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.”
While studying Textile Design at FIT in Manattan, 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.
It was around this time that he began to immerse himself in producing, remixing and recording. His career really took off as a result. 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. |
