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Rufus (Rufus album)

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Rufus
Studio album by
Rufus
ReleasedJuly 18, 1973
Recorded1972–1973
StudioQuantum Studios
(Torrance, California)
Genre
Length42:40
LabelABC
ProducerBob Monaco
Rufus chronology
Rufus
(1973) 		Rags to Rufus
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[2]

Rufus is the debut album by American R&B and funk band Rufus, released on the ABC Records label in 1973 fronted by singers Chaka Khan and Ron Stockert. The album is notable for an upbeat rock/soul sound that would be replaced by a more heavy direction into funk and jazzy-styled recordings.

History

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Rufus was formed in 1969 by Kevin Murphy and Al Ciner from the background of two rival bands in Chicago. The band was a group in transition by the time they signed their deal with ABC in 1972 after a brief period with Epic. The biggest change in the group occurred that year when Paulette McWilliams, the group's original frontwoman, opted to leave the group and had friend Chaka Khan, who had provided background vocals as a session singer for the band, replace her as the sole frontwoman.

Though not entirely focused on Khan's talents – the band's artistic direction was led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Ron Stockert – Khan added something missing from the group, a diverse vocalist. Khan was able to perform both in lower and higher octaves and was equipped to singing the group's rockier numbers as she had singing slower ballads. The nineteen-year-old Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens and changed her name to Chaka (which was a name given to her by a Yoruba Baba at 13 years old which means "Fire"). The debut album was recorded throughout 1972 and was released in the spring of 1973.

The album reached #44 on Billboard's R&B Album and #175 on Pop and included the single releases "Feel Good" (R&B #45) and "Whoever's Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)" (#40). Shortly after this album's release and struggling with the group's slow climb to success, Stockert would leave the band during sessions of the group's next album, Rags to Rufus. By then, Khan's role would be updated and as the group became successful in later years, most of the focus of the band would lay solely on Khan's shoulders.

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Slip 'n Slide"Ron Stockert3:47
2."Keep It Coming"Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson3:12
3."There's No Tellin'"Stockert4:51
4."Maybe Your Baby"Stevie Wonder4:14
5."I Finally Found You"Stockert3:57
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Feel Good"Al Ciner4:09
7."Satisfied"Jeff Thomas3:27
8."Haulin' Coal"Stockert5:00
9."Whoever's Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)"Allen Toussaint2:42
10."Love the One You're With"/"Sit Yourself Down" (Medley)Stephen Stills6:21

Personnel

[edit]
Rufus
  • Chaka Khan – lead and backing vocals
  • Al Ciner – lead and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
  • Kevin Murphy – organ, bass backing vocals, clavinet
  • Ron Stockert – keyboards, backing and lead vocals, Mellotron
  • Dennis Belfield – bass, backing vocals
  • André Fischer – drums, backing vocals, percussion

with:

  • Eric Fisher – backing vocals on "Maybe Your Baby"

Production

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Charts

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Album

Chart (1973) Peak
[3]
U.S. Billboard Top LPs 175
U.S. Billboard Top Soul LPs 44

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
US
[3] 		US
R&B
[3]
1973 "Slip 'n Slide" 110 —
"Whoever's Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)" — 40
"Feel Good" — 45

References

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  1. ^ Henderson, Alex. "Rufus". Allmusic . Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  2. ^ Gersten, Russell (1983). "Rufus". In Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House/Rolling Stone Press. p. 438. ISBN 0394721071.
  3. ^ a b c "US Charts > Rufus". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
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