had sixteen children. One of the suburbs in Pretoria, Gezina, was named after his second wife.