"Ain't Nobody" (Smooth Soul Survivor)

"Ain't Nobody"

[Song written by David "Hawk" Wolinski]

Composed by David ‘Hawk' Wolinski and made famous by Rufus and Chaka Khan, ‘Aint Nobody' was included on what turned out to be the group's last album ‘Live - Stompin at the Savoy'.  The single, backed with a live version of their 1976 hit ‘Sweet Thing', took Rufus to number one in the R&B charts in the autumn of 1983.  Since then ‘Aint Nobody' has been included on numerous compilations and has been the subject of several quality covers.  It still enjoys extensive airplay to this day.

Keyboard player, songwriter and producer Wolinski made his name as a member of rock, R&B and pop band Rufus although he did not join them until 1977, almost four years after the band enjoyed their first big hit with ‘Tell Me Something Good' from their LP ‘Rags To Rufus'.  He also co-wrote two of the bands other hits, ‘Hollywood' and ‘Everlasting Love'.  Before his time with Rufus, Wolinski had worked with Minnie Ripperton and when the departure of Chaka Khan signalled the final demise of the band he went on to write and produce hits such as ‘The Medicine Song' for Stephanie Mills, ‘Plane Love' for Jeffrey Osborne and ‘Givin Myself to You' for Glenn Jones.

In fact Wolinski had been playing keyboards for Quincy Jones 1980 classic ‘The Dude' when Jones heard ‘Ain't Nobody'. He expressed an interest in taking the song for use on Michael Jackson's ‘Thriller' but Wolinski had to explain that the song had already been promised to Rufus producer Russ Titelman.

Rufus was one of the most commercial funk bands of the mid-'70 but much of the success they enjoyed has been attributed to the dynamic singing style of lead vocalist Chaka Khan.  Without Chaka Khan Rufus might have been regarded as regulation funk performers of their time but transformed by her magic the group earned half a dozen gold or platinum albums.

The band's self-titled debut album suffered from a lack of strong single material but the follow-up gave them a number three hit single, the Stevie Wonder composition ‘Tell Me Something Good' which he wrote specifically for the band after hearing Khan sing.  After that the hits kept coming right through until the end of the seventies.

Chaka Khan was born Yvette Marie Stevens in Great Lakes, Illinois on March 23, 1953.  She was raised on Chicago's South Side, and at the age of 11 formed her first group, the Crystalettes.  While still in high school, she joined the Afro-Arts Theatre, a group that toured with Motown great Mary Wells.  A few years later, while working on the Black Panthers' breakfast program, she adopted the African name Chaka Khan.  She left high school in 1969 to join the group Lyfe but soon moved on to join another dance band, the Babysitters.  Neither band was commercially successful but her luck changed when she teamed with ex American Breed member Kevin Murphy and Andre Fisher to form Rufus.

After five years with Rufus, Chaka Khan was feeling the need to break out into a solo career but was hampered by contractual obligations to the band that required her to make two further albums with them.  Despite this her first solo recording, ‘Chaka', produced by Arif Mardin, was released in 1978.  On the strength of the single ‘I'm Every Woman' it proved to be a significant hit.  This initial success was somewhat tempered by her festering rivalry with the remaining members of Rufus.  It rumbled on for a further four years before their differences were eventually resolved in a 1982 concert at New York's Savoy Theatre. The result was the album ‘Live - Stompin At the Savoy'.

After her departure the band fell apart.  As a solo artist Khan recorded backing vocals for Ry Cooder's 1979 effort ‘Bop Till You Drop' but failed to produce a hit with her 1980 release ‘Naughty'.  The follow up, ‘What Cha Gonna Do For Me' also failed to make it big and in 1982 she moved away from the pop focus with a collection of jazz standards, ‘Echoes Of An Era', that included performances by Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and Lenny White.

By 1984, with her pop career on shaky ground, she received a massive boost with the release of the platinum seller ‘I Feel For You', the title cut being a cover of an album track by Prince.  Chaka Khan continued to enjoy chart success through 1986 with ‘Destiny' and 1988 with ‘CK'. However in 1990, with her standing as a pop performer on the slide, she relocated to Europe.  In that same year she won a further Grammy with ‘I'll Be Good For You'.  Since then she has become the artist to work with for many performers.  She combined with Ray Charles on ‘Come 2 This House' in 1998 and contributed to a memorable duet with Nathen East on the title track of the Fourplay CD ‘Between The Sheets'.

However it is the power of the track ‘Aint Nobody', both in its original form and in its many reincarnations, that allows the memory of Rufus and Chaka Khan to burn bright.  A cover by Jaki Graham that originally appeared on her 1995 release ‘Real Life' has also become a dance compilation favourite while a version by the band Course can be found on ‘Fresh Hits 97'.  Jazz and fusion band Scheer Music include it on their 1984 release ‘High Rise' and Peabo Bryson has it on his 1999 album ‘Unconditional Love'.  ‘Aint Nobody' also makes it to the movies with an LL Cool J arrangement from the soundtrack of the 1996 film ‘Beavis and Butt Head Do America'.

Gay connections can also be found such as on the CD ‘Gay Happenings 2' that includes a rendition by PLP Enterprises and on the 1995 ‘Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras' with a version by Diana King.

Tom Grant puts the number firmly into smooth jazz focus on his 1997 ‘Lip Service', a track that is also featured on the 1998 compilation ‘Cool Covers. Smooth Jazz Plays The Hits' and, in the same vein, keyboard player Jeff Lorber includes it on his CD ‘Kickin It'.

All this and more proving that ‘Aint Nobody' is a true Smooth Soul Survivor.

Denis Poole.  October 2005.

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