Much like fellow powerhouse divas Mariah Carey, Sade, Anita Baker, Celine Dion, Patti LaBelle, and Dionne Warwick, Queen of Funk Chaka Khan is used to being royally snubbed by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame despite being one of the most influential female artists of her genre.
Having burst onto the scene in the early 70’s as part of the Funk group Rufus, Khan’s five-decade career boasts 10 GRAMMY wins, over 70 million records sold, and several R&B classics to her name like ‘Sweet Thing,’ ‘Through the Fire,’ ‘I Feel For You,’ and more.
Nevertheless, inclusion in the coveted Rock Hall has been elusive for the diva since she first became eligible as part of Rufus in the late 90s and later in the early 2000s as a solo act.
7 nominations later (four in the group and three solo), the institution has finally granted the ‘Tell Me Something Good’ singer some good news thanks to the announcement of its 2023 class. Details inside.
Announced Wednesday morning (May 3), the list of performers set to be inducted include Rap royal Missy Elliott as well as Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine, Sheryl Crow, George Michael, Willie Nelson, and The Spinners.
Don Cornelius – legendary host of ‘Soul Train’ – will be posthumously honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award. The ‘musical excellence award’ will be presented to Queen of Funk Chaka Khan as well as Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin while this year’s ‘musical influence award’ will be handed to the groundbreaking DJ Kool Herc.
While Khan’s inclusion will be recognition of her solo work, a future induction could see her enter as part of Rufus.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled to take place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in Brooklyn on November 3. Official ticket information is forthcoming.