Frankie Knuckles

Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer.

Born in New York City, in the Bronx, Knuckles and his friend Larry Levan began frequenting discos as teenagers during the 1970s.

While studying textile design at the FIT, Knuckles and Levan began working as DJs, playing soul, disco, and R&B at two of the most important early discos, The Continental Baths and The Gallery.

Their DJing led them to the Loft and the Gallery, with Levan becoming the main DJ at the Continental Baths.

In the late 1970s, Knuckles moved from New York City to Chicago, where his old friend, Robert Williams, was opening what became the nightclub called Warehouse.

In the late 1970s, as disco faced challenges, Knuckles sought ways to keep the genre alive in Chicago.

He began experimenting with re-edits of songs, extending intros and breaks, and adding new beats to rejuvenate old favorites.

These DJ alchemy experiments at the Warehouse laid the foundation for the emergence of house music.

While the Warehouse initially faced skepticism from the wider Chicago club scene, it eventually gained recognition as adventurous straight audiences began attending.

Wayne Williams, a young DJ from the south side, was among those influenced by Knuckles' music.

Williams, inspired by the unique sound, introduced it to his audiences, becoming one of Chicago's most successful DJs and spreading the "house" sound beyond the gay clubs.

House music's name itself originated from the Warehouse, reflecting the exclusive, underground vibe of the club.

Initially, "house" referred to an attitude and a feeling associated with cool, underground music.

As Knuckles continued to reshape disco tracks and experiment with remixing, the term "house" evolved into a genre of its own.

Levan left in 1974, later establishing the prototype for the Paradise Garage.

After Levan's departure, Knuckles became the Baths' resident DJ until its closure.

Knuckles, initially hesitant about the Baths, eventually began playing there until its closure in 1976.

The Continental Baths, located below the Ansonia Hotel, was an opulent gay bathhouse known for its steam rooms, swimming pool, disco, and more.

When the club opened in Chicago in 1977, he was invited to play on a regular basis.

Knuckles accepted the offer and moved to Chicago in 1977, becoming the resident DJ at the Warehouse.

The Warehouse, situated in Chicago's west side industrial zone, emerged as a sanctuary for the city's black and gay community, offering a haven for those seeking freedom and salvation through music.

Knuckles' DJ sets at the Warehouse were transformative experiences, drawing in crowds of up to 2,000 people, primarily from the black and gay demographic.

The club's intense and soulful parties became akin to a religious gathering, where the diverse attendees found unity and spiritual connection.

He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, a genre of music that began in Chicago during the early 1980s and subsequently spread worldwide.

Knuckles continued DJing at the Warehouse until November 1982, when he started his own Chicago club, The Power Plant.

In 1982, Knuckles was introduced to then-unknown Jamie Principle by mutual friend Jose "Louie" Gomez, who had recorded the original vocal-dub of "Your Love" to reel-to-reel tape.

Louie Gomez met up with Frankie at the local record pool (I.R.S.) and gave him a tape copy of the track.

Knuckles played Gomez's unreleased dub mix for an entire year in his sets during which it became a crowd favorite.

Around 1983, Knuckles bought his first drum machine to enhance his mixes from Derrick May, a young DJ who regularly made the trip from Detroit to see Knuckles at the Warehouse and Ron Hardy at the Music Box, both in Chicago.

The combination of bare, insistent drum machine pulses and an overlay of cult disco classics defined the sound of early Chicago house music, a sound which many local producers began to mimic in the studios by 1985.

When his next club the Powerhouse closed in 1987, Knuckles moved to the UK for four months and DJ-ed at DELIRIUM!, a Thursday night party at Heaven, a gay nightclub in London.

Chicago house artists were in high demand and having major success in the UK with this new genre of music.

Knuckles also had a stint in New York, where he continued to immerse himself in producing, remixing, and recording.

Knuckles later went into the studio to re-record the track with Principle, and in 1987 helped put Your Love and Baby Wants to Ride out on vinyl after these tunes had been regulars on his reel-to-reel player at the Warehouse for a year.

As house music was developing in Chicago, producer Chip E.. took Knuckles under his tutelage and produced Knuckles' first recording, "You Can't Hide from Yourself".

Then came more production work, including Jamie Principle's "Baby Wants to Ride", and later "Tears" with Robert Owens (of Fingers Inc.) and (Knuckles' protégé and future Def Mix associate) Satoshi Tomiie.

Knuckles made numerous popular Def Classic Mixes with John Poppo as sound engineer, and Knuckles partnered with David Morales on Def Mix Productions.

1988 saw the release of Pet Shop Boys' third album, Introspective, which featured Knuckles as a co-producer of the song "I Want a Dog."

In 1997, Knuckles won the Grammy Award for Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical.

Due to his importance in the development of the genre, Knuckles was often called "The Godfather of House Music".