''Rufusized'' is the gold-selling third studio album by

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

band Rufus, on the

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

label in 1974, their second album release that year. The album peaked at #7 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' album chart the week ending March 1, 1975.

History

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. By 1974, Rufus had gone from a popular local bar attraction in Chicago to a platinum-selling rock band on the strength of one gold-selling album and two hit singles. They also would boost their profile opening for superstars such as

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

and The Rolling Stones and appearing on shows such as ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

'', ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

'' and '' The Mike Douglas Show''. Their popularity had blown to huge proportions that the media was paying more attention to the band's frenetic, fiery lead singer,

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Qu ...

, than the rest of the group. Due to Khan's strong vocals and loud appearance, which included a funky, frizzy redhead Afro and revealing clothing, she was immediately given comparisons to her singing idols,

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

and Tina Turner. Khan's rise to popularity caused friction between founding members Al Ciner and Dennis Belfield and former lead singer Ron Stockert, who left the group prior to the finish of '' Rags to Rufus'', the band's breakthrough release. Bobby Watson would come into the picture as a bassist and while keyboardist Nate Morgan, who had just joined the group before the release of this album, was featured on the cover, he didn't participate in album sessions, nor was he credited. Khan, Murphy, and Fischer, who had joined the group in 1972, remained the only members who appeared on the group's first two albums, while Tony Maiden, who joined the group near the end of the ''Rags to Rufus'' sessions, started to make his presence felt as he added his own vocals, often duetting with Khan. Sensing that their momentum would slow if they didn't come up with another album, the group immediately hit the studio just a few months after ''Rags to Rufus'' was recorded to record this record. Khan began to collaborate with the band more often on vocal songs as a co-writer, while also co-writing instrumentals the group would record. Released in late 1974, ''Rufusized'' immediately became a success peaking at number-two on the R&B chart and number-seven on the pop chart, selling a million copies. With songs such as the hits "Once You Get Started" and "Please Pardon Me" and album favorites such as the funky "Somebody's Watching You", "Pack'd My Bags" and "I'm a Woman" (which predated Khan's popular hit " I'm Every Woman" by four years), Rufus ended 1974 as rookie stars and entered 1975 as headliners.

Track listing

Personnel

;Rufus *

– lead vocals, background vocals *Tony Maiden – lead guitar, background vocals * Kevin Murphy – organ, clavinet, background vocals, acoustic piano, ARP synthesizer *Bobby Watson – bass, background vocals *André Fischer – drums, percussion

Production

*Bob Monaco – producer *Rufus – arrangements * Clare Fischer, Kevin Murphy – string & horn arrangements *Gerald Vinci – concertmaster *Gary Olazabal, Austin Godsey, Michael Braunstein – engineers * Norman Seeff - photography

Charts

Album Singles

References

External links

*
Rufusized
' at Discogs {{Authority control 1974 albums Rufus (band) albums Chaka Khan albums ABC Records albums