{"id":11076,"date":"2014-03-31T16:36:40","date_gmt":"2014-03-31T20:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/?p=11076"},"modified":"2014-04-04T11:46:51","modified_gmt":"2014-04-04T15:46:51","slug":"frankie-knuckles-1955-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/news\/frankie-knuckles-1955-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"RIP Frankie Knuckles : 1955 – 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Frankie-Knuckles\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Frankie Knuckles (January 18, 1955 \u2013 March 31, 2014)<\/strong><\/p>\n

He was born Francis Nicholls in The Bronx, New York; he later moved to Chicago. He played an important role in developing and popularizing House Music in Chicago during the 1980s when the genre was in its infancy. Due to his importance in the development of the genre, Knuckles was often known as “The Godfather of House Music” and as such the city of Chicago named a stretch of street and a day after Knuckles in 2004. His accomplishments earned him a Grammy Award in 1997. Knuckles was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2005 as recognition for his achievements.<\/p>\n

 
\nCareer
\n1970s\u20131980s<\/strong><\/p>\n

While studying textile design at FIT in New York, Knuckles began working as a DJ, playing soul, disco, and R&B at The Continental Baths with childhood friend and fellow DJ Larry Levan. In the late 1970s, Knuckles moved from New York City to Chicago, and when the Warehouse club opened in Chicago in 1977, he was invited to play on a regular basis. He continued DJing at the Warehouse until 1982, when he started his own club in Chicago, The Power Plant. DJ History reports: “The style of music now known as house was so named after a shortened version of [Knuckles’ Warehouse] club.<\/p>\n

Knuckles bought his first drum machine from Derrick May, who regularly made the trip from Detroit to see Knuckles at the Warehouse and Ron Hardy at the Music Box, both in Chicago. Knuckles also had a musical partnership with Chicago artist Jamie Principle, and 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.<\/p>\n

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’ prot\u00e9g\u00e9 and future Def Mix associate) Satoshi Tomiie.<\/p>\n

When the Power Plant closed in 1987, Knuckles played for four months at Delirium in the United Kingdom. Chicago House Music 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.<\/p>\n

 
\n1990s\u20132000s<\/strong><\/p>\n

Knuckles made numerous popular Def Classic Mixes with John Poppo as sound engineer, and Knuckles partnered with David Morales on Def Mix Productions. His debut album Beyond the Mix (1991), released on Virgin Records, contained “seminal work”, “The Whistle Song”. The Def Classic mix of Lisa Stansfield’s “Change”, released in the same year, also featured the whistle-like motif. Another track from the album, “Rain Falls”, featured vocals from Lisa Michaelis. Eight thousand copies of the album had sold by 2004. Other key remixes from this time include his rework of the Electribe 101 anthem “Talking With Myself” and Alison Limerick’s “Where Love Lives”.<\/p>\n

When Junior Vasquez took a sabbatical from The Sound Factory in Manhattan, Knuckles took over and launched a successful run as resident DJ.<\/p>\n

Knuckles continued to work as a remixer through the 1990s and into the next decade, reworking tracks from Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Eternal and Toni Braxton. He released several new singles, including “Keep on Movin'” and a re-issue of an earlier hit “Bac N Da Day” with Definity Records. In 1995, he released his second album titled Welcome to the Real World. By 2004, 13,000 copies had sold.<\/p>\n

In 2004, Knuckles released a 13-track album of original material \u2013 his first in over a decade \u2013 titled A New Reality. In October 2004, “Your Love” appeared in the videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on house music radio station, SF-UR.<\/p>\n

 
\nAwards and honorable recognition<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1997, Knuckles won the the Grammy Award for Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical. In 2004, the city of Chicago \u2013 which “became notorious in the dance community around the world for passing the so-called ‘anti-rave ordinance’ in 2000 that made property owners, promoters and deejays subject to $10,000 fines for being involved in an unlicensed dance party” \u2013 named a stretch of street in Chicago after Knuckles, where the old Warehouse once stood, on Jefferson Street between Jackson Boulevard and Madison Street. That stretch of street, called Frankie Knuckles Way, “was renamed when the city declared 25 August 2004 as Frankie Knuckles Day. The Illiniois state senator who helped make it happen was Barack Obama.” In 2005, Knuckles was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for his achievements.<\/p>\n

 
\nIn media and popular culture
\nFilms<\/strong><\/p>\n

Knuckles was featured in the documentary films Maestro (2003), written and directed by Josell Ramos,[25][26] and The UnUsual Suspects: Once Upon a Time in House Music (2005), directed by Chip E.<\/p>\n

 
\nGames<\/strong><\/p>\n

October 2004, “Your Love” appeared in the videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on house music radio station, SF-UR.<\/p>\n

 
\nDeath<\/strong><\/p>\n

Knuckles died of Type II diabetes-related complications in Chicago on March 31, 2014 at age 59. Knuckles had developed that disease in the mid-2000s. DJ Magazine reports: “House music fans have already been buying copies of Frankie’s ‘Your Love’ in an attempt to get it to the top of various charts as a tribute to the great man.” Jet commented that his death meant a “sad day for music fans” and promoted Knuckles’ “Your Love” track.<\/p>\n

 
\nSelected discography
\nReleases<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Rain Falls” (single) [34]
\n “You Can’t Hide from Yourself” \u2013 CBS Records
\n “Tears” (single); Frankie Knuckles presents Satoshi Tomiie \u2013 FFRR
\n “Your Love\/Baby Wants to Ride” \u2013 Trax Records
\n Beyond the Mix \u2013 Virgin Records
\n “The Whistle Song” \u2013 Virgin Records
\n Sessions Six \u2013 Mixed by Frankie Knuckles \u2013 Ministry of Sound
\n Choice: A Collection of Classics \u2013 Trax Records
\n “Keep on Movin'” \u2013 Definity Records[35]
\n 
\nRemixes<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Change” \u2013 Lisa Stansfield
\n “Power Of Love\/Love Power” \u2013 Luther Vandross
\n “Left To My Own Devices” \u2013 Pet Shop Boys
\n “This Time” \u2013 Chant\u00e9 Moore
\n “Happy” \u2013 Towa Tei
\n “Let No Man Put Asunder” \u2013 First Choice
\n “Ain’t Nobody” \u2013 Chaka Khan
\n “Watcha Gonna Do with My Lovin'” \u2013 Inner City
\n “Talking with Myself” \u2013 Electribe 101
\n “The Pressure” \u2013 Sounds of Blackness
\n “Where Love Lives (Come on In)” \u2013 Alison Limerick
\n “I Want a Dog” \u2013 Pet Shop Boys
\n “Notgonnachange” \u2013 Swing Out Sister
\n “Because of Love” \u2013 Janet Jackson
\n “Love Hangover” \u2013 Diana Ross
\n “Bring Me Love” \u2013 Andrea Mendez[36]
\n “Rock with You” \u2013 Michael Jackson
\n “Scream” (remixed by Knuckles and David Morales) \u2013 Michael Jackson
\n “Thriller” (remixed by Knuckles and David Morales) \u2013 Michael Jackson
\n “You Are Not Alone” \u2013 Michael Jackson
\n “Closer Than Close” \u2013 Rosie Gaines
\n “Unbreak My Heart” \u2013 Toni Braxton
\n “Sunshine” \u2013 Gabrielle
\n “I’m Going to Go” \u2013 Jago [37]
\n “Blind” \u2013 Hercules & Love Affair
\n “You’ve Got the Love” \u2013 The Source ft. Candi Staton
\n “Million Dollar Bill” \u2013 Whitney Houston
\n “Forever Came Today” \u2013 The Jackson 5 (Released On The Remix Suite)
\n “Wrong” \u2013 Depeche Mode<\/p>\n

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Frankie Knuckles (January 18, 1955 \u2013 March 31, 2014) He was born Francis Nicholls in The Bronx, New York; he …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":11079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[691],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11076"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11076"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11076\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11116,"href":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11076\/revisions\/11116"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/motionfm.com\/wp2014\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}