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(Los Angeles, CA - July 29, 2013) -- The City of Chicago honored ten-time GRAMMY®
Award winner Chaka Khan with a Street Naming of "Chaka Khan Way" on
Saturday, July 27, and declared Sunday, July 28, 2013, "Chaka Khan Day"
in Chicago, her hometown. The weekend-long celebration also included a
free outdoor concert in Millennium Park.
The
music icon, who was honored for her stellar 40-year career in music and
entertainment, participated in the ceremonial unveiling of Chaka Khan
Way on S. Blackstone Avenue, between 50th and 51st Streets, with her
family, including her mother Sandra Coleman, her sister, Tammy McCrary,
and a host of other relatives in the Chicago area. Several city
officials, business executives and community leaders were among the
participants, including Fourth Ward Alderman William Burns, Reverend
Jesse Jackson, Father Pfleger of St. Sabina Catholic School, State
Senator Kwame Raoul, State Representatives Christian Mitchell and
Barbara Flynn Currie, and Carl McKenzie, a cultural event producer and
the president of Artworks Chicago. McKenzie organized the weekend-long
celebration, which was co-sponsored by MINI USA. Chaka Khan Way is
located on the west side of Kenwood Academy, where Chaka attended high
school during its early days of operation. The students of Kenwood
Academy also had the opportunity to participate in the event.
"This
is the biggest honor I have ever received in my life," says Chaka. "The
people of Chicago have always loved me and have supported me throughout
my career--through thick and thin. To have a street named after you in
the third largest city in the country is a big deal. To think that
people will say 'make a right or left turn on Chaka Khan Way' is mind
blowing. Long after I'm gone, and my children and grandchildren are
gone, the street named Chaka Khan Way will still be here to carry on my
legacy in the city where it all started for me. I never would have
imagined that I would have been granted this honor. I thank all the city
officials responsible for making this happening--and I especially thank
Carl McKenzie, who vigorously campaigned and almost single-handedly
made this event a reality. My family and I thank God for this
blessing."
Nearly,
20,000 people attended the free outdoor concert at Chicago's Millennium
Park, where Chaka performed all her classic hits, including "I Feel For
You," "I'm a Woman," "Whatcha Gonna Do For Me," "You've Got The Love,"
"Everlasting Love," "Packed My Bags," "Papillon," "Tell Me Something
Good," a medley of "Stay," "Sweet Thing," and "My Funny Valentine,"
"Through The Fire," "Do You Love What You Feel," "I'm Every Woman," and
an encore of "Ain't Nobody."
The
weekend-long activities also included a visit to Operation Push with
Reverend Jesse Jackson and a private reception at the DuSable Museum. A
devoted activist and philanthropist, Chaka met with Reverend Jackson to
discuss the issues facing and affecting the black community of Chicago.
Operation Push and Reverend Jackson also hosted Chaka Khan Foundation's
latest campaign initiative with the Chicago chapter of Dress for
Success.
Chaka was born in Chicago and grew up on Carpenter
Street in Hyde Park, where her parents provided her with a very rich
musical foundation by introducing her to a wide range of music, starting
with jazz and opera. Before joining Rufus, Chaka sang with local groups such as The Babysitters, Lock and Chain and Lyfe.
Chaka is currently working on a series of new albums, titled The iKhan Project. Chaka Khan Enterprises recently relaunched her website www.chakakhan.com
and released a new Chaka Khan social media app: https://itun.es/us/9WSRL.i
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