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Legendary singer Chaka Khan joined NPR’s Tiny Desk for an unforgettable performance celebrating Black Music Month. The show continues to give the ladies their flowers with concerts from Black women artists, who have paved the way for what we hear today in Black music. Watch Chaka Khan’s all-star performance inside.
The Queen of Funk graced NPR’s Tiny Desk published yesterday (June 11) with a beautiful performance. When singing “Sweet Thing,” she seemed to be surprised at the audience’s response as they eagerly joined her in song. It comes as no shock to us as she has made such a significant impact on music today.
Chaka’s five decades in the music industry was recently applauded in a long overdue 2023 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. From her early days on the scene with the iconic funk band Rufus in the 1970s, 22 albums, 10 Grammys and countless collaborations with other legendary acts like Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and Prince, Chaka Khan doesn’t have anything to prove. Her Tiny Desk performance cemented that fact.
Guitarist Rob Bacon opened the set on the talk box, with bassist Melvin Davis and drummer Jay Williams keeping them in rhythm. They performed a number of her hits from “Tell Me Something Good,” “What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me” and “Ain’t Nobody.”
Chaka closed out this special Tiny Desk experience with the age-old women’s anthem, “I’m Every Woman.” Give Chaka her flowers in the comments.
Check out the set list and credits below:
SET LIST
“Tell Me Something Good”
“What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me”
“Stay”
“Sweet Thing”
“Through the Fire”
“Ain’t Nobody”
“I’m Every Woman”
MUSICIANS
Chaka Khan: lead vocals
Melvin Davis: bass, musical direction
Jesse Milliner: keys
Rob Bacon: guitar
Euro Zambrano: percussion
Jay Williams: drums
Audrey Wheeler-Downing: vocals
Tiffany Smith: vocals
Trina Broussard: vocals
TINY DESK TEAM
Producers: Bobby Carter, Mitra I. Arthur
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Neil Tevault
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Alanté Serene
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Photographer: Zayrha Rodriguez
Animation: Jackie Lay
Florist: Kelanda Edwards
Tiny Desk Copy Editor: Hazel Cills
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Watch Chaka Khan’s Tiny Desk performance below:
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