Evelyn "Champagne" King
Evelyn "Champagne" King | |
|---|---|
.jpg) King in Honolulu, 2008. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Evelyn King |
| Born | July 1, 1960 The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B[1], disco[2], pop,[3] soul,[3] post-disco[4] |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, percussion |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | RCA Victor (US, Canada, UK) EMI America Expansion RNB Entertainment Group |
| Website | evelynchampagneking |
Evelyn "Champagne" King (born July 1, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. She is best known for her hit disco single "Shame", which was released in 1977 during the height of disco's popularity. King had other hits from the early through the mid–1980s including; "I'm in Love" (1981), "Love Come Down" (1982) and "Your Personal Touch" (1985).
Biography
Evelyn King was born on July 1, 1960, in the Bronx, New York, and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is one of eight children. Her uncle Avon Long had played the part of Sportin' Life in the first Broadway revival of Porgy and Bess and worked with Lena Horne at the Cotton Club. Her father sang back-up for groups at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Her mother managed a group called Quality Red.
King was discovered as a young woman while working with her mother at Philadelphia International Records as an office cleaner. Producer Theodore T. Life overheard her singing in a washroom and began coaching her. She was eventually signed to a production deal with Life's Galaxy Productions and a recording contract with RCA Records.[5]
In 1990, King married smooth jazz guitarist Freddie Fox. In 1997, she lost three family members to various illnesses. In 1987 her daughter Johnniea was born with brain damage and other health issues, dying two years later.[6]
Career
King released her debut album, Smooth Talk, in 1977. It included the song "Shame", which is her only top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #9; the song also reached #7 Soul and #8 on the dance chart. The record was eventually certified gold. Another single from that album, "I Don't Know If It's Right", peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 Soul; it would become her second certified gold single. In 1981, the single "I'm in Love" was released from the same-titled album; it reached #1 on the R&B singles chart and dance chart in August of that year; it also peaked at #40 on the pop chart.
In 1982, King released the album, Get Loose. It yielded a top twenty pop and #1 Soul hit with the single, "Love Come Down". The song also peaked at #1 on the dance chart and reached the UK Singles Chart top ten, peaking at #7 for three weeks. The follow-up, "Betcha She Don't Love You", peaked at #2 on the Soul chart and #49 on the pop chart. From the mid- to late-1980s, King would continue to chart on the Soul chart, placing eight singles in the Soul top twenty, with three making it to the top ten.
On September 20, 2004, King's "Shame" became one of the first records to be inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in New York's Spirit club.[citation needed]
Return to music
On August 14, 2007, King released her first studio album in 12 years, Open Book. It featured the single "The Dance", which peaked at #12 on the Hot Dance Club Play Chart. In 2011, King also collaborated with deep house producer Miguel Migs, on the track "Everybody", which was included on his album Outside the Skyline. The single for "Everybody" was released on July 19, 2011.
In 2015, King formed a group with disco vocalists Martha Wash and Linda Clifford called First Ladies of Disco. The group released their debut single "Show Some Love" in March 2015,[7] which peaked at number six on the Dance charts.[8] The group embarked on their first tour together in 2017. In December 2017, King left the group.
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] |
US R&B [9] |
CAN [10] |
NZ [11] |
UK [12] | ||||||||||
| 1977 | Smooth Talk | 14 | 8 | 24 | — | — | RCA | |||||||
| 1979 | Music Box | 35 | 12 | 45 | — | — | ||||||||
| 1980 | Call on Me | 124 | 58 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1981 | I'm in Love | 28 | 6 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1982 | Get Loose | 27 | 1 | — | 45 | 35 | ||||||||
| 1983 | Face to Face | 91 | 24 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1984 | So Romantic | 203 | 38 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1985 | A Long Time Coming (A Change Is Gonna Come) | — | 38 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1988 | Flirt | 192 | 20 | — | — | — | EMI-Manhattan | |||||||
| 1989 | The Girl Next Door | — | — | — | — | — | EMI-USA | |||||||
| 1995 | I'll Keep a Light On | — | — | — | — | — | Expansion | |||||||
| 2007 | Open Book | — | — | — | — | — | Big Day/Jaggo | |||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
- The Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King (1990, RCA)
- Love Come Down: The Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King (1993, RCA)
- Let's Get Funky (1997, BMG)
- Greatest Hits (2001, RCA)
- Platinum & Gold Collection (2003, BMG Heritage)
- Legends (2005, Sony BMG)
- If You Want My Lovin' (2006, Sony Music Special Products)
- Action: The Evelyn "Champagne" King Anthology - 1977-1986 (2014, BBR)
- The Essential Evelyn "Champagne" King (2015, Legacy)
- The Complete RCA Hits and More! (2016, Real Gone Music)
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [14] |
US R&B [14] |
US Dan [14] |
AUS [15] |
CAN [10] |
IRE [16] |
NL [17] |
NZ [11] |
UK [12][18] | ||||||
| 1977 | "Shame" | 9 | 7 | 8 | 72 | 16 | — | 26 | — | 39 | Smooth Talk | |||
| 1978 | "I Don't Know If It's Right" | 23 | 7 | 25 | — | 17 | — | — | 38 | 67 | ||||
| "Dancin', Dancin', Dancin'" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1979 | "Music Box" | 75 | 14 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Music Box | |||
| "Out There" | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1980 | "Let's Get Funky Tonight" | — | 34 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Call on Me | |||
| "I Need Your Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1981 | "I'm in Love" | 40 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | I'm in Love | |||
| "If You Want My Lovin'" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | |||||
| "Don't Hide Our Love" | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1982 | "Spirit of the Dancer" | — | 51 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Love Come Down" | 17 | 1 | 1 | — | 44 | 13 | — | 12 | 7 | Get Loose | ||||
| "Betcha She Don't Love You" | 49 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Back to Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 40 | |||||
| 1983 | "Get Loose" | — | 61 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | ||||
| "Action" | 75 | 16 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Face to Face | ||||
| 1984 | "Shake Down" | 107 | 12 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Teenager" | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Just for the Night" | 107 | 16 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | So Romantic | ||||
| "I'm So Romantic" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 76 | |||||
| 1985 | "Out of Control" | — | 54 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Give Me One Reason" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 93 | |||||
| "Till Midnight" | — | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Give It Up" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Fright Night | ||||
| "Your Personal Touch" | 86 | 9 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 37 | A Long Time Coming (A Change Is Gonna Come) | ||||
| 1986 | "High Horse" | — | 19 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | 55 | ||||
| "Slow Down" | — | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1988 | "Flirt" | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Flirt | |||
| "Hold on to What You've Got" | — | 8 | 5 | — | — | — | 41 | — | 47 | |||||
| "Kisses Don't Lie" | — | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1989 | "Day to Day" | — | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Girl Next Door | |||
| 1990 | "Do Right" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1992 | "Shame (Hardcore Mix)" (Altern 8 vs Evelyn King) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 74 | — | |||
| 1995 | "I Think About You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | I'll Keep a Light On | |||
| 1996 | "One More Time" (with Divas of Color) | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | 94 | — | |||
| 2008 | "The Dance" | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Open Book | |||
| 2011 | "Everybody" (with Miguel Migs) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Outside the Skyline | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
- ^ Hogan, Ed. "Evelyn "Champagne" King". AllMusic. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
R&B singer Evelyn "Champagne" King came to fame during the disco era.
- ^ Wynn, Ron. "Evelyn "Champagne" King – Love Come Down: The Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
- ^ a b George-Warren, Holly; Romanowski, Patricia, eds. (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (3rd ed.). Fireside. p. 528. ISBN 0-7432-9201-4.
- ^ Weiss, Jeff. "GEN F: Ty Dolla $ign". The Fader (89). December 2013–January 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- ^ Hogan, Ed. ""champagne"-king Biography". Billboard.
- ^ Unsung on TV One. Season 4, Episode 6. Airdate 7/11/11
- ^ Show Some Love - Single by First Ladies of Disco on Apple Music. iTunes. Retrieved on February 2, 2019
- ^ First Ladies of Disco | Billboard Chart History. Billboard. Retrieved on February 2, 2019
- ^ a b "US Albums Charts > Evelyn "Champagne" King". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ a b "CAN Charts > Evelyn "Champagne" King". RPM. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ a b "NZ Charts > Evelyn "Champagne" King". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ a b "UK Charts > Evelyn King". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ a b c d e "US Certifications > Evelyn King". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ a b c "US Singles Charts > Evelyn "Champagne" King". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "IRE Charts Search > Evelyn King". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 2009-06-03. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ "NL Charts > Evelyn "Champagne" King". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ "UK Charts > Evelyn "Champagne" King". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
- ^ "CAN Certifications > Evelyn "Champagne" King". Music Canada. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
- ^ "UK Certified Awards Search > Evelyn King". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2012-02-08.
External links
- Evelyn "Champagne" King official website
- Evelyn "Champagne" King at Allmusic
- Evelyn "Champagne" King discography at Discogs
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