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Jesse Saunders (born March 10, 1962) is an American
house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground club culture in the late 1970s, as DJs began alt ...
artist, DJ, record producer, film producer, and entrepreneur. His 1984 single, "On & On", co-written with Vince Lawrence, was the first record with a house DJ as the artist that was pressed and sold to the public. Since his emergence as a DJ, Saunders has run several of his own independent labels, and worked extensively in music and film production, as well as artist promotion and management. He is also a long-time member of the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...
.


Early years

Saunders was born and grew up on the south side of Chicago, Illinois in the 1960s and 70s. He attended St. Columbanus for Kindergarten and Reavis Elementary School (until 5th grade) where his mother, Lois M. Saunders, was a teacher. A
Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The u ...
graduate in
Early Childhood Education Early childhood education (ECE), also known as nursery education, is a branch of education theory that relates to the teaching of children (formally and informally) from birth up to the age of eight. Traditionally, this is up to the equival ...
, she was his primary caregiver and a supporter of his sporting and music pursuits. Jesse Saunders then enrolled in Shoesmith Elementary School (about 1 mile from Reavis). At Shoesmith, he was a straight-A student and creatively gifted, and was selected to participate in the gifted program at Ray Elementary School. There, Saunders learned to program and operate computers at the age of 10. He was also selected to perform and tour in the Chicago Children's Choir. Saunders eventually graduated from Charles S. Deneen Public School, then went on to study and graduate at Hyde Park's
Kenwood Academy Kenwood Academy (also known as Kenwood Academy High School and formerly known as Kenwood High School) is a comprehensive public high school and magnet middle school located in the Hyde Park– Kenwood neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Il ...
. There, he played intramural tennis, leading his team to 3 City of Chicago championships and 1 runner-up, earning him the 3 white letters that he wore on his lettermen's jacket. During this time, he was selected by the city of Chicago's "Youth Action" program for training exceptional student athletes into professional athletes. During his high school years at Kenwood Academy (formerly Kenwood High School), where he was an honor student, he was mentored by his older stepbrother, DJ Wayne Williams, in the art of DJing. Bringing Saunders into the fold of his Chosen Few Disco Corp. in 1977, the two went on to produce the Chosen Few House Music Reunion Picnic yearly (since 1991) in Chicago to a crowd of over 30,000. Saunders went on to study Communications and Film at the
University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $ ...
in Los Angeles. Saunders's interest in music began with studying piano at age five, eventually making his way through every instrument available to him. Amongst his early musical influences were
Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...
,
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their eponym ...
,
Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chie ...
, and Earth Wind & Fire.


Career


Chicago house

House music first got its start within the walls of Chicago's
Warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of cities, ...
nightclub, thus attaining its name. As the music moved to the wider community, the sound significantly changed and what developed is
house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground club culture in the late 1970s, as DJs began alt ...
as it eventually came to be known. While one of his biggest influences, and another instrumental figure in the development of house,
Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls, Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), better known as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music in Chicago during the 1 ...
, confined himself to the gay nightclub scene (primarily the Warehouse), Saunders took the unique sounds of the Windy City to the masses. Instead of relying solely on
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric piano ...
and R&B like Knuckles, Saunders expanded his musical repertoire and fused it with the turntable trickery that remains a staple to this day. As a DJ he would accentuate desired moments in songs through loops and repetition, focusing on sections that were stripped down to just the drum or bass – a tradition he would carry on as a producer.


Touring

At the age of sixteen, Saunders was exposed to Chicago's night club scene through the music of
Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls, Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), better known as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music in Chicago during the 1 ...
and others in the scene. In 1982, he opened up his own nightclub, the Playground. Attendance figures soon outnumbered the Warehouse's and Saunders used the opportunity to incorporate his original material into his sets. By 1983 he was producing his own music and in early 1984 he released the first official house music record along with Vince Lawrence, "On & On", on the label they made together, Jes Say Records. Saunders composed the track with Lawrence in order to replace a record which had been stolen from Saunders's collection, the "On & On" bootleg disco megamix by Mach (1980). That megamix, a pastiche of loops from several disco records, particularly the bassline from Player One's "
Space Invaders is a 1978 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed shooter and ...
" (1979) and Lipps Inc's "
Funkytown "Funkytown" is a song by the American disco/funk band Lipps Inc., released in 1980 as the second single from their 1979 debut album, '' Mouth to Mouth''. It was successful globally, reaching top spots in places such as the United States, West ...
" (1980), had been Saunders's "signature" tune as a DJ; it was one that other DJs in the city didn't have or didn't play. Saunders & Lawrence added hypnotic lyrics and electronic instruments, utilizing a
Roland TR-808 The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patte ...
drum machine as electronic
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
as well as a Korg Poly-61
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
and
Roland TB-303 The Roland TB-303 Bass Line (also known as the 303) is a bass synthesizer released by Roland Corporation in 1981. Designed to simulate bass guitars, it was a commercial failure and was discontinued in 1984. However, cheap second-hand units were ...
bass synthesizer. "Funk U Up" (the first house track to ever make it onto the Billboard charts), "Real Love", "Love Can't Turn Around", and "Dum Dum" soon followed. His group, Jesse's Gang was eventually signed to
Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and ...
, releasing the album ''Center of Attraction'' shortly after, with the single off the album, "I'm Back Again" becoming a top ten club hit. By the late 1980s, Saunders decided to focus all his efforts on writing, producing, and remixing instead of DJing. Throughout the 1990s, he made his way back to DJing, touring the world, as well as trying his hand at producing music for television. His independent label, Broken Records, embraced the digital revolution by distributing music solely via the Internet. Since 1991 he has been involved in ''House Music Reunion Picnic'', celebrated every Fourth of July weekend. The event brings together over 100 DJs and attracts upwards of 30,000 people. In 1997 he reunited with the other forefathers of house music to release ''Chicago Reunion Album''. Saunders went on to be featured in a number of books including ''What Kind Of House Party Is This?'' by Jonathan Fleming (MixMag) and his own semi-autobiography ''House Music...The Real Story'', co-written by James Cummins. He has co-starred in documentaries including the Sun Dance award-winning "Modulations", the Channel 4 (London) mini-series "Pump Up The Volume", the BBC audio documentary "The 2nd Summer of Love", the TV1 Unsung: "Frankie Knuckles and The Roots of House", the Channel 4 (London) "I Was There (When House Took Over The World)", the BBC "Can You Feel It", and the award-winning "Put The Needle on the Record". He has been featured in Rolling Stone, MixMag, Urb, and Keyboard. Saunders has lectured at The Red Bull Academy, Oxford University, Boston University, The Winter Music Conference (Miami), Popkom (Germany), The New Music Seminar (New York), and the Amsterdam Dance Event (Holland). In 2004 after touring the world, Saunders revived his Broken Records label. The label releases digital content many major download sites and features artists such as
Inaya Day Inaya Day (born Inaya Davis, January 17, 1977) is an American singer, best known for her vocal work on house music tracks such as " Horny '98" by Mousse T, and her cover version of " Nasty Girl" by Prince protégées Vanity 6. Biography Early ...
, Scott Langley, Sound Syndicate, Igor Garnier, Didier Vanelli, Mia Calderon, Joe Smooth, Marshall Jefferson, and Jesse Saunders himself. In 2009, Saunders released the album ''25th Anniversary of House Music'', which resulted in a worldwide tour featuring Art depicting the culture and pioneers of the genre. The tour hit all over the US and as far as Johannesburg, South Africa. After the 25th anniversary of House Music Tour, Saunders founded the Electronic Music Cafe in Vegas 2010 to display the Art from the Tour. It has turned into a major broadcast network featuring DJs and fine artists interpreting their music. He also founded the Music & Arts Society, a non-profit entity for the advancement and preservation of the DJ culture, with the launch of the word's first DJ Culture exhibit entitled "SPIN – Evolution of the DJ", that same year. Mayor Goodman issued a proclamation during the red carpet ceremony for the highly publicized affair for his outstanding contributions to education and the culture of Las Vegas. In that same year Saunders produced and released the first installment of the Above The Sound Cloud compilation series. He also produced and released the first Chilled & UnBroken compilation series, as well the internationally acclaimed ''DJ Divas'' album.BrokenRecords.us
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Personal life

His maternal grandfather, Robert H. Miller, a funeral business owner and founder of the National Funeral Directors and Mortician's Association, was voted "Mayor" of Bronzeville (then the Black section of Chicago) from 1937 to 1939. He also became heavily involved in the American
civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United ...
, walking with
Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...
in the 1965
Selma to Montgomery marches The Selma to Montgomery marches were three protest marches, held in 1965, along the 54-mile (87 km) highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. The marches were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the de ...
, later erecting a statue in honor of King in
Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. Abou ...
. Miller also promoted the career of gospel singer
Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to ...
and owned and operated the Grand Ballroom, which showcased artists such as
Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...
and
Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and t ...
. Saunders married actress/musician Jazsmin Lewis in 1992. The couple divorced in 1998. He now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.


Selected discography


Releases

* On & On (1984) * Funk U Up (1984) * Undercover (1984) * Fantasy (1984) * Dum Dum (1984) * Real Love (1985) * I Am The DJ (1985) * Dum Dum 2 (1985) * Love Can't Turn Around (1986) * Back Up (1987) * I'm Back Again (1988) #2 Billboard Dance Charts * Sing Sing in the 90's (1990) * House Trax, Vol. 1 (1991) * Light My Fire (1992) * Got Me Runnin (1993) * I Just Want To (1993) * Take Me Higher (1996) * Yeah/Let Me Hear U (1997) * 12 Inches of Love (1998) * Body Music (1999) * Excited (2002) * On & On (20th Anniversary of House-2003) * Everybody (2004) * Feelin Me (2005) * Luv 2 Luv U (2008) * House Muzik Album (2008) * On & On (25th Anniversary Remixes-2009) * What's This FX (2010) * I Hear House Music (2011) * House Music Buffet (2011) * MainLine (2012) * Now That We Found Love (2013) * Sunshine (2016) * Shout (2017) * Kaleidoscope (2018) * On & On (35th Anniversary Remixes) * Higher (2019) #28 Billboard Dance Charts


Remixes

* Showdown – No Sovereign (1987) * It's A Cold, Cold World – lNouveau (1988) * Come Fly With Me – DJ Pierre (1990) * My Girl – Kool Skool (1990) * Vibeology – Paula Abdul (1991) * We Want The Funk – Gerardo (1991) * Set Me Free – Jermaine Stewart (1992) * Where Do We Go – Simple Pleasure (1992) * Double Good Everything – Smokey Robinson (1992) * Damn It Feels Good – Geto Boyz (1992) * What's It Take – Mellow Man Ace (1993) * Stranger – Buzz Session (1994) * Loving Tonight – Honey Vox (1994) * Slide – El Debarge (1995) * Baby Wants To Ride – Frankie Knuckles (1997) * Turn It Out – Rick James (1999) * Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back) (2002) * Step In The Name of Love – R. Kelly (2003) * Love Dealer - Ryan Brahms (2017) * Pounder - VMS (2018)


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Jesse 1962 births Living people African-American musicians Musicians from Chicago American house musicians House musicians 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people