DJ Frankie Knuckles who was the pioneer of house music died on Monday at the age of 59. Knuckles was also known as a legendary producer and remixer.
Knuckles will be missed by many including me. I thought he was a talented individual who brought so many types of music together including a combination of disco, electronic, soul and synth. Knuckles had gained so much popularity in his music because so many nightclubs played his music on a regular base. He actually was an inspiration to bring house music the a mainstream population of music listeners.
DJ Knuckles won a Grammy award in 1997 as a nonclassical remixer of the year. Going back to his hometown in Chicago, many locals cherished him as a great artist. Chicago’s mayor said, “Over his long career Frankie made his way into the ranks of those artists and innovators who came to this city not just to contribute to a musical genre, but to create one themselves.”
Even though Knuckles died at an early age, he has left behind great artists that got far in their career from the influence of his music. Knuckles does earn the title of “The Godfather of House Music” because he was the individual who paved the way for the underground scene into mainstream for house and electronic music, which even current artists who focus on trap and twerk music could possibly use techniques that originally came from DJ Knuckles himself.
Rest in peace DJ Frankie Knuckles and possibly some unreleased music will be showcased to the fans of Knuckles or just even house music itself.