Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. (January 18, 1955[1][2] – March 31, 2014), known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer.

In the late 1970s, Knuckles moved from New York City to Chicago,[8] where his old friend, Robert Williams, was opening what became the nightclub called Warehouse.

The Warehouse, situated in Chicago's west side industrial zone, emerged as a sanctuary for the city's black and gay community, offering a haven for those seeking freedom and salvation through music.

While the Warehouse initially faced skepticism from the wider Chicago club scene, it eventually gained recognition as adventurous straight audiences began attending.

[citation needed] When his next club the Powerhouse closed in 1987, Knuckles moved to the UK for four months and DJ-ed at DELIRIUM!, a Thursday night party at Heaven, a gay nightclub in London.

In 1982, Knuckles was introduced to then-unknown Jamie Principle by mutual friend Jose "Louie" Gomez, who had recorded the original vocal-dub of "Your Love" to reel-to-reel tape.

Knuckles later went into the studio to re-record the track with Principle, and in 1987 helped put Your Love and Baby Wants to Ride out on vinyl after these tunes had been regulars on his reel-to-reel player at the Warehouse for a year.

[16] Then came more production work, including Jamie Principle's "Baby Wants to Ride", and later "Tears" with Robert Owens (of Fingers Inc.) and (Knuckles' protégé and future Def Mix associate) Satoshi Tomiie.

[17] His debut album Beyond the Mix (1991), released on Virgin Records, contained what would be considered his seminal work, "The Whistle Song",[18] which was the first of four number ones on the US dance chart.

[21] He continued to work as a remixer through the 1990s and into the next decade, reworking tracks from Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Eternal and Toni Braxton.

Also, the same month, as a tribute to Knuckles, a version of his song "Baby Wants to Ride" was released by Underworld and Heller and Farley to mark the year anniversary of his death.

Frankie Knuckles established a signature performance style characterized by consistently wearing a simple black t-shirt during his DJ sets starting in the 1980s.

[citation needed] Frankie Knuckles famously referred to house music as "disco's revenge" – a phrase that has been lauded by artists and DJs since his passing.

[32] Frankie Knuckles's role in the creation of Chicago house music was discussed in Episode 3 of the 2024 PBS series Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution.