If you’ve never heard of THE Frankie Knuckles, SHAME ON YOU! If you’ve heard of Frankie Knuckles, but don’t know what his music sounds like… SHAME ON ME!!!

Frankie Knuckles [better known as The Pioneer of House Music by many] was born on January 18, 1955 (in New York). He began working as a dj in the 60′s/70′s playing R n B, soul and disco at some of the very well known spots at that time in NYC. In 1977, Frankie left NYC for Chicago, to become a resident dj at the city’s gay Warehouse club. Frankie’s style of playing was using raw disco material and fusing it with pre-programmed drum tracks to create a 4/4 tempo, this style of playing gained popularity across the city, and as it grew it became known as house music, derived from Frankie’s sets at the Warehouse.

At this point, (sources say), this house was gay and black and was not accepted by many straight white folks. The popularity and spread of house music was accelerated by the British, who invented acid house which became more acceptable by not only the gay black communities, but also the straight white communities. The genre grew and metamorphosed into an internationally acceptable sound under some of the UK’s well known pioneers of acid house, Danny Rampling, Paul Oakenfold, and Mick Pickering to name a few.

When business difficulties forced the Warehouse to close, Frankie was forced to move back to NYC, where he focused on producing, remixing and recording. He worked on a number of Def Classic Mixes, and his partnership with David Morales helped them develop the signature Def Classic sound. Frankie became more and more popular, and breaking new ground producing his biggest hit to date, “The Whistle Song” -1991. Frankie continued to do great work, and his efforts were once again recognised when he won the Grammy Award for remixer of the year, non classical in 1997.

By the late 90′s, house music house music had become less popular, and it was not the worlds leading genre that it had once become. However, Frankie continued to work as a remixer working on material for the likes of Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Toni Braxton and more… He also continued to release his own material, and in October 2004, “Your Love” appeared in a popular video game, Grand Theft Auto, San Andreas. In September 2005, Knuckles was on the Dance Music Hall of Fame or his outstanding achievements as a dj. Frankie Knuckles has also been featured in two documentaries, in 2005 and in 2006, “Maestro” and “Once Upon A Time In House Music” respectively.

Frankie Knuckles Releases

• “Rains Falls” – Single
• “You Can’t Hide from Yourself” – CBS Records
• “Tears” – Single – Frankie Knuckles presents Satoshi Tomiie – 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

Frankie Knuckles Remixes

• “This Time” – Chanté Moore
• “Happy” – Towa Tei
• “Let No Man Put Asunder” – 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
• “I Want A Dog” – Pet Shop Boys
• “Notgonnachange” – Swing Out Sister
• “Because of Love” – Janet Jackson
• “Love Hangover” – Diana Ross
• “Bring Me Love” – Andrea Mendez
• “Rock with You” – Michael Jackson
• “You Are Not Alone” – Michael Jackson
• “Closer Than Close” – Rosie Gaines
• “Unbreak My Heart” – Toni Braxton
• “Sunshine” – Gabrielle
• “I’m Going to Go” – Jago
• “Blind” – Hercules & Love Affair
• “You’ve Got the Love” – The Source ft. Candi Station