HR0979LRB098 20804 MST 57971 r


  
1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of 
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Frank 
4Warren "Frankie" Knuckles, Jr. of Chicago, who passed away on 
5March 31, 2014; and
  
 
6    WHEREAS, Frankie Knuckles was born in the Bronx in New York 
7City on January 18, 1955 and settled in Chicago in the late 
81970s; and
  
 
9    WHEREAS, Known as  "The Godfather of House Music", Frankie 
10Knuckles played an important role in developing and 
11popularizing house music in Chicago during the 1980s when the 
12genre was in its infancy; and
  
 
13    WHEREAS, Frankie Knuckles began working as a DJ, playing 
14soul, disco, and R&B at The Continental Baths in New York; he 
15started playing at the Warehouse club in Chicago when it opened 
16in 1977; in 1982, he opened his own club in Chicago, The Power 
17Plant; following its closure in 1987, he played in the United 
18Kingdom where Chicago house artists were in high demand; 
19throughout the 1990s and later years, he continued to remix 
20music and record his own albums, "Beyond the Mix" and "A New 
21Reality"; and
  
 
 
 
HR0979- 2 -LRB098 20804 MST 57971 r

1    WHEREAS, Frankie Knuckles won the 1997 Grammy Award for 
2Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical and he  was inducted into the 
3Dance Music Hall of Fame for his achievements as a DJ on 
4September 19, 2005; and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, Spearheaded by then-Illinois State Senator Barack 
6Obama, the City of Chicago declared August 25, 2004 as "Frankie 
7Knuckles Day" and renamed a stretch of street where the old 
8Warehouse once stood as "Frankie Knuckles Way"; therefore, be 
9it
  
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
11NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
12we mourn the passing of Frank Warren "Frankie" Knuckles, Jr., 
13and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and 
14all who knew and loved him; and be it further
  
 
15    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
16presented to the family of Frankie Knuckles as an expression of 
17our deepest sympathy.