| Evelyn "Champagne" King | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Evelyn King |
| Born | July 1, 1960 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Genres | R&B, boogie, dance, soul, disco |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | RCA Records (US, Canada, UK) EMI America Expansion Records RNB Entertainment Group |
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."
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Evelyn King was born in the Bronx, New York, 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.[1]
King released her debut album, Smooth Talk, in 1977. The album included the song "Shame", 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.
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 Play Chart.
| Year | Album | Chart positions [2][3][4][5] |
US certifications [6] |
Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
UK | ||||
| 1977 | Smooth Talk | 14 | 8 | — | Platinum | RCA |
| 1979 | Music Box | 35 | 12 | — | Gold | |
| 1980 | Call on Me | 124 | 58 | — | — | |
| 1981 | I'm in Love | 28 | 6 | — | Gold | |
| 1982 | Get Loose | 27 | 1 | 35 | 2x Platinum | |
| 1983 | Face to Face | 91 | 24 | — | — | |
| 1984 | So Romantic | 103 | 38 | — | — | |
| 1985 | A Long Time Coming (A Change Is Gonna Come) | — | 38 | — | — | |
| 1988 | Flirt | 192 | 20 | — | — | EMI Manhattan |
| 1989 | The Girl Next Door | — | — | — | — | |
| 1995 | I'll Keep a Light On | — | — | — | — | Expansion |
| 2007 | Open Book | — | — | — | — | RNB Entertainment |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart or was not certified | ||||||
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
UK | |||
| 1990 | The Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King | — | — | — | BMG Music |
| 1993 | Love Come Down: The Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King | — | — | — | RCA |
| 1997 | Let's Get Funky | — | — | — | BMG Music |
| 2001 | Greatest Hits | — | — | — | RCA |
| 2003 | Platinum & Gold Collection | — | — | — | |
| 2006 | If You Want My Lovin' | — | — | — | Sony Music |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | |||||
| Year | Single | Chart positions[2][3][4][5] | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Dance |
UK | |||
| 1978 | "Shame" | 9 | 7 | 8 | 39 | Smooth Talk |
| "I Don't Know If It's Right" | 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" | 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 | 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 | 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 | ||||||