Evelyn King (singer) 2175171 225672714 2008-07-14T20:56:37Z Odulumni99 653795 {{dablink|For other people with similar names, see [[Evelyn King (disambiguation)]]}} <!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Evelynchampagne.jpg|frame|right|Evelyn "Champagne" King]] -->'''Evelyn "Champagne" King''' (born [[July 1]], [[1960]], in the [[Bronx]], [[New York]]), is an American [[R&B]] and [[disco music|disco]] singer. She went on to become one of the most popular [[R&B]] and [[disco]] singers of the late seventies and early eighties. She is best known for her recording classics such as [[Shame (Evelyn King song)|"Shame"]], and the groundbreaking use of synthesizers on the songs "I'm In Love" and "[[Love Come Down]]." ==Biography== Born in the Bronx and raised in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], King was discovered originally while working as a cleaning woman in a recording studio. ==Musical career== Of King's many R&B and pop hits, she is best known for the [[disco]] classic "Shame," which is her only Top 10 on the ''[[Billboard Magazine]]'' [[Hot 100]] (#9 in 1978) (it also hit #8 on the [[Hot Dance Music/Club Play]] chart). The record eventually became [[Gold]] that same year, and she followed the single with another classic, 1979's "I Don't Know If It's Right" (which also went gold). Both "Shame" and "I Don't Know If It's Right" elevated her 1977 debut album ''Smooth Talk'' to gold status and success. King was just 16 years old when ''Smooth Talk'' was released. ''Music Box'' (#35 on the Billboard 200), released in 1979 and ''Call On Me'' (#124 on the Billboard 200), released in 1980 were a pair of follow-up disco-R&B albums to ''Smooth Talk'', that featured danceable tracks and soul ballads. However, her follow-up albums did not match the same amount of success as her debut album, simply due to popular music's sudden transition from the disco craze of the late-1970s to the 1980s-dance music scene. In 1981, King released the #6 R&B Album ''I'm in Love'' (also #28 on the Billboard 200), and released the title track, which became a #1 R&B hit, as well as a top 40 pop hit. The song was groundbreaking, in that no one had ever incorporated such heavy synthesizers into their music before. A second single from the ''I'm in Love'' album, "Don't Hide Our Love", also made it to #6 on the R&B Chart. In 1982, King released the gold-certified album ''Get Loose'' (#5 on the [[Billboard]] 200, #1 on the R&B Albums Chart). It yielded a top 20 pop hit (and #1 R&B hit) with the single, "[[Love Come Down]]." "Love Come Down" is also King's only UK top 10, peaking at #7. The follow up, "Betcha She Don't Love You," was also a #2 R&B smash hit, as well as a #49 pop hit. The title track, "Get Loose" a European single, was a top 10 hit on the Euro charts, as well as a top 40 hit in the UK. The album ''Get Loose'' proved to be the biggest selling album of King's career. In 1984 King had her last top 40 pop hit on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] with "Just For the Night" (charting at #32), from the album ''So Romantic''. It was less successful on the Dance Chart, though, stalling at (#45). Though she continued to have a high level of R&B success, the pop hits stopped coming following her album ''A Long Time Coming (A Change is Gonna Come)''. The singles "High Horse" and "Your Personal Touch" were both top ten hits on the Euro charts, and R&B successes in the US. Following a move to [[EMI Records]] in 1986, her first album for EMI, the album ''Flirt'' stalled at #192 on the Billboard 200, despite the success of the title track (#3 on the R&B Chart). The album did reach #20 on the R&B Albums Chart, though the follow-up to ''Flirt'', ''Girl Next Door'' failed to chart on either the Billboard 200 or the R&B Albums Chart. Following ''Girl Next Door'' King has released several greatest hits compilations, but didn't release another album until 1995's ''I'll Keep A Light On'' which virtually went unnoticed. On September 20, 2004, King's anthem record "Shame" became among the first records to be inducted into the newly formed [[Dance Music Hall of Fame]] at a ceremony held in New York's Spirit club. The single [[Shame (Evelyn King song)|"Shame"]] has been covered by artists such as [[Kim Wilde]] and [[Zhane]]. "Love Come Down" was covered by Sweetbox that featured the Evelyn herself. Dance artists such as [[Alison Limerick]] and Eve Gallagher also covered "Love Come Down," and Ruff Driverz with "Shame." [[Shame (Evelyn King song)|"Shame"]] was also featured in the game [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]] and can be heard on the radio station [[Fever 105]]. A part of the instrumental background was also played as lead-ins to the half-hour and hour commercial/local news breaks on Bill O'Reilly's Radio Factor show. ==Trivia== Prior to adding the nickname "Champagne", in between her first and surname, her original nickname was "Bubbles", given to her by her mother; however, at the time of the [[Disco]] era, in the late-1970's, it was thought by King's mother, and her manager/producer, [[T. Life]], that such a childish nickname would be silly, particularly for a Soul Singer. ==Return to music== On August 14, 2007, Evelyn released her first studio album in 12 years: ''Open Book''. It features her latest singles ''Skillz'' and ''The Dance''. ==Discography== ===Albums=== *1977: ''Smooth Talk'' ([[RCA Records|RCA]]) - US Pop #14, US R&B #8 *1979: ''Music Box'' (RCA) - US Pop #35, US R&B #12 *1980: ''Call on Me'' (RCA) - US Pop #124, US R&B #58 *1981: ''I'm in Love'' (RCA) - US Pop #28, US R&B #6 *1982: ''Get Loose'' (RCA) - US Pop #5, US R&B #1 *1983: ''Face to Face'' (RCA) - US Pop #91, US R&B #24 *1984: ''So Romantic''(RCA) - US R&B #38 *1985: ''A Long Time Coming (A Change is Gonna Come)'' (RCA) - US R&B #38 *1988: ''Flirt'' ([[EMI America Records|EMI America]]) - US Pop #192, US R&B #20 *1989: ''Girl Next Door'' (EMI America) *1995: ''I'll Keep a Light On'' (Expansion) *2007: ''Open Book'' (RNB Entertainment) ===Singles=== {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !width="40"|<small>[[Billboard Hot 100|U.S.]]</small> !width="40"|<small>[[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|U.S. R&B]]</small> !width="40"|<small>[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]</small> |- |1978 |"[[Shame (Evelyn King song)|Shame]]" |align=center|9 |align=center|7 |align=center|39 |- |rowspan="3"|1979 |"I Don't Know If It's Right" |align=center|23 |align=center|7 |align=center|67 |- |"Music Box" |align=center|75 |align=center|14 |align=center| |- |"Let's Get Funky Tonight" |align=center|- |align=center|34 |align=center|31 |- |rowspan="3"|1981 |"I'm In Love" |align=center|40 |align=center|1 |align=center|27 |- |"Don't Hide Our Love" |align=center|- |align=center|6 |align=center|56 |- |"If You Want My Lovin'" |align=center|- |align=center|- |align=center|43 |- |rowspan="3"|1982 |"[[Love Come Down]]" |align=center|17 |align=center|1 |align=center|17 |- |"Betcha She Don't Love You" |align=center|49 |align=center|2 |align=center|- |- |"Back to Love" |align=center|- |align=center|- |align=center|41 |- |1983 |"Get Loose" |align=center|- |align=center|- |align=center|40 |- |rowspan="4"|1984 |"I'm So Romantic" |align=center|- |align=center|- |align=center|76 |- |"Just for the Night" |align=center|32 |align=center|16 |align=center|43 |- |"Action" |align=center|75 |align=center|16 |align=center|- |- |"Day to Day" |align=center|- |align=center|80 |align=center|- |- |rowspan="3"|1985 |"Give Me One Reason" |align=center|- |align=center|- |align=center|93 |- |"Your Personal Touch" |align=center|86 |align=center|9 |align=center|37 |- |"Give It Up" <small>''(from the film [[Fright Night]])''</small> |align=center|- |align=center|- |align=center|- |- |1986 |"High Horse" |align=center|- |align=center|19 |align=center|55 |- |rowspan="2"|1988 |"Flirt" |align=center|- |align=center|3 |align=center|- |- |"Hold on to What You've Got" |align=center|- |align=center|8 |align=center|47 |- |1989 |"Kisses Don't Lie" |align=center|- |align=center|17 |align=center|- |- |1992 |"Shame" <small>''([[remix]], with [[Altern 8]])''</small> |align=center|- |align=center|- |align=center|74 |- |} ==Sources== [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=76577&model.vnuAlbumId=517478 Evelyn "Champagne" King Chart History at Billboard.com] ==See also== *[[List of number-one dance hits (United States)]] *[[List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart]] ==External links== *[http://www.evelynchampagneking.com/ Official website] {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Evelyn}} [[Category:1960 births]] [[Category:African American singers]] [[Category:African American female singers]] [[Category:American dance musicians]] [[Category:American female singers]] [[Category:American rhythm and blues singers]] [[Category:American disco musicians]] [[Category:Living people]] [[fr:Evelyn King]] [[fi:Evelyn King]]