Origins 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. The group returned to Los Angeles shortly after that to record
Rufus at Quantum Recording Studios in
Torrance, California; it was released in 1973. Although the songs "Whoever's Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)" and "Feel Good" (both featuring Khan) brought the group some attention from R&B radio stations, the album itself had minimal sales and the Stockert-led "Slip & Slide" failed to catch major attention from pop radio. The group quickly re-entered the same studio to record their follow-up album
Rags to Rufus. Due to Khan's increasing popularity Rufus and ABC began calling the group
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. With the new billing, the band recorded and released their next album without delay,
Rufusized in 1974. 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. in 1996 The group headlined their first major tour in 1975, with Khan attracting attention in concert reviews for her powerhouse vocals and
sexy attire—so much so that Khan was often featured on magazine covers like
Jet. Due to her off-stage antics which added to her on-stage persona, the media billed Khan as "the wild child". She was often compared to
Tina Turner and some rock and soul press labeled her a "pint-sized Tina". Attention to Khan began to make waves for some of the group's members, as they felt her presence overshadowed the band itself. The group's fourth release, and the third major release with Khan as singer,
Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan, was released in 1975. it reached the top five of the charts and became their fourth record to go
Gold. Despite the album's success as well as a second successful major tour which followed, tensions grew within the group, particularly between Khan and longtime Rufus drummer Andre Fischer. Khan married Richard Holland during recording sessions of
Ask Rufus. She had divorced her first husband Hassan Khan in 1974 prior to the birth of their child Milini. Holland's presence only made things worse between Khan and Fischer. During one session of
Ask Rufus, Fischer got into a fight with Holland, who received help from Khan who counter-attacked.
Ask Rufus was released in 1977 and includes the hits "
At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)", "Hollywood", and "Everlasting Love". which got attention when a producer for the film ''
Breakin''' heard it while screening songs for the movie's soundtrack. WB eventually released the song (with the billing
Rufus and Chaka Khan) and the song became a top 30
Billboard Hot 100 hit, reaching number one on the R&B chart and was number eight on the
UK Singles Chart. The success of the track led to the band receiving its second
Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. After that Rufus went their separate ways. Khan soon released the album and smash single "
I Feel for You", cementing her solo career, which continued successfully for decades.
Post-break-up In 2001, Rufus (Kevin Murphy, Tony Maiden, Bobby Watson, Dave Wolinski, John "JR" Robinson) and Khan reunited for a brief tour, which Khan described in her 2003 autobiography,
Chaka! Through the Fire (co-written with Tonya Bolden). Khan and Maiden reunited on the modernized Rufus medley "Pack'd My Bags"/ "You Got the Love", on Khan's double Grammy Award-winning 2007 album,
Funk This. While discussing a second potential reunion with Rufus during a 2008 interview with
Billboard, Khan said that the band's classic lineup, which includes Andre Fischer and Nate Morgan, had no plans on reuniting with Khan saying that touring with Maiden, one of the few Rufus bandmates with which Khan kept a close friendship was the closest to another Rufus reunion. A lineup of Rufus including Bobby Watson and JR began a short tour in 2008. Neither founding member Kevin Murphy, mainstay Tony Maiden, nor Dave Wolinski participated in the tour. 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. They had been eligible since 1999 (with the committee counting the band's first album as being
Rags to Rufus rather than 1973's
Rufus). It was their first year of nomination. Earlier in the year, Khan received a solo star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. Rufus was nominated again for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in September 2017. ==Members==