06/26/2020
The world wouldn’t have house music without Frankie Knuckles, the beloved “Godfather’ of house. He is one of Chicago’s true DJ heroes, with long-running residencies at the Warehouse and Power Plant nightclubs. He went on to become an international icon, a Grammy-winning producer, and well-traveled DJ ambassador for the positive, soulful spirit that his music was known for.
Frankie was born in the Bronx and got his start DJing in New York’s gay disco underground scene alongside his friend Larry Levan. But it was in Chicago where he built a loyal and devoted following, and a style and technique that would move dance music forward. He was adept at making his own reel-to-reel edits, and often would incorporate electronic rhythm boxes and proto-drum machines into his sets. His fusion of these homemade looping disco instrumentals, laid over metronomical electronic drums, set the template for what would become modern house music. The name of the genre is even credited to be a reference to the Warehouse, where Knuckles DJed from 1977 to 1982.
Knuckles’ musical contributions include some of the genre’s most timeless productions. His early collaborations with vocalist Jamie Principle - “Your Love” and “Baby Wants to Ride” - are timeless classics, as well as well-known dancefloor tracks like “The Whistle Song” and “Tears”. He would remix countless top pop artists, including the Pet Shop Boys, Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston and many more, and received a Grammy in 1998 for his remix of Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart.”
