Tell Me Something Good by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan

       Every now and then a song will come along and grab you by the imagination and not let go.  These are frequently referred to as one hit wonders and might be the only song we know from a particular band.  A great example of this is Wipeout by the Surfaris.  It is easily one of the most recognizable songs ever and has found a comfortable place on every oldies station as well as being covered about a million times by every garage rock band that's ever rattled the china cabinet.

        In 1974 at the age of 12 I lived in a sheltered suburban white neighborhood and wasn't prepared for the song that grabbed me by the ears and drove my libido into high gear.  The song is called Tell Me Something Good by a racially mixed band out of Chicago named Rufus. They were fronted by one of the greatest female singers in history Chaka Khan.  Khan was (still is) an incredibly beautiful woman with a sex appeal that Aretha, Diana Ross, or even the gorgeous Marilyn McCoo couldn't come close to matching.  After you quit looking at her, which I admit I had a very tough time doing, and listened to her voice that was when your eye's really flew open.
     Tell Me Something Good came out at a time when black music (that was popular with white kids) was changing from Motown driven hits to a more urban funk sound personified by Sly & the Family Stone & later by Earth, Wind, & Fire.  Rufus jumped in with a major hit that took the nation by storm.  It featured one of the first published uses of the Talk Box made popular by Peter Frampton, 2 years later, with the tour de force Do You Feel Like We Do.  That guitar combined with Khan's sexy, playful voice, a strong bass-line, an unusual time signature, and a heavy breathing break between verse and chorus drove the song to the top of the charts.
      I remember seeing Rufus perform on either the Mike Douglas or Merv Griffin Show and I couldn't believe my eyes or ears.  The guitar player for Rufus, at that time was Al Ciner who matched a Gibson ES335 with the futuristic talk box and created a sound as rude and vibrant as any ever recorded in electric guitar history.  The song itself was written by Stevie Wonder and produced by Bob Monaco.  Wonder needs no introduction, but Monaco's producing credits include the Drifters, Three Dog Night, Tina Turner, & Wild Cherry.
       You may have heard it before but I'm willing to bet not lately.  So without any further ado, fresh from the bottom of my steamer trunk Tell Me Something Good by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan