Larry Heard: The Godfather of House Music
Larry Heard is a highly influential house music producer who has been credited with helping to shape the sound of the genre.
Early Life and Career
Larry Heard, also known by his stage name Mr. Fingers, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer from Chicago, Illinois. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of house music and has influenced numerous artists in the genre. Heard first started making music in the early 1980s and released his debut album, My Friend, in 1985.
Born in Chicago in 1958
Larry Heard, better known as Mr. Fingers, is a Chicago house music producer and DJ who is credited with helping to define the genre in the 1980s. He was born in 1958 and grew up on the city’s South Side. As a teenager, he began experimenting with electronic music and soon became involved in the underground club scene. In 1985, he released his debut single, “Mystery of Love,” which became a club hit. He went on to release a number of influential tracks and albums throughout the 1980s and ’90s, including 1991’s Classic cuts “Can You Feel It” and “The Sun Can’t Compare.” In recent years, Heard has continued to DJ and produce new music, collaborating with younger artists and helping to keep the spirit of Chicago house alive.
Grew up listening to soul, R&B, and disco
Larry Heard, aka Mr. Fingers, is a legend of house music. He was born in Chicago in 1960 and grew up listening to soul, R&B, and disco. In the mid-1970s, he began buying records and mixing them together on a reel-to-reel tape deck. He started DJing in high school and college parties. In 1984, he released his first record, “Mystery of Love,” under the name Mr. Fingers. The track was an instant hit in the underground club scene in Chicago and New York.
Began DJing in the early 1980s
Larry Heard began DJing in the early 1980s and released his first record, “Mystery of Love,” in 1985. His 1987 track “Can You Feel It” became a worldwide hit and is considered one of the most important house music tracks of all time. In 1988, Heard founded the record label Trax Records, which released many classic house tracks. Heard has also recorded under the aliases Mr. Fingers and Laid Back.
The Creation of House Music
Larry Heard is a music producer who is credited with helping to create the house music genre. Heard’s style of house music was a departure from the disco sound that was popular in the 1970s. His beats were slower and more hypnotic, and his use of synthesizers helped to create a new sound that would go on to become hugely popular.
One of the pioneers of house music
Larry Heard is one of the pioneers of house music, a genre that emerged in the 1980s. He is often credited with creating the “Chicago sound” of house music. Heard is a self-taught musician and producer who has released records under a number of different aliases, most famously Mr. Fingers. His records have been influential in the development of house and techno music, and he has collaborated with a number of other influential producers and DJs.
Helped to define the genre with his 1986 track “Mystery of Love”
In the mid-’80s, as Frankie Knuckles’ “The Power of Love” and other early classics began to leave their mark on the underground dance music scene in Chicago, a young producer named Larry Heard was helping to define the genre with his own tracks, including “Mystery of Love.”
Heard’s work with Robert Owens as Fingers Inc. produced some of the most influential house music of the ’80s, including the classic album Another Side. But it was his solo work under the alias Mr. Fingers that truly defined his sound and cemented his place in house music history.
Heard’s 1986 track “Mystery of Love” is often cited as one of the earliest and most important tracks in the history of house music. The track’s simple yet effective use of keyboards, drums, and vocals helped to define the sound of house music and set the stage for the genre’s explosion in popularity in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Today, Heard is still active in the house music scene, releasing new tracks and performing live DJ sets around the world. His influence on house music is undeniable, and he is widely respected as one of the godfathers of the genre.
Continued to produce influential house music throughout the 1980s and 1990s
Larry Heard continued to produce influential house music throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In the 1980s, he released a string of 12-inch singles on Trax Records under the name Mr. Fingers, including “Can You Feel It”, “Mystery of Love”, and “Washing Machine”. In 1986, he released his debut album, Finger Licking Good, which was followed by Beneath the Surface in 1988. In 1992, he founded the independent label Alleviated Records, through which he released a number of 12-inch singles and albums.
In 1996, Heard collaborated with Robert Owens to release the album Destination: Out on techno label Peacefrog Records. The album was met with critical acclaim and is considered one of the most important house music albums ever released. In 1999, Heard founded another label, Black Market International, through which he released a number of EPs and compilations.
Heard has also remixes for a number of artists, including Michael Jackson, Depeche Mode, Prince, and Madonna. In recent years, he has begun performing live shows with a band called Fingers Inc., which features vocals by Owens and Jamal Millner.
Later Career and Legacy
Larry Heard began his musical career in the early 1980s. He released his first album in 1985 and his second album in 1986. His third album, titled “A New Day”, was released in 1989. After a four-year hiatus, Heard released his fourth album, “Alone in the Darkness”, in 1993. He has released three more albums since then, the most recent being “The Other Side of Love” in 2016.
Remained active in the house music scene in the 2000s and 2010s
In the 2000s and 2010s, Heard continued to be active in the house music scene, both as a DJ and producer. He toured internationally, appearing at clubs and festivals such as Detroit’s Movement festival, Berlin’s Berlin Atonal festival, London’s Fabric nightclub, and Tokyo’s Yellow club. In 2013, he released an album under the name Mr. Fingers, titled Out There on Funky Planet. The album was well-received by critics and fans alike, with many praising Heard’s continued innovation in the house music genre.
Heard has also been credited with helping to popularize deep house, a subgenre of house music that emphasizes moody melodies and basslines. In recent years, deep house has seen a resurgence in popularity, thanks in part to artists like Jamie xx, Disclosure, and Nicolas Jaar. Heard’s influence on deep house can be heard in many of their tracks; for example, Disclosure’s track “Latch” samples Heard’s track “Can You Feel It?”
Despite his success in the music industry, Heard remains humble and down-to-earth. In an interview with Red Bull Music Academy Radio, he stated that he is “just a guy who makes music in his basement.” He is currently working on new material for Mr. Fingers, and has hinted that he may retire from touring soon so that he can focus on his family and personal life. Nonetheless, Larry Heard will always be remembered as one of the godfathers of house music—an innovator who helped shape the sound of electronic dance music for generations to come.
Considered one of the most important figures in the history of electronic dance music
Larry Heard is considered one of the most important figures in the history of electronic dance music, with a career spanning more than three decades. He is best known for his influential work in the Chicago house scene of the 1980s, and for his hit tracks “Can You Feel It” and “The Sun Can’t Compare”.
Heard continued to produce and release music throughout the 1990s and 2000s, both under his own name and as part of the group Fingers Inc. He also founded the record label Alleviated Records, which released a number of groundbreaking house tracks.
In recent years, Heard has been celebrated for his contributions to the genre, with many citing him as an inspiration for contemporary electronic music producers. His work continues to be celebrated by fans and critics alike, cementing his legacy as one of the most important figures in electronic dance music history.
Inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2015
In 2015, Larry Heard was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential house music producers of all time. In a career spanning more than three decades, Heard has released countless timeless classics under a variety of aliases, including Mr. Fingers, LFO Man, and The Drill. His impact on the dance music landscape is immeasurable, and his influence can be heard in the work of everyone from Daft Punk to Aphex Twin.
