From ‘Sweet Thing’ to ‘I Feel For You,’ ‘Through the Fire,’ ‘Tell Me Something Good,’ and many more, Queen of Funk Chaka Khan has blessed R&B with some of its most memorable numbers over the last five decades.
Yet, despite her hits and soaring vocal displays earning copious critical acclaim and inspiring generations of singers after her, it’s criminal (but factual) to say the 10-time GRAMMY winner’s prized catalog hasn’t seen that fanfare reflected commercially.
However, a recent announcement from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is proving to be an overdue step in the right direction.
The same day Khan celebrated her 70th birthday (March 23) she learned her 1983 hit, ‘Ain’t Nobody,’ was crowned with Platinum status. This means it’s sold the equivalence of 1 million units in the United States.
A career first for the diva, ‘Nobody’ reigns as the only single in her discography (solo or with the iconic band Rufus) to be certified as high and leapfrogs over her previously Gold-certified hit ‘I Feel For You.’
Note: “Gold” denotes sales of 500,000 in the U.S.
At the height of its popularity ‘Nobody’ soared to #1 on the R&B charts and has since become a fan favorite in Khan’s catalog.
It’s of note that while the song marks a personal milestone as her first Platinum song it did not deliver her first plaque of such stature. Her 1984 solo album, ‘I Feel For You,’ and the 1977 Rufus album, ‘Ask Rufus,’ were both certified as million-sellers in the U.S. the years of their respective releases.