Posted by | Ray Cornelius
House Music pioneer Frankie Knuckles died on Monday afternoon at the age of 59 of complications due to diabetes. Best known as the ‘Godfather of House Music’ Knuckles would become one of the world’s most respected DJs, music producers and remixers in the industry.
Born in the Bronx in 1955, Knuckles moved to Chicago in the 70’s where he started spinning at the infamous Warehouse – the club that has been credited as the birthplace of house music. He later open his own establishment in 1983 called The Power Plant.
Knuckles would continue spinning and producing throughout the 80’s and 90’s, eventually releasing his own debut album in 1991 titled Beyond the Mix. The groundbreaking project included the hit singles “Rainfalls,” “Workout,” and “The Whistle Song.”
Knuckles also worked with a number of musical heavy weights including the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Luther Vandross, Sound of Blackness and Toni Braxton.
The Grammy-winning artist was also inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for his outstanding achievement as a DJ in 2005.
Check out a few of his remixes below:
height=350 height=350Photo Credit: The HollywoodReporter.com