Evelyn "Champagne" King
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King in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Evelyn King |
| Born | (1960-07-01) July 1, 1960 (age 64) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1977–present |
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| Formerly of | First Ladies of Disco |
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).
Evelyn King was born on July 1, 1960, in New York City, New York to Johnniea and Erik King. She was raised in Philadelphia. She is one of eight children. King's childhood nickname was "Bubbles".[5] 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 was a back-up singer for groups at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Her mother managed a group named Quality Red.
King was discovered 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. Eventually she signed a production deal with Life's Galaxy Productions and a recording contract with RCA Records.[6]
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 problems, dying two years later.[7]
At the beginning of her career the name Evelyn King sounded "too grown-up" so the name "Champagne" was added.[8] King released her debut studio album, Smooth Talk, in 1977. It included the song "Shame", which is her only top-ten on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 9; the song also reached No. 7 Soul and No. 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 No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 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 No. 1 on the R&B singles chart and dance chart in August of that year; it also peaked at No. 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 No. 1 on the dance chart and reached the UK Singles Chart top-ten, peaking at No. 7 for three weeks.[9] The follow-up, "Betcha She Don't Love You", peaked at No. 2 on the Soul chart and No. 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]
In 2006, King had a uterine fibroid. She had to be resuscitated after her breathing stopped. She said that it was akin to "having a baby inside" of her.[10]
On August 14, 2007, King released her first studio album in 12 years, Open Book. It featured the single "The Dance", which peaked at No. 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. "Everybody" was released as a single on July 19, 2011.
In 2015, King formed a supergroup with disco singers Martha Wash and Linda Clifford called First Ladies of Disco. The group released its debut single "Show Some Love" in March 2015,[11] which peaked at number six on the Dance charts.[12] The group embarked on its first tour together in 2017. In December 2017, King left the group.
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [13] |
US R&B [13] |
CAN [14] |
NZ [15] |
UK [9] | ||||||||||
| 1977 | Smooth Talk | 14 | 8 | 24 | — | — | RCA | |||||||
| 1979 | Music Box | 35 | 12 | 45 | — | — |
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| 1980 | Call on Me | 124 | 58 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1981 | I'm in Love | 28 | 6 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1982 | Get Loose | 27 | 1 | — | 45 | 35 |
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| 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. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [17] |
US R&B [17] |
US Dan [17] |
AUS [18] |
CAN [14] |
IRE [19] |
NL [20] |
NZ [15] |
UK [9][21] | ||||||
| 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 |
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| "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. | ||||||||||||||
R&B singer Evelyn "Champagne" King came to fame during the disco era.
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