R.I.P. House Music Legend Frankie Knuckles

Grammy Award winning DJ and producer Frankie Knuckles passed away unexpectedly Monday. Frankie Knuckles was widely known as the Godfather of House Music. He helped create the sound that swept through Chicago and the world. (PHOTO: The Fader)

Knuckles got his first DJ gig at the age of 18 at the Continental Baths in Manhattan, New York. Club promoter Robert Williams brought Frankie Knuckles to Chicago to be the music director at club called The Warehouse.

Many consider this to be the birthplace of “House Music.”

Frankie Knuckles won the first ever Grammy for Remixer of the Year in 1998 (now called Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical).

In 2005, Knuckles was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame.

The Warehouse stood on Jefferson Street between Jackson Boulevard and Madison. That stretch of land is now known as Frankie Knuckles Way. The City of Chicago declared August 25, 2004 as Frankie Knuckles Day. This was made possible at the time by Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

Frankie Knuckles will always be a part of Chicago. He will be missed, and definitely remembered. Knuckles helped create something that effected people all over the world.

Much respect.