I'd bet most'a y'all know the group Rufus from their '70s smash "Tell Me Something Good," but I bet y'all didn't know they began in 1969 and in Chicago, without Chaka Khan, as a soulful horn rock group called the Smoke. It was in 1971, after some line-up/management shifts, that they settled on being called Rufus. That same year, they signed to Epic Records and recorded their first album. The album they recorded for Epic, however, was never issued, and only a couple hopeful singles were pressed. Of the tracks I've heard from the Epic sessions, the best is the soulful pop 'B' side to the first 45: "Read All About It."


The second 45 was even more radio friendly—"Follow The Lamb' b/w "Fire One Fire Two Fire Three." Obviously this incarnation of the band never gained any traction, but after Khan replaced Rufus' original vocalist Paulette McWilliams and they signed to ABC Dunhill, they blew up!