Stompin' at the Savoy – Live

Stompin' at the Savoy – Live is an album by American R&B/funk band Rufus, (billed as 'Rufus & Chaka Khan'), released on the Warner Bros. Records label in 1983.

Stompin' at the Savoy was a double-record set featuring three sides of live material recorded at the Savoy Theater in New York which sees the band reunited with Chaka Khan and performing all their biggest hits such as "Tell Me Something Good", "You Got the Love", "Sweet Thing", "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)" and "Do You Love What You Feel" as well as "What Cha' Gonna Do For Me" from Khan's 1981 solo album of the same name.

The fourth side of the album included four new studio recordings of which two were released as singles, "Ain't Nobody" and "One Million Kisses". "Ain't Nobody", written by the band's keyboardist David "Hawk" Wolinski, became Rufus' final number one R&B hit, reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, also won them a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal in 1984 and has since come to be regarded as one of Chaka Khan's own signature tunes - although it in fact was recorded with Rufus. Both "Ain't Nobody" and "One Million Kisses" were included on her 1989 remix compilation Life is a Dance - The Remix Project.

The Stompin' at the Savoy – Live album which was a major commercial success, reaching #4 on Billboard's R&B Albums Chart as well as #50 on Pop, became Khan's final collaboration with Rufus and the band dissolved shortly after its release.

Stompin at the Savoy - Live was transferred from vinyl to CD in the early 1990s and remains in print.

Track listing

Side One

1. "You Got the Love" (Khan, Parker) - 5:36
2. "Once You Get Started" (Christopher) - 5:05
3. "Dance Wit' Me" (Christopher) - 3:36
4. "Sweet Thing" (Maiden) - 3:28

Side Two

1. "Tell Me Something Good" (Wonder) - 3:39
2. "You're Welcome, Stop on By" (Thomas, Womack) - 5:41
3. "Pack'd My Bags" (Khan, Maiden) - 4:31
4. "I'm a Woman (I'm a Backbone)" (Washburn) - 4:06
5. "At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up)" (Maiden, Washburn) - 3:39

Side Three

1. "Ain't That Peculiar" (Moore, Robinson, Rogers, Tarplin) - 3:29
2. "Stay" (Calhoun, Khan) - 5:50
3. "What Cha' Gonna Do for Me" (Doheny, Stuart) - 4:24
4. "Do You Love What You Feel" (Wolinski) - 6:50

Side Four

1. "Ain't Nobody" - Studio recording - (Wolinski) - 4:41
2. "One Million Kisses" - Studio recording - (Murphy, Osborne) - 4:10
3. "Try a Little Understanding" - Studio recording - (Khan, Maiden) - 4:42
4. "Don't Go to Strangers" - Studio recording - (Evans, Kentz, Mann) - 4:14

Personnel

• Chaka Khan - vocals
• Tony Maiden - vocals, guitar
• Kevin Murphy - keyboards
• David "Hawk" Wolinski - keyboards
• Bobby Watson - bass guitar
• John Robinson - drums, percussion

Trivia

Warner Bros. also filmed the performance for a documentary and the album was to be the soundtrack, but, for unknown reasons, decided to shelve the documentary, but still release the album.

Production

• Russ Titelman - record producer
• Track 1-13 recorded at The Savoy Theatre, NY.

Later samples

• "Ain't Nobody"
  • "I Know You Got Soul" by Eric B. & Rakim from the album Paid in Full
  • "Last Night" by Kid 'n Play from the album 2 Hype
  • "Beat Blaster" by Rodney O & Joe Cooley from the album Three the Hard Way
  • "Ain't Nobody Better" by Yo-Yo from the album Make Way for the Motherlode
  • "Ain't Nobdy" by LL Cool J from the soundtrack of Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
  • "Ain't Nobody" by Faith Evans from the album Faith
  • "Rollin'" by Lil' Troy from the album Sittin' Fat Down South