Evelyn "Champagne" King

Evelyn King was born on July 1, 1960, in The Bronx, New York City to Johnniea and Erik King. She was raised in Philadelphia. She is one of eight children. King's childhood nickname was Bubbles. 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. 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.

At the beginning of her career the name Evelyn King sounded "too grown-up" so the name "Champagne" was added. 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 No. 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. 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.

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. 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 third studio 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's debut single "Show Some Love," released in March 2015, peaked at No. 6 on the Dance chart. The group embarked on its first tour together in 2017. In December 2017, King left the group.

The Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King (1990, RCA) Love Come Down: The Best of Evelyn "Champagne" King (1993, RCA) Let's Get Funky (1997, BMG) Greatest Hits (2001, RCA) Platinum & Gold Collection (2003, BMG Heritage) Legends (2005, Sony BMG) If You Want My Lovin' (2006, Sony Music Special Products) Action: The Evelyn "Champagne" King Anthology - 1977-1986 (2014, BBR) The Essential Evelyn "Champagne" King (2015, Legacy) The Complete RCA Hits and More! (2016, Real Gone Music)