Frankie Knuckles | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. |
Born | New York City, U.S. | January 18, 1955
Died | March 31, 2014 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 59)
Genres | |
Occupations |
|
Instruments | |
Years active | 1975–2014 |
Labels | Virgin |
Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. (January 18, 1955[1][2] – March 31, 2014), known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer.[3] He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, a genre of music that began in Chicago during the early 1980s and subsequently spread worldwide. In 1997, Knuckles won the Grammy Award for Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical. Due to his importance in the development of the genre, Knuckles was often called "The Godfather of House Music".[4]