CHICAGO HOUSE the MOVEMENT: the Tracks, the Songs, the Sound and the Atmosphere!
Part 1: The First Chicago House Music SONG?
By: Richard Graves aka DJ Black Adam of House 17, NFP
There has been much debate about the origins of Chicago House Music, from where or whom the coining of the name came from, to who made the first House record, to what are the true origins and influences of the music, etc. This series will examine these issues with proper historiographical methodology and journalist objectivity, something that has been sorely missing in this discussion. Most of the books, articles or documentaries about these questions are either produced or written by individuals who had no real connection to the Chicago House Music Movement or are too connected and invested in a narrative that overstates their own significance to the movement of CHICAGO HOUSE MUSIC. Part 1 of the series will address the question of: “What was the first Chicago House Music SONG?”
No, it was not “On and On” by Jesse Saunders, and it definitely was not “Dirty Talk” or the “M.B.O. Theme” by Klein and M.B.O or any other non - Chicago song that some would cite. Truth to tell, each of those songs, and others of the genres of Disco, Italo Disco (such as Klein M.B.O), Electro, Hi Energy, B-Boy Hip Hop, New Wave (New Order – “Confusion”) did influence what would become the genre of Chicago House Music. However, to grasp the truth about the issue it must be first stated that the genre of Chicago House Music is different from what should be called the “atmosphere of Chicago House” that one found in the night clubs and house parties of Chicago and the surrounding area during the early eighties to the mid-nineties. The atmosphere consisted of the music played on the air by The Hot Mix 5 on W.B.M.X. As well, the music played in the clubs across the city and suburbs by DJs like Ron Hardy of the Music Box, Julian Perez of Dilligaf’s and countless other DJs and promoters throughout the city and suburbs of Chicago. Songs from various genres could be played to make the crowd move. It could go from a disco Salsoul classic like “Double Cross” by First Choice, to an electronic jam like “Bostich” by Yello to an Electro B-Boy Hip Hop track like “Hip Hop Be Bop” by Man Parrish. The ability of the Chicago DJs to mix and more importantly blend these songs, not just play them, kept a crowd moving and created the ambiance of the atmosphere of Chicago House. The genre began to form when Chicago DJs and producers purposely decided to make their own music to be played in this environment. These DJs and Producers took all that influenced them and eventually created an actual new genre of music, HOUSE MUSIC. Many will say that Jesse Sanders created the format with his song “On and On” that simply is not accurate.
You have books, documentaries and articles perpetrating this inaccuracy, for example British-Ghanaian writer and filmmaker Kodwo Eshun writes “Most people agree that the first house record was Jesse Saunders’ version of ‘On and On’ in 1983.”[1] It shouldn't be surprising that many people outside Chicago perpetrate this idea because unfortunately the different DJ and producer camps in Chicago often are self-promoting and over emphasize their own importance in the movement of Chicago House and by mutual implication down play their colleagues, “rivals” and competitors from that era. The fact is, that Jesse Saunders, with his colleagues Wayne Williams (Dr. Derelict) and Vince Lawrence and contemporaries; Marshall Jefferson (Virgo), Duane Thamm, Jr. and Mike Macharello (Knight Action), Jaime Principle, Carl Bias (with Liz Torres), Juan Atkins (Model 500) and Farley Keith Williams (Farley “Funkin” Keith / Farley Jackmaster Funk) made some incredible home grown music in Chicago and Detroit. Respectively, songs and tracks like “On and On” (Jes Say Records - S9999 – US 1984),[2] “Under Cover” (Jes Say Records -JS 9997 – US 1984),[3] “Go Wild Rhythm Trax” (Other Side Records - OTS 48 –US 1985),[4] “Single Girl” (Let's Dance - LDR-071 – US 1984),[5] “Waiting on my Angel” (Persona Records - JP111 – US 1985),[6] “Mind Games” (Sound Pak - PL 5112-RRS, TR-520735 – US 1985),[7] “No U.F.O’s (Metroplex - M-001 – US 1985)[8] and “Funkin with the Drums” (House Records - FFK846-6273 – US 1985)[9] all were home grown Chicago and Detroit jams and great influences of the House Movement of Chicago and the Detroit Techno Movement, yet none were the first House Song of the genre Chicago House Music. Yet all of these DJs and Producers and their works were direct influences on what would become the first Chicago House record.
Up until early 1985 Chicago and Detroit producers had strived to become part of the dance music explosion of New wave, Punk, post Disco, Italo Disco, Electro, R&B Pop and Hip Hop. Similar to epic New York City producers Arthur Baker, John Robie, Man Parrish and John “Jelly Bean” Benitez. Jesse Saunders and his contemporaries utilized the Linndrum machine, the Roland 808 drum machine and Fairlight keyboards, etc. to make songs or tracks to be played at local Chicago parties to give them a leg up in the competitive world of Chicago DJs. Jesse Saunders made some of the best dance music of that era, but these DJs and producers were not trying to make a genre, they were making music to fit in established genres. In 1985 Rocky Jones, owner of the Audiotalent record pool would make history.
That history was made when Rocky Jones felt it was time to create a music label that catered to the DJs that were in the record pool and the countless other DJs in Chicago playing in the clubs, halls and house parties all throughout the city and the suburbs. Up until that point, Chicago DJ’s looked towards labels that created music with their ears to the street; Sugarscoop, Cutting Records, Streetwise, Tommy Boy, Prelude as well as the many foreign labels producing Italo and Electro to give them underground hits to play in their mixes, all of them wanted to be the first to break a new song or play it a new way. As those labels either folded or became part of more mainstream labels going for the more commercial sound and abandoning the underground sound of dance music, Rocky Jones felt it was time for a label catering to DJs and that would be able to produce some of the new tracks and songs being made in Chicago. Many Chicago and Detroit DJs were inspired by people like Jesse Saunders and Farley Jackmaster Funk and decided to make their own music tracks, amongst them were young aspiring DJs and producers Chip E (Irwin Larry Eberhart II) and Steve “Silk” Hurley.
In 1985, Chip E released an EP on Gotta Dance Records[10] titled “Jack Trax.”[11] Chip E went on from this point to become a legendary Chicago producer in his own right, with songs “Like This” (with K Joy), “Jack the House” (Femme Fion), “Godfather of House Music” and “If You Only Knew” (with vocals by Kevin Irving), all released on the first House label in Chicago, DJ International Records. While it is generally accepted that the term “House Music” had its origins in the Warehouse night club of Chicago, with the residence of the legendary Frankie Knuckles (and specifically the music played and heard there), it is without question that the phrase “House Music” and the related term “Jack” (a form of dance to House Music) got branded with the release of “It’s House” and respectively “Time to Jack” two of the tracks on Chip E’s EP “Jack Trax.” Though the phrase was coined, the genre had not materialized, this happened when Steve “Silk” Hurley brought a track he called “The Key” to Rocky Jones at DJ International Records.
Steve “Silk” Hurley eventually of the group J.M. Silk (with Keith Nunnally), brought a four track instrumental called “The Key” to Rocky Jones. This track was heard at the Mendel High School gymnasium (a place where many “House Music Parties” were hosted) and became very popular and a staple in Steve Hurley’s mixes. Rocky Jones felt it would be better received by radio and DJs if the track became an actual “song” by adding lyrics. Rocky also brought in musician Peter Black who added orchestration to the basic four tracks of “The Key” using the Fairlight keyboard. Farley “Jackmaster” Funk, a friend of Hurley’s, who provided additional production and mixing on the song, suggested to Rocky a young aspiring vocalist named Keith Nunnally, whose soulful and powerful lyrics became a standard in Chicago House Music. Farley also contributed the classic intro of the new production by suggesting to Keith Nunnally to say” “Jack that body baby!” at the beginning of the song. Steve Hurley wrote the lyrics with the assistance of Nunnally, who added incredible adlibs to the final product. Rocky had brought all these elements together and took this from simply tracks by DJs made to further their reputations, to a full-fledged musical production and a track called “The Key” became a song, the FIRST House Music song called “Music Is the Key” by J.M. Silk on DJ International Records, distributed by Benji Espinoza’s Quantum Distributers.[12],[13] The song went on to be a monster hit, and unlike many of the previous homegrown productions in Chicago, due to the marketing efforts of DJ International and the distribution efforts of Espinoza’s Quantum Distributers, the song not only was played in the mixes of the Hot Mix 5 but also played on WBMX and WGCI in regular rotation. As well as WJLB in Detroit and KISS FM and WBLS in New York. This song, and the collaborative work of all the parties involved made House Music a genre onto itself, and began the world wide spread of the music, from the basements of Chicago DJ’s to the clubs in England, Italy and Germany.
[1] Peter Shapiro and Iara Lee. Modulations: A History of Electronic Music : Throbbing Words on Sound. (New York: Caipirinha Productions, 2000.) 75
[2] “Jesse Sanders – On and On” Discogs,, accessed April 18, 2015, http://www.discogs.com/Jesse-Saunders-On-And-On/master/8442
[3] “Dr. Derelict – Undercover” Discogs, accessed April 18, 2015, http://www.discogs.com/Dr-Derelict-Under-Cover/master/8508
[4] “Virgo – Go Wild Rhythm Trax” Discogs, accessed April 18, 2015, http://www.discogs.com/Virgo-Go-Wild-Rythm-Trax/master/5193
[5] “Knight Action – Single Girl” Discogs, accessed April 18, 2015, http://www.discogs.com/Knight-Action-Single-Girl/release/886819
[6] “Jaimie Principle – Waiting on My Angel” Discogs, accessed April 18, 2015, http://www.discogs.com/Jamie-Principle-Waiting-On-My-Angel/master/8369
[7] “Quest – Mind Games” Discogs, accessed April 22, 2015, http://www.discogs.com/Quest-Mind-Games/master/40548
[8] “Model 500 – NO U.F.O’s” Discogs, accessed April 22, 2015, http://www.discogs.com/Model-500-No-UFOs/release/1300331
[9] “Farley Funkin Keith – Funkin With the Drums” Discogs, accessed April 18, 2015, http://www.discogs.com/Farley-Funkin-Keith-Funkin-With-The-Drums/master/7206
[10] The Jack Trax were limited release on Gotta Dance and were released on DJ International (D.J. International Records, DJ 895, US 1986)
[11] “Chip E – Jack Trax – Gotta Dance Records, 504072X, US-1985” Discogs, accessed April 22, 2015, http://www.discogs.com/Chip-E-Jack-Trax/release/211421
[12] “J.M. Silk, Music Is the Key, DJ International Records, D.J. 888 US - 1985” Discogs, accessed April 22, 2015, http://www.discogs.com/JM-Silk-Music-Is-The-Key/master/7808
[13] Information about the production of Music is the Key from interviews in the upcoming documentary: “In the Mix: The History of Chicago House Music, 1985-1989)