Evelyn "Champagne" King

When the immediate dancefloor classic "Shame" (1977) was in its ascent, on its way to the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100, it would have been sensible to assume that the previously unknown Evelyn "Champagne" King was among the era's seasoned background vocalists strutting into the spotlight. Despite its powerful and knowing vocal, the song was the debut of a teenager, one who proved to be just as adept at funk, pop-R&B, and quiet storm soul with the parent album Smooth Talk, the first of the singer's three gold-certified LPs. While King appeared at the height of the disco era...