The Legendary Frankie Knuckles Will Live On

The Legendary Frankie Knuckles Will Live On

We are sad to announce that the “godfather of house” Frankie Knuckles has passed away – Maria Rotella, assistant to his manager, Judy Weinstein confirmed his death.

Though the cause of his passing has not been determined but he had diabetes.

CelebNMusic247.com will always miss Frankie Knuckles as he played a HUGE part in all of our lives. Being club kids ourselves Frankie always took us there. When Frankie was on the turn table you got lost in his hypnotic DJ style like no one else. We can remember countless nights heading out in Los Angeles, New York and DC just to be at a Frankie Knuckles night and when we got there we weren’t leaving until the sunrise and the music stopped. The beat would pulsate through our bodies, the lights would captivate the night and Frankie take us on a journey of discovery of site sound and magic. His gift to the world was his hand and genius of spinning music into something you never heard before.

Frankie Knuckles was a pioneer, a founding father of house. He was groundbreaking, he was everyone’s musical house guru. Knuckles started back in the 70s in New York but found his nitch in the 80s fusing reggae, funk, and synthesizer-based Europop rarities genres together which later was dubbed house music, which all started at the Warehouse in Chicago enlightening the nightlife with golden memories of bliss.

The club disc jockey, remixer, and producer who was often called the “godfather of house” for helping that percussive genre of dance music spread from Chicago nightclubs to global popularity and influence amongst clubbers. Frankie Knuckles was the sparkle in the disco ball, the twinkle in the lights and mastermind on the turn table.

His genius could take a bad day and flip it good. This weekend Frankie Knuckle Tributes are going down in all the cities (Los Angeles, New York and his home of Chicago) that he touched with his magic.

Frankie, born Francis Nicholls, was everything, he was the night and his music will live on in all of us. He was a part of all of us who was blessed to be in his presence to dance to his mix, to live divine, the dive in face first and take a chance. The suds parties, the temple, the limelight, The Gaslight, the Warehouse, To DV8, Deep at the Vanguard, the Boiler Room and more, Frankie we love you, we miss you and we will NEVER forget you.

Please play and dance on through the night for Frankie Knuckles – 01/18/1955 – 03/31/2014:

Frankie Knuckles Boiler Room DJ Set – May 2013:

Frankie Knuckles Boiler Room DJ Set – Oct 2013:

Frankie Knuckles Live At The Warehouse – 2012:

In the wake of house pioneer Frankie Knuckles’ passing, many producers, DJs and friends have publicly expressed their condolences on social media as they – and the dance community as a whole – mourn the loss of a man regarded as the Godfather of House Music.

To pay his respects, legendary disco DJ Dimitri from Paris has uploaded a Frankie Knuckles tribute mix to his SoundCloud, where he pieces together some of his favourite tracks from the house original. – InTheMix

When he started out Frankie Knuckles had started using a reel-to-reel tape recorder to edit his favorite tracks so that he could extend the beat, keeping dancers on the floor.

He left the Warehouse in the early ’80s and began spinning at another Chicago club, the Power Plant. In 1984, he incorporated a drum machine. The combination of disco or pop vocals and catchy, often electronic samples laid over a pulsating beat became the hallmark of early house, a style that many producers began to adopt.

His beat-driven version of “Your Love,” a pop song by a young singer named Jamie Principle, was released by Trax Records in 1985. It became a club hit and a radio favorite.

He returned to New York in 1988 to work in such Manhattan clubs as the Roxy and the Sound Factory Bar. That same year, teamed with David Morales and Weinstein, he formed Def Mix Productions, which worked on elaborate house remixes for artists including Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and Chaka Khan. In 1991 he released his first album under his own name, “Beyond the Mix,” which included “The Whistle Song” and “Workout.” His Grammy in 1998 was for nonclassical remixer of the year. – Boston

In recent years, Mr. Knuckles toured as a club DJ and recorded with Eric Kupper.

Related articles

• DJ Frankie Knuckles Dies At 59-Years-Old (globalhiphopbattles.com)
• Frankie Knuckles, Known As ‘Godfather of House Music,’ Dies at 59 (ny1.com)
• Frankie Knuckles Dead At 59 (noise11.com)
• Frankie Knuckles Dead (4umf.com)
• House Music Godfather Frankie Knuckles passed away at 59. (soulofsydney.org)