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Biography
Hailing from the Bronx, New York, US, Evelyn "Champagne" King came from a showbiz family, with her uncle being the actor and singer Avon Long and father, Erik King, a popular vocalist in New York City, US. King moved to Philadelphia, US, with her mother in her teens, with the pair getting jobs as cleaning women, whilst still sharing a passion for singing and music.
King was to gain her break into the musical world through a fortunate coincidence. King and her mother were working at Philadelphia International Records' studio, performing their cleaning duties, when producer T. Life overheard King singing from the washroom. Following this powerful voice, he found 16-year old King to be the source, quickly signing the young artist with a production deal and a contract with RCA.
WIth Life as producer, the pair got to work on her first recordings, with the result being "Dancin' Dancin' Dancin'." By 1977, they had enough material for an album, releasing "Smooth Talk" that same year. The single "Shame" was to be her career-launching single, gaining widespread airplay as well as breaking into the Top Ten of the R&B and Pop charts. The second single, "I Don't Know If It's Right" in 1978 found further success, selling Gold and reaching number seven in the R&B charts. The album went on to be a huge success, with this production partnership continuing for two more albums, "T. Life: Music Box" and "Call on Me."
In the early 1980s, King left Life for the producer Kashif, soon finding two number one hits with the singles, "I'm in Love" and "Love Come Down." Her albums continued to place highly in the charts, with 1982's "Get Loose" selling double-Platinum, garnering attention from EMI Records, who signed King in 1988. King worked with Leon F. Sylvers III on "Flirt" that same year, which reached number 20 in the R&B charts. "The Girl Next Door" followed in 1989 but failed to live up to the same commercial success.
In 1995, she signed with British label, Expansion, releasing "I'll Keep a Light On" which featured the musicians Larry Graham, Jeff Lorber and Paul Jackson Jr. King then took a long break from recording music, not returning to the studio until 2007, releasing "Open Book." Between these years a Greatest Hits album was released in 2001, celebrating King's musical efforts. Following her 2007 album, King released two singles since, with 2008's "The Dance" and 2011's "Everybody," featuring Miguel Migs.
Live reviews
Disco sensation of the late 70s and early 80s Evelyn King is a respected figure in the worlds of R & B, neo-soul and disco. Now well into her 50s, Evelyn may recognise the era of disco is far behind yet she is also aware there is a large following for this music for those searching for nostalgia and those interested in the re-invigorated interest in the scene of the 70s and 80s. With prolific artists including Sister Sledge and Chaka Khan all breaking out, many overlook the sensational King yet if you see her perform live she is not as easily forgotten.
The vocal and stage presence are equally impressive as Evelyn slinks around the space in between her many musicians as she absorbs the good vibes at the same time as her crowd. Demonstrating why she was able to stand out in the first place, King shows off her soulful vocal that is retaining well as she is ageing. Understanding the importance of looking after your instrument, the likes of 'Love Come Down' and 'Shame' sound as perfect as when they were first released all those years ago and the audience offer suitably rapturous applause for this likeable leading lady.
sean-ward
Evelyn “Champagne” King is one of those singers who has doing her thing since a very young age. She released her first album “Smooth Talk” in 1977. It featured a song called “Shame”, which made it into the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 making it to number 9. One of the things about King that is fantastic is that she has maintained her success over the last thirty years and of course, this audience are sold out in here tonight.
She launches into the song that got her name out there in the first place, “Shame”, and then into a slew of tracks that solidified her name in the charts over time. Her song, “Love Come Down” sparks a lot of dancing in this set, which continues for the remainder of the show. “I’m In Love” gets the whole audience involved with the performance singing ohh’s and ahh’s, with their hands in the air shaking them from side to side as King prances about the stage maintaining her charisma throughout. Well worth the ticket price!
Lannistaar
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