Street Player | ||||
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Studio album by Rufus & Chaka Khan | ||||
Released | January 17, 1978 | |||
Recorded | 1977 | |||
Studio | Dawnbreaker Recording Studios (San Fernando, California) |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 40:32 | |||
Label |
ABC AA 1049 |
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Producer | Rufus, Roy Halee | |||
Rufus chronology | ||||
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Chaka Khan chronology | ||||
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Street Player is the gold-selling sixth studio album by funk band Rufus (and their fourth album featuring singer Chaka Khan), released on the ABC Records label in 1978. Street Player was the band's third album to top Billboard's R&B Albums chart and also reached #14 on Pop. The album includes the singles "Stay" (US R&B #3, US Pop #38) and "Blue Love" (US R&B #34).
In 1978, Rufus and Chaka Khan was still a top-selling band. Their last four releases had gone platinum and the group continued to sell out in arenas as a top headlining act with fiery Khan leading the way. By this point, Khan's stardom outside the group had grown and it led to the group drifting apart. While Khan opted to stay a member of the group, other members were uncomfortable that Khan was now offered solo contracts.
After the release of this record, Khan would sign a solo deal with Warner Bros. Records. Khan would later have a hit with her debut album, which featured the hit, "I'm Every Woman". While Khan went on to a solo career, Rufus cut Numbers, in 1979, without her. Khan, however, didn't leave the group, returning for their Quincy Jones-produced Masterjam later that year.
Also after the departure of original drummer Andre Fischer, Richard "Moon" Calhoun took over on this album on drums. This would be his only album with the group. Additionally, the jazz/rock band Chicago featured a version of the title track on their 1979 album Chicago 13, with Peter Cetera on lead vocals. The song was co-written by Chicago's drummer at that time, Danny Seraphine. The track "Stay" was later covered by Erykah Badu on her 1997 album Live.
The listing of tracks on the back of the album ( Canadian distribution { GRT of Canada Ltd. } ) is in the following order :