There are some people whose careers in music birth new genres that ultimately change music history forever. Frankie Knuckles is one of those people. Born in the Bronx, N.Y., before moving to Chicago, where he’d eventually become a DJ and create a legacy as the “Godfather of House Music,” Knuckles began DJing while studying textile design in college. After relocating, he got a residency at the Warehouse club when it opened in 1977. There, he would play a unique mix of disco, indie soul, and rock that attracted a devout following. Eventually, demand for his sound spread enough that fans started referring to the music he played at the Warehouse simply as “House Music.” In 1982, he opened his own club in Chicago, the Power Plant, and began what would be an illustrious career in producing and remixing.
In March 2014, the world sadly lost Frankie Knuckles. In his lifetime, he’d been inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame, and in 1997, he won the inaugural Grammy award for Remixer of the Year. In August 2004, Chicago named the street where the former Warehouse club was located “Frankie Knuckles Way.”
To celebrate his immense contributions to music, here are The 10 Best Frankie Knuckles Tracks of All Time.