Khan, whose hits include “I Feel For You” and “I’m Every Woman,” is the first solo black entertainer ever tapped to lead the Rose Parade.
Singer Chaka Khan’s voice is a bit weary after a day of interviews about her upcoming role as the grand marshal of the Rose Parade,. but her enthusiasm is strong for the role she’ll play in the iconic New Year’s Day parade this year.
Her sense of humor is hanging in there too, as she laughs about her initial misconception of exactly what a Tournament of Roses parade grand marshal does.
“When I heard ‘grand marshal,’ the first thing I thought of was me with a baton, marching and leading the band,” Khan says, and then laughs. “It’s very different!
“I’ve learned my duties,” she says. “It’s akin in a way to being, not Miss America, but Miss Ohio or Miss Chicago, you know? Something like that. It’s got a pageant to it.”
Not that we wouldn’t enjoy the heck of watching Khan leading the parade with a baton, but she’ll actually be doing something much more fitting for a singer whose career reaches back 45 years to her time as lead singer in Rufus, a powerhouse funk band from her hometown of Chicago. Her work has since wound its way through the worlds of R&B, disco, pop balladry and much more.
That restless quality to her catalog is part of what made the 65-year-old Los Angeles resident so thrilled to accept the grand marshal role, she says.
