Evelyn King (singer)
Encyclopedia
Evelyn "Champagne" King (born July 1, 1960) is an American R&B, disco and post-disco
singer. Some of her best-known songs are "Shame
", "Love Come Down
," and "I'm in Love
."
, and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Her uncle Avon Long
had played the part of Sportin' Life in Porgy and Bess
and worked with Lena Horne
at the Cotton Club
. Her father sang back-up for groups at Harlem
's Apollo Theater
. She was discovered while working with her mother at Philadelphia International Records
as a cleaning woman. A 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
.
", which is her only top ten on the Billboard Hot 100
, peaking at #9. The song also reached #7 R&B 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 R&B. This 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 charts.
In 1982, King released the album, Get Loose. It yielded a top twenty pop and #1 R&B hit with the single, "Love Come Down
". The song also peaked at #1 on the dance charts 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 R&B chart and #49 on the pop chart. From the mid- to late 1980s, King would continue to chart on the R&B charts, placing eight singles in the R&B 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.
Chart.
Post-disco
Post-disco refers to a historically significant period in popular music history beginning with the commercial death of disco music in the late 1970s and ending with the mainstream appearance of house music in late 1980s.The stripped-down musical trends followed from the DJ- and producer-driven,...
singer. Some of her best-known songs are "Shame
Shame (Evelyn King song)
"Shame" is a 1978 hit single recorded by American singer Evelyn "Champagne" King. It reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, number eight on the U.S. Disco Chart, and number seven on the U.S. R&B Chart, earning a Gold certification by the RIAA that same year...
", "Love Come Down
Love Come Down
"Love Come Down" is a hit single by Evelyn "Champagne" King. It was produced by Morrie Brown and written by Kashif. "Love Come Down" was the first single culled from her multi-platinum, number-one R&B album, Get Loose . In the U.S., it reached number one on the R&B and dance charts and number...
," and "I'm in Love
I'm in Love (Evelyn King song)
"I'm in Love" is a 1981 single by singer Evelyn King. The single was a hit on three different music charts in the United States, hitting number one on both the R&B and dance charts and number forty on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. It was the first of two chart entries by King to reach...
."
Biography
Evelyn King was born in the Bronx, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Her uncle Avon Long
Avon Long
Avon Long was an American Broadway actor and singer.-Life:Long was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He performed in a number of Broadway shows, including Black Rhythm , Porgy and Bess , and Beggar's Holiday...
had played the part of Sportin' Life in Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
and worked with Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
at the Cotton Club
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem, New York City that operated during Prohibition that included jazz music. While the club featured many of the greatest African American entertainers of the era, such as Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, Count Basie, Bessie Smith,...
. Her father sang back-up for groups at Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
's Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
. She was discovered while working with her mother at Philadelphia International Records
Philadelphia International Records
Philadelphia International Records is a record label founded by writer-producers, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971. It was famous for showcasing the sub-genre of Philadelphia soul music and released a string of worldwide hits during the decade.-History:...
as a cleaning woman. A 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
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
.
Career
King released her debut album, Smooth Talk, in 1977. The album included the song "ShameShame (Evelyn King song)
"Shame" is a 1978 hit single recorded by American singer Evelyn "Champagne" King. It reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, number eight on the U.S. Disco Chart, and number seven on the U.S. R&B Chart, earning a Gold certification by the RIAA that same year...
", which is her only top ten on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, peaking at #9. The song also reached #7 R&B 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
I Don't Know If It's Right
"I Don't Know If It's Right" was a hit single by Evelyn King, her follow-up to the top-ten single "Shame". It is featured on her album Smooth Talk...
", peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #7 R&B. This 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 charts.
In 1982, King released the album, Get Loose. It yielded a top twenty pop and #1 R&B hit with the single, "Love Come Down
Love Come Down
"Love Come Down" is a hit single by Evelyn "Champagne" King. It was produced by Morrie Brown and written by Kashif. "Love Come Down" was the first single culled from her multi-platinum, number-one R&B album, Get Loose . In the U.S., it reached number one on the R&B and dance charts and number...
". The song also peaked at #1 on the dance charts and reached the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
top ten, peaking at #7 for three weeks. The follow-up, "Betcha She Don't Love You," peaked at #2 on the R&B chart and #49 on the pop chart. From the mid- to late 1980s, King would continue to chart on the R&B charts, placing eight singles in the R&B 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
Dance Music Hall of Fame
The Dance Music Hall of Fame was created in 2003 when music industry veteran John Parker thought that something needed to be done to honor the creators and innovators of dance music...
at a ceremony held in New York's Spirit club.
Return to music
On August 14, 2007, King released her first studio album in 18 years, Open Book. It featured the single "The Dance," which peaked at #12 on the Hot Dance Club PlayHot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
Chart.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions |
US certifications |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
||||
| 1977 | Smooth Talk Smooth Talk (album) Smooth Talk is the debut album by singer Evelyn "Champagne" King on RCA Records.-History:Released in 1977, featuring the hit singles "Shame" and "I Don't Know If It's Right." Another single, "Dancin', Dancin', Dancin'," a promotional single, was released... |
14 | 8 | — | Gold | RCA RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
| 1979 | Music Box Music Box (Evelyn King album) Music Box is an album by Evelyn King, released on RCA Records in 1979. It was certified Gold by the RIAA.-Track listing:# "Music Box"# "Let's Start All Over Again"# "Out There"# "No Time for Fooling Around"# "Steppin' Out"... |
35 | 12 | — | Gold | |
| 1980 | Call on Me Call on Me (album) -Track listing:# "Let's Get Funky Tonight" - 3:36# "Your Kinda Lovin'" - 3:51# "Call on Me" - 5:15# "I Need Your Love" - 6:18# "Talk Don't Hurt Nobody" - 6:43# "Just a Little Bit of Love" - 3:40# "Bedroom Eyes" - 4:41# "Universal Girl" - 6:00... |
124 | 58 | — | — | |
| 1981 | I'm in Love I'm in Love (Evelyn King album) I'm in Love is an album by Evelyn King. The album includes the hit singles "I'm in Love" , "If You Want My Lovin'" and "Don't Hide Our Love," . The album failed to chart on the UK charts... |
28 | 6 | — | — | |
| 1982 | Get Loose | 27 | 1 | 35 | Gold | |
| 1983 | Face to Face Face to Face (Evelyn King album) -Track listing:#Action - 5:50#Face To Face - 4:55#Shake Down - 6:20#Tell Me Something Good - 5:10... |
91 | 24 | — | — | |
| 1984 | So Romantic So Romantic So Romantic is an album by singer Evelyn King, released in 1984. It includes the hit singles "Till Midnight," "Just For the Night," "Give Me One Reason," "Out Of Control" and "I'm So Romantic."-Track listing:# "Show Me "# "Heartbreaker"... |
203 | 38 | — | — | |
| 1985 | A Long Time Coming (A Change Is Gonna Come) A Long Time Coming (A Change Is Gonna Come) A Long Time Coming A Long Time Coming A Long Time Coming (also known as A Long Time Coming (A Change Is Gonna Come) is an album by Evelyn King. It includes the hit singles "Slow Down," "High Horse" and "Your Personal Touch."-Track listing:... |
— | 38 | — | — | |
| 1988 | Flirt | 192 | 20 | — | — | EMI Manhattan Manhattan Records Manhattan Records is a United States record label, owned by EMI and operates as a subsidiary of The Blue Note Label Group.-Company history:Manhattan Records was formed in 1984 by Bruce Lundvall, and was later renamed EMI Manhattan Records after absorbing EMI America Records imprint... |
| 1989 | The Girl Next Door The Girl Next Door (album) -Track listing:# "The Girl Next Door"# "Magnet"# "Day to Day"# "Cross Your Mind"# "Footsteps In the Dark"# "Do Right"# "Lover Man"# "Serious"# "This Song"# "Thief In the Night"... |
— | — | — | — | |
| 1995 | I'll Keep a Light On I'll Keep a Light On I'll Keep a Light On is an album by singer Evelyn King. The album was released on Expansion Records. It contains the single "I Think About You"... |
— | — | — | — | Expansion Expansion Records Expansion Records is a British record label founded by Northern soul DJ Richard Searling and Soul Bowl owner John Anderson. In 1989 DJ, Author & Journalist Ralph Tee joined the label, which both he and Searling run to this day.-Label history:... |
| 2007 | Open Book | — | — | — | — | RNB Entertainment |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
|||
| 1990 | The Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King | — | — | — | BMG Music |
| 1993 | Love Come Down: The Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King Love Come Down: The Very Best of Evelyn King Love Come Down: The Very Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King is a greatest hits album of Evelyn King including the songs "Shame," "Love Come Down" and "I'm in Love."-Track listing:# "Shame"# "I Don't Know If It's Right"# "Music Box"# "I'm In Love"... |
— | — | — | RCA RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
| 1997 | Let's Get Funky | — | — | — | BMG Music |
| 2001 | Greatest Hits Greatest Hits (Evelyn King album) Greatest Hits contains all of Evelyn King's biggest hits, including "Shame," "I Don't Know If It's Right," "Love Come Down" and "I'm in Love"... |
— | — | — | RCA |
| 2003 | Platinum & Gold Collection | — | — | — | |
| 2006 | If You Want My Lovin | — | — | — | Sony Music Sony Music Special Products Sony Music Special Products is record label of Sony Music Custom Marketing Group. It is headed by Richard Chechilo. Its primary products are premium and special offer CDs, digital downloads and ringtones.... |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | |||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1978 | "Shame Shame (Evelyn King song) "Shame" is a 1978 hit single recorded by American singer Evelyn "Champagne" King. It reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, number eight on the U.S. Disco Chart, and number seven on the U.S. R&B Chart, earning a Gold certification by the RIAA that same year... " |
9 | 7 | 8 | 39 | Smooth Talk |
| "I Don't Know If It's Right I Don't Know If It's Right "I Don't Know If It's Right" was a hit single by Evelyn King, her follow-up to the top-ten single "Shame". It is featured on her album Smooth Talk... " |
23 | 7 | 25 | 67 | ||
| 1979 | "Music Box" | 75 | 14 | 78 | — | Music Box |
| "Out There" | — | 34 | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "Let's Get Funky Tonight" | — | 34 | 12 | — | Call on Me |
| 1981 | "I'm in Love I'm in Love (Evelyn King song) "I'm in Love" is a 1981 single by singer Evelyn King. The single was a hit on three different music charts in the United States, hitting number one on both the R&B and dance charts and number forty on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. It was the first of two chart entries by King to reach... " |
40 | 1 | 1 | 27 | I'm in Love I'm in Love (Evelyn King album) I'm in Love is an album by Evelyn King. The album includes the hit singles "I'm in Love" , "If You Want My Lovin'" and "Don't Hide Our Love," . The album failed to chart on the UK charts... |
| "If You Want My Lovin' If You Want My Lovin' "If You Want My Lovin" is a funk/boogie song released in 1981 by Evelyn King that appears on the album I'm in Love. Single version of "If You Want My Lovin'" is the follow-up to her charting single "I'm in Love," but less successful. The b-side is "Long Time Waiting On You," a non-album track... " |
— | — | — | 43 | ||
| "Don't Hide Our Love" | — | 28 | — | — | ||
| 1982 | "Spirit of the Dancer" | — | 51 | 54 | — | |
| "Love Come Down Love Come Down "Love Come Down" is a hit single by Evelyn "Champagne" King. It was produced by Morrie Brown and written by Kashif. "Love Come Down" was the first single culled from her multi-platinum, number-one R&B album, Get Loose . In the U.S., it reached number one on the R&B and dance charts and number... " |
17 | 1 | 1 | 7 | Get Loose Get Loose (Evelyn King album) -Reception:Released in 1982 it contained three R&B charting singles: Love Come Down at number one, Betcha She Don't Love You at number two and Get Loose at number sixty one.... |
|
| "Betcha She Don't Love You Betcha She Don't Love You (Evelyn King song) "Betcha She Don't Love You" is a Grammy-award winning 1981 single by the singer Evelyn King, the second single culled from her album Get Loose, the followup to "Love Come Down". The song was produced by Kashif and talks about a boy going out with another girl who'll break his heart.This song was... " |
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 Fright Night # "Fright Night" – 3:45# "You Can't Hide from the Beast Inside" – 4:14# "Good Man in a Bad Time" – 3:41# "Rock Myself to Sleep" – 2:57# "Let's Talk" – 2:52# "Armies of the Night" – 4:34... |
|
| "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 | 47 | ||
| "Kisses Don't Lie" | — | 17 | — | — | ||
| 1989 | "Day to Day" | — | 80 | — | — | Girl Next Door |
| 1990 | "Do Right" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1992 | "Shame" (Hardcore Mix) (Altern 8 vs Evelyn King) | — | — | — | 74 | Non-album single |
| 1995 | "I Think About You" | — | — | — | — | I'll Keep a Light On |
| 1996 | "One More Time" (with Divas of Color) | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| 2008 | "The Dance" | — | — | 12 | — | Open Book |
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | ||||||
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
External links
- Evelyn "Champagne" King official website
- [ Evelyn "Champagne" King] at Allmusic