One of my favorite bartenders, who knows I like to write about music from time-to-time, shared with me that he’d recently seen Chaka Khan during a trip to a concert in Florida! Not that she ever went anywhere in my musical mind. That is especially good to hear since last I heard, rumor had it that she had gone to dry-out in “rehab” or something like that.
I consider her a friendly acquaintance and kindred spirit, since we are of the same age and I’ve followed her career since the ’70s when I was a baby DJ in college. She even sat on my lap backstage in the dressing room of The Blue Note jazz club in New York City one evening back in the early 1990s, as I was trying to get an interview with her. She called me “cute”, like a royal Queen would compliment a young squire she might want to toy with and signed my copy of the “Rufusized” album. The late Natalie Cole was also in the room as well as Miki Howard. One of my all time favorite, wall of fame nights.
It’s strange how I think of songs with my jukebox/DJ mind and then hear about or see that recording artist soon thereafter – if only I could perfect that talent with lottery game numbers! I’d been thinking of this favorite tune from (what I call) “The Sweet Thing” album recently, “Little Boy Blue” playing in my mind. Here are the lyrics:
“Time comes down
You got to take it on yourself
You got to give up your past
You got to give up what came last
World goes round
You got to leave it all behind
You got defeated at last
Little boy blue
With the feelin’ in your soul and the gypsy in your eyes
Little boy blue
You got to leave this song behind as it passes by
Yeah, yeah
Life goes on
You got to catch it if you can
You must believe it will last
You can’t remember what went past
Tide comes in
This fog will surely roll away
It can’t leave, it will stay
Little boy blue
Tootin’ on your coke and takin’ a toke
In a lazy haze
Little boy blue
Got to leave this song behind as it passes by”
Chaka was appearing with The Roots apparently. This is great news and I pray our paths cross again.
What is/are your favorite song[s] from the Rufus featuring Chaka Khan or Chaka Khan as a solo singer era? Let us know in the “Leave a reply” box please.
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