Born Francis Warren Nicholls, Jr in 1955, Frankie Knuckles is often referred to as the Godfather of house music – and for good reason. He was one of the originators of house music and played an integral role in the development of the genre.
Beginnings in New York City
Born and raised in the Bronx, Knuckles started heading to discos in the 1970s with friend Larry Levan from a relatively young age and quickly developed a keen interest in music. During his college years, where the two studied textile design at the FIT, both Knuckles and Levan started earning an income as DJs. Their discography mainly consisted of soul, disco and R&B. They frequently played at two of the most important and influential disco venues of the time – The Continental Baths and The Gallery.
The Development of House Music
In the late 1970s, Knuckles moved from New York City to Chicago. His old friend Robert Williams was opening a new venue called The Warehouse and Knuckles landed a resident slot. Here, he could play regularly and really hone his skill as an artist. He began to develop a new and unique style which consisted of disco classics, niche independent label soul and a few wild cards thrown in – ranging from rock to European synth-disco and more. This style came to be known as “house music”. In fact, the name house music comes from a shortened version of “The Warehouse”, the very place that came to be associated with the style. Knuckles and the genre he had developed became so popular that the club started to attract wider and wider varieties of attendees, which saw Williams remove the club’s membership and accept an increasing number of visitors.
The 80s and Signature Chicago House
The 1980s saw Frankie Knuckles introduced to newcomer Jamie Principle and his unreleased love song Your Love, which would ultimately become one of Knuckles’ most iconic records. The story behind its release on Trax Records is notoriously tangled, with conflicting accounts about who contributed key elements such as the signature arpeggiated synth line and the bassline—including an early Persona Records pressing that didn’t credit Knuckles at all. Jamie has clarified in multiple interviews that it was indeed Frankie who shaped the track into what it is today. Regardless of the disputed details, the mix that evolved into the house classic we now know and love is mostly credited to Frankie Knuckles and Jamie Principle. Knuckles played his version exclusively for more than a year before it saw a proper vinyl release, and clubgoers were so desperate to own it that countless bootlegs—often copies of copies of live recordings from Knuckles’ sets at the Power Plant—circulated throughout the Chicago scene.
Beyond the Mix
Following this success, production work started flowing in… Knuckles went on to make a 100’s of remixes. Back in New York he partnered David Morales & Judy Weinstein for the new Def Mix Productions company (and that’s a whole other story – coming soon!). In 1991, his first solo project was released the debut album – Beyond The Mix with USA Virgin Records – a massive achievement. This contained “The Whistle Song” which reached number 1 in the US dance charts and top 10 pop hit across Europe. This is generally considered his seminal work, so is definitely worth a listen if you haven’t heard it before.
Following the release of the album, Knuckles took over Junior Vasquez’s residency at The Sound Factory in Manhattan (as Vasquez took a sabbatical) and had an extremely successful run as the resident DJ.
Through the rest of the 90s and through the 00s, he continued to work as a DJ, remixer, writer and producer – reworking tracks by artists as well known as Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross and Toni Braxton. In 1996, he was also added to the Chicago gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.
Sadly, Knuckles passed away in 2014 at the too-early age of 59 due to complications with diabetes. However, his legacy lives on. He’s rightly recognized as the Godfather of house music. Beyond his huge cheeky smile – house music, hell, dance music is forever in his debt for his innovative, warm and unique style of music and for his love of people, and for bringing them together no matter the creed.