Frankie Knuckles

Frankie Knuckles (born January 18, 1955, in New York City) is a DJ, producer and remix artist. He has earned the appellation "The Godfather of House."

Career

Early Work

While studying Textile Design at FIT in Manhattan, Knuckles began working as a DJ. He played soul, disco and R&B at The Continental Baths with fellow-DJ Larry Levan. Shortly after this, he began to gain notoriety and played at Better Days. When the Warehouse opened in Chicago in 1977 he was invited to play on a regular basis. He continued DJing there until 1982, at which point he started his own club, The Power Plant. When business difficulties caused it to fold, he moved back to NYC, and was the featured resident DJ at The World, and also had numerous subsequent residencies, inluding The Choice.

His career really took off and he immersed himself in producing, remixing and recording. His earliest remixes include First Choice's "Let No Man Put Asunder" and Jago's "I'm Going To Go". As house music gained momentum, pioneering producer Chip E. took Frankie under his tutelage and produced Frankie's first recording, "You Can't Hide", featuring vocalist Ricky Dillard. Then came more production work, including Jamie Principle's "Baby Wants to Ride", and later, "Tears" with Robert Owens (of Fingers, Inc.) and Satoshi Tomiie.

Acclaim

With several important original productions and remixes to his name, by the early 1990s, Knuckles was becoming one of the most successful and well respected names in an increasingly popular house music genre. In 1991 he released his biggest hit to date, The Whistle Song which is still regarded by many as one of the most influential records of house music to date. His debut album - Beyond the Mix, released on Virgin Records also contained another dancefloor hit titled Rain Falls and featuring vocals from Lisa Michaelis. He also joined forces with another upcoming Music Producer by the name of David Morales around this time, and they began the highly successful group Def Mix. Key remixes from this time include his rework of the Electribe 101 anthem Talking With Myself and especially the now legendary Where Love Lives by Alison Limerick.

As his productions and remixes were becoming more popular than ever, he was also breaking new ground as a DJ. When Junior Vasquez took a sabbatical from Manhattan's The Sound Factory, he took over and launched a hugely successful run as resident DJ until Vasquez made his return, at which point Knuckles took up a post as resident at The Sound Factory Bar. Despite a high profile, he remained very much a part of the underground scene which is perhaps why he has remained so respected to this day. In 1992, Billboard's Larry Flick commented "He's probably the best dance music producer we have in America. He understands the groove, but he understands songs, and the whole picture."

Godfather of House

By the late 1990's, the public's ador for House music had diminished, and it was no longer the world leading music genre it had become but Knuckles continued to produce some of his best work. The demand for his remix work was as high as ever, and he revamped the material of A-List recording artist's including Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Toni Braxton and many others. He released fewer original productions in the last years of the 1990's, but as the new millennium approached he worked closely with Definitity Records and released several successful new singles including Keep On Movin' and a re-issue of an earlier hit Bac N Da Day. In 2004 he released a 13-Track album of original material - his first in over a decade, titled A New Reality which was critically well received.

On September 19th, 2005, Frankie was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for his outstanding achievement as a DJ. It is testiment to his status as one of house music's most influential and respected artists and it is widely accepted that his style of DJing and his selection and the appeal of the Warehouse gave house music its name. Frankie Knuckles is arguably the pioneering DJ of his generation and is certainy one of house music's founding fathers.

Frankie Knuckles on his 51st birthday in 2006 with Chris McAvoy @ DJ Hut Record Store "meet and greet" in Washington, DC

Selected Discography

Releases

*"You Can't Hide from Yourself" - CBS Records
*"Tears" - Single - FFRR
*"Your Love/Baby Wants To Ride" - Trax Records
*"Beyond The Mix" - Virgin Records
*"The Whistle Song" - Virgin Records
*"Sessions Six - Mixed by Frankie Knuckles" - Ministry of Sound
*"Choice: A Collection of Classics" - Trax Records
*"Keep On Movin'" - Definity Records
*"A New Reality" - Definity Records

Remixes

*"Let No Man Put Us Under" - First Choice
*"Ain't Nobody" - Chaka Khan
*"Watcha Gonna Do With My Lovin'" - Inner City
*"Talking With Myself" - Electribe 101
*"The Pressure" - Sounds of Blackness
*"Where Love Lives (Come On In)" - Alison Limerick
*"Because of Love" - Janet Jackson
*"Love Hangover" - Diana Ross
*"Bring Me Love" - Andrea Mendez
*"Rock With You" - Michael Jackson
*"Closer Than Close" - Rosie Gaines
*"Unbreak My Heart" - Toni Braxton
*"Sunshine" - Gabrielle
*"I'm Going to Go" - Jago

See also

*List of number-one dance hits (United States)
*List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

External links

*FKAlways.com Frankie Knuckles official website.
*Discogs Frankie Knuckles discography and biography.
*Disco Museum Biography and information on Frankie Knuckles.
*Disco Disco Disco disco pays respect to the godfather of house music.