Fans of classic soul and ’90s R&B music should save the date for Sunday, Aug. 27, as it was announced on Tuesday that Boyz II Men and Chaka Khan have joined this year’s MN State Fair Grandstand musical lineup. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 31, and range in price from $34-$51.
Soulful songstress Chaka Khan is one of the world’s most gifted and celebrated music icons. A singer, songwriter, actor, author, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and activist, she has influenced generations of music creators during her four decades as an artist.
Khan, a 10-time Grammy Award-winner, has the rare ability to sing in a number of musical genres and her hit songs have spanned decades. Her first hit was the single “Tell Me Something Good” from the group Rufus’ 1974 platinum-selling album “Rags to Rufus,” earning Khan her first Grammy. Other chart-toppers include “Sweet Thing,” and “Ain’t Nobody,” which earned a second Grammy for the group.
In 1978, Khan blazed onto the music scene as a solo artist with the release of the smash hit “I’m Every Woman,” followed by hits such as “Clouds,” “Papillon” and “What ‘Cha Gonna Do For Me?” Her crowning achievement in jazz was the Grammy-winning “Be Bop Medley” from the 1983 album “Chaka Khan,” which also won a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In 1984, she released the chart-topping, Grammy-winning “I Feel For You,” originally written and first performed by Prince. Khan also topped the charts with “This Is My Night” and the instant classic “Through the Fire.”
Sharing the stage with Khan will be the beloved group Boyz II Men, who helped redefine popular R&B in the ’90s and continue to create timeless hits that appeal to fans across all generations. The trio, which holds the distinction of being the best-selling R&B group of all time—with an astounding 64 million albums sold—has penned and performed such celebrated classics as “End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love to You,” “One Sweet Day,” “Motownphilly,” and many others.
Recent albums have earned major critical acclaim as well: “Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA” (2007) earned two Grammy nominations; and “Twenty,” marking the group’s 20th anniversary in 2011, debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, No. 4 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, No. 10 among Billboard digital albums, and it placed No. 1 among iTunes’ Top R&B and soul albums. Most recently, the group appeared on NBC’s “Songland”; their song “Love Struck” premiered at No. 2 on iTunes; and they appeared on ABC’s “A Very Boy Band Holiday.”
Chaka Khan and Boyz II Men join previously announced acts Brandi Carlile, Duran Duran, Yung Gravy with special guest bbno$, and many more.
Grandstand concert series tickets are available through Etix at etix.com or by calling 800-514-3849. For additional State Fair ticket information, call 651-288-4427. Currently, tickets will only be sold online and by phone only. Visit mnstatefair.org/grandstand for a full list of this year’s acts.
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