Vince Lawrence (born January 6, 1964,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, United States) is an American dance music record producer, businessman and is one of the leading innovators of the genre of music called house music. Industry insiders recognize Lawrence as co-author of "On and On", the first recording officially designated " house music". He worked with

Jesse Saunders Jesse Saunders (born March 10, 1962) is an American house music 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 ...

in the initial creation of Jes Say Records, designing its logo by hand. He served as head of marketing and was the lyric writer for "Funk U Up" (the first House track to ever make it onto the Billboard charts), "Undercover" by Dr. Derelict, " Real Love", and many other songs released in the label's heyday. He also co-authored "

Love Can't Turn Around "Love Can't Turn Around" is a 1986 Chicago house song by Farley Keith Williams a.k.a. Farley "Jackmaster" Funk and Jesse Saunders featuring vocalist Darryl Pandy. It holds an important place in the history of house music as the first record in th ...

" which featured Daryl Pandy, which reached #10 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1986 and started the House music revolution in the UK. He organized

Trax Records Trax Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It played a major part in the development of house music. History Larry Sherman was originally a collector of vintage jukeboxes, and, frustrated ...

, a

Chicago house Chicago house refers to house music produced during the mid to late 1980s within Chicago. The term is generally used to refer to the first ever house music productions, which were by Chicago-based artists in the 1980s. History and origins Disco ...

label. He is the founder of Slang MusicGroup, which has received numerous gold and platinum awards for their contributions.

Early years

At the time, Vince's father worked with Eddie Thomas of

Curtom Records Curtom Records was a record label started in 1968 by Curtis Mayfield and Impressions manager Eddie Thomas. The label's name was a combination of Mayfield's first name and Thomas' last name. Mayfield had previously made attempts at a record lab ...

. Eddie managed several soul and funk acts, one of which was

Captain Sky Daryl L. Cameron (born July 10, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois), better known as Captain Sky, is an American musician and singer. Captain Sky’s funk-based musical style, futuristic costumes, and psychedelic imagery are similar to those of Geor ...

, who was a Funk artist that played on Soul Train and other shows. One year, Vince got to go on tour with the musicians. He did their pyrotechnician work and watched the guy that played the synthesizers and keyboards. He thought the guy was cool and decided to learn a little bit about his synthesizers and got a job as an usher at Comiskey Park to pay for them. One night he was on duty turned out to be the infamous

Disco Demolition Night Disco Demolition Night was a Major League Baseball (MLB) promotion on Thursday, July 12, 1979, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois, that ended in a riot. At the climax of the event, a crate filled with disco records was blown up on the field ...

. After becoming the victim of a hate crime, Vince settled out of court for $5000 with a view to buying his first synthesizers He saved up enough money to buy a small synthesizer, a

Moog Prodigy The Moog Prodigy was a monophonic analogue synthesizer produced by Moog Music from 1979 to 1984. Of the 11,000 produced, versions released after 1981 included a control voltage/gate input on the back that allowed the VCF to be triggered and cont ...

. Looking up to his mentors, Vince started his own band called Z Factor with Fred Riley – keyboards, Bernadette Rabaya – singer, Carlos Giammarese??? – guitar, Cordell – drums. Vince sang and played keyboards. Their first record was called “(I Like To Do It In) Fast Cars” and came out in 1982 when he was eighteen. Vince's dad put the record on his label, Mitchbal Records. The record was played on WGCI in regular rotation and a few records were sold. At the same time, Vince was also going to a teen club called The Playground, which was the brainchild of a young entrepreneurial man, Craig Thompson. He then met

and

Farley Keith Farley may refer to: People * Farley (name), a list of people with the given name or surname Places Antarctica * Mount Farley * Farley Massif Australia * Farley, New South Wales * Farley railway station England * Farley, Derbyshire * Farl ...

, who were the DJs. They would play old disco records, which they would mix with

The B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

music. Vince got a job there, through Jesse, doing lights. He brought Jesse and Farley his record and they would play it. Vince told them that the stuff they were playing could be put on record and would make them even more popular DJs. By making a record, crowds at the clubs would know who the announced DJ was and would make the crowd attendance bigger. Vince told Jesse that he had a synthesizer and was in a band. They decided to work together to make what became the first house record. They wrote the beginnings of the “On And On” record along with ten or eleven more songs. Then they made “On And On Traxs” and went to Precision Records, a pressing plant, to pay for 500 records. These records would be played in the clubs. In three weeks it became the hottest song in the city. Vince told Jesse that they should sell the records at the concession stand at The Playground. They met the guy that ran the concession stand, Duane Buford, and when it turned out that Duane played piano, they decided to make some music together. It was a pain selling the records at the concession stand so they decided to go to a record store called Imports Etc., where they sold a thousand records for four dollars each. They threw a party at Duane's house and wrote “Night Flight”, “Dum Dum”, “I’m The DJ,” and many other songs that would eventually become popular. Some of them came out of Vince's dad's label, Mitchbal, and the others came out on a label Vince named for Jesse called Jes Say Records. The logo was written in Vince's own handwriting. Vince went back to the Precision Records to get more records from the owner, Larry Sherman, every couple of weeks. The teenage repeat customer made the owner curious, so Larry asked him what he was doing with the records. After Vince told him that he was selling them for four dollars, Larry and Vince made a deal that Larry would press the records for no charge and share the profits. Vince wanted to have a label that would fit what they were doing and came up with the name

. Vince wanted to show people in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

the music that he was doing, because he thought the records would sell in other cities as well. He went to the clubs in

and gave the DJs copies of the records. After creating relationships with the underground record shops, he set his sights on

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He met Bruce Forrest in New York, gave him some records and ended up staying there for three months finding stores and selling records. He called up Duane and Jesse and told them to come to New York. After seeing how much Vince was making selling these records in New York, Larry financed his trips to other states to find all the DJ stores and clubs. Other DJs started teaming up, following what Vince had started. Frankie Knuckles teamed up with

Jamie Principle Jamie Principle (born 5 July 1960) is an American house music artist and producer born in Chicago, Illinois. _Biography_))).html" ;"title="allmusic ((( Jamie Principle > Biography )))">allmusic ((( Jamie Principle > Biography )))/ref> Biography J ...

to make their first record and Steve Hurley teamed up with

Rocky Jones Burnley Allan "Rocky" Jones (August 26, 1941 – July 29, 2013) was an African-Nova Scotian and an internationally known political activist in the areas of human rights, race and poverty. He came to prominence first as a member of the Student ...

to start DJ International. This was happening when Vince met

Marshall Jefferson Marshall Julius Jefferson (born September 19, 1959) is an American musician, working in the house music subgenres of Chicago house and deep house. Biography Sometimes known as the father of house music, Jefferson was originally a record produce ...

in the clubs with his friends, Sleazy-D and

Adonis (artist) Adonis (born Michael A. Smith, current legal name Adonis M. Smith; January 4, 1963) is a pioneering American acid house musician. Adonis is best known for his early Chicago house tracks "No Way Back" and "We're Rockin Down the House". Musical ca ...

. Marshall wanted to get a record out under his nickname, Virgo, so Vince told them to do it under his own label. Vince and Marshall made the EP, “ Virgo Trax”, which still gets played today.

Slang MusicGroup

After exposing some of the dance world's best artists such as

, Byron Styngly,

Farley Jackmaster Funk Farley may refer to: People * Farley (name), a list of people with the given name or surname Places Antarctica * Mount Farley * Farley Massif Australia * Farley, New South Wales * Farley railway station England * Farley, Derbyshire * Farl ...

, Ron Hardy, Screamin’ Rachel, and

, Vince founded Slang MusicGroup. Staying in Chicago, Vince evolved from an artist and producer to the entrepreneur and marketer that he is today. With Slang MusicGroup Vince becomes a sort of “pop culture divining rod,” creating original and remix music for bands, gaming, and TV along with innovative advertising campaigns, working withm brands and their agencies. Multiple producers and artists work for Slang MusicGroup and Vince has received many RIAA Gold and Platinum awards for his work. Vince has worked with top selling acts such as

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...

, Korn,

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

, and Beyoncé. Slang MusicGroup has become a destination for electronic music makers of every genre.

Chicago Fire: A Dance Music Anthology

For the musician and non musician alike, Lawrence wanted to make it as easy as possible for anyone to make good sounding music. He spearheaded the development of the Chicago Fire: A Dance Music Anthology in conjunction with Sony Acid. This anthology covers many types of

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

: electro, deep house, old school, progressive, and drum & bass. Vince was able to create a way for anybody to use loops to create new and improved house music. Vince when interviewed, expressed his hope that the tool set would help foster a new generation of house music makers and fans. He also expressed how he thought this would bring the house music genre out of the underground into the mainstream.

Personal life

Lawrence's father is an independent songwriter and his mother is now a retired assistant buildings manager for the city's two main federal buildings. He attended Lake View High School and later studied marketing at Blackburn College in

Carlinville, Illinois Carlinville is a city and the county seat of Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. It is also the home of Blackburn College, a small college affiliated with the Presbyterian church, and the former home of Prairie Farms Dairy. As of the 2020 ...

. He decided to leave College when he realized he was making more money than most seniors.

Discography

Remixes: Lupe Fiasco- Jump remix-1st &15th/Thirty Tigers
Beyoncé- Ego ---remix

- saveroom ---remix

~ GREEN LIGHT ---remix
Justin Stein ~ LOOSE CONTROL ---remix

Jonathan Davis Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD or JDevil, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of nu metal band Korn, who are considered a pioneering act of the nu ...

~ GOT MONEY ---remix

Omarion Omari Ishmael Grandberry (born November 12, 1984), better known by his stage name Omarion, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actor and dancer. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the boy band B2K. The group achieved success in the e ...

- icebox ---remix

~ TOUCH ---remix

~ I'M TRYNA ---remix

Solange Knowles Solange Piaget Knowles (; born June 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, performance artist, and actress. Expressing an interest in music from an early age, Knowles had several temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, whi ...

- tony ---remix

- sandcastles ---remix
Wyclef Jean- sweetest girl ---remix
Wyclef Jean- touch your button ---remix

Amerie Amerie Mi Marie Nicholson ( Rogers; born January 12, 1980) is an American singer. Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, she gained an appreciation of the classical arts from her mother Mi Suk Rogers and of music from her father Charles Rogers, and ...

~ TOUCH ---remix

Vivian Green Vivian Sakiyyah Green (born May 22, 1979) is an American R&B singer-songwriter and pianist. Early life Green was born May 22, 1979 in the East Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia, and took an interest in singing, playing the piano, and ...

- I Like It (But I Don't Need It) - Columbia ---remix

– Thoia Thoing- Jive ---Club Mix
P1-In My Soul-Novo ---Club Mix
P1-Terranova (Vespa) -Novo ---Club Mix
P1- Heat it Up -Novo ---Club Mix

- One More Chance - Epic ---Club Mix (2)

– Ignition – Jive ---Club Mix (2)

Deborah Cox Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before ...

- Same Script Different Cast – Arista ---Club Mix (3)

Donell Jones Donell Jones (born May 22, 1973) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is most notable for the Hit song, hits "U Know What's Up", "Where I Wanna Be (Donell Jones song), Where I Wanna Be", and his cover version, cover of Ste ...

- Where I Wanna Be – Arista ---Club Mix (2)

- I Wish – Jive ---Club Mix
Absolute - Is It Really Like That – Atlantic ---Club Mix

Lina (American singer) Shelina Wade (born in Denver, Colorado), commonly known as Lina, is an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter. Early life Lina was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in, Texas. Lina’s introduction to music started at the age of four w ...

- No More – Atlantic ---Club Mix
Sisqo - Incomplete - Island/DefJam ---Club Mix
112 - Anywhere - BAD BOY ---Club Mix

Crystal Method The Crystal Method is an American electronic music act formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. They were pioneers of the big beat genre and their music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video gam ...

– Comin’Back – Outpost ---Club Mix

KMFDM KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as "no pity for the majority") is a multinational industrial band from Hamburg led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art project. ...

- Light - WaxTrax/TVT ---Club Mix

Concrete Blonde Concrete Blonde was an American alternative rock band from Hollywood, California. They were initially active from 1982 to 1995, and reunited twice: first from 2001 to 2004, and again from 2010 to 2012. They were best known for their album ''Bloo ...

- Wanna Be Your Friend ---Club Mix
Taffy - I Love My Radio (UK Mix) – Mute ---Club Mix Releases: Cara Snower ~ Criminal ---Prod
JQ ~ Dixie Cups ---Prod
JQ ~ Superfly Guy ---Prod
JQ ~ go down and show ---Prod
Morgan Mallory ~ echoes ---Prod
Morgan Mallory ~ spotlight ---Prod
Morgan Mallory ~ still you love me ---Prod
Morgan Mallory ~ come feel me ---Prod
Jana G ~ sleepin ---Prod
Jana G ~ make me ---Prod
Jana G ~ open up ---Prod
Nikki Lynette ~ BIG ---Prod
Nikki Lynette ~ need a man ---Prod
Savvy and Mandy- dream ---Album Prod
Melody Swink- Today is Someday -Iris ---Album Prod
Ms. Alto- Heat/Taste the Wine-Slang Recordings ---Writer/Prod
Ms. Alto-Sunrise/My First Love-Slang Recordings ---Writer/Prod

Liquid Soul Liquid Soul is a jazz, hip-hop, funk, freestyle fusion ensemble formed in 1993 from Chicago, Illinois which helped pioneer the acid jazz movement in the United States in the 90s. Coined ''"Beyond Acid Jazz"'' by founder Mars Williams who play ...

-Evolution- Shanachie ---Writer/Prod

Yvonne Gage Yvonne Gage (born December 20, 1959) is an American singer from Chicago, Illinois. Active since the late 1970s, she has done background vocals for artists prior to and after her own solo success. As a session musician, she has provided vocals for ...

-Mirror Mirror/So Good- Slang Recordings ---Writer/Prod
Katia-Let Me Be Free- Slang Recordings ---Writer/Prod
Poundseven-Self Titled-Hatelove ---Album Prod
Felix Da Housecatt-I Know ElectricBoy- Emperor Norton ---Writer/Prod

Urban Knights The Urban Knights are an all-star jazz fusion band. They released their self tilted debut in 1995. They have a total of 8 studio albums. Overview The Urban Knight's debut album, ''Urban Knights I'', was released in 1995 by GRP Records. Produced ...

IV- Clubland- Narada ---Writer/Prod
North Avenue - Solutions/Someday - Music101 ---Writer/Prod
MOB - Creepin/Breaks Em Off - PD Waxx ---Engineer
KoS - Take U There - Long Tall Salley ---Writer/Prod
KoS - Summer Nights - Long Tall Salley ---Writer/Prod
Vince Lawrence - The Night is Young - KTM/Tressor ---Writer/Prod
Vince Lawrence - Songs Without a Singer - KTM/Tressor ---Album Prod
Terminal White - The Colorline – White ---Album Prod
Donna Summer – What Is It You Want - Atlantic ---Writer/Prod
Richard Rodgers - Bed of Roses – Sam ---Writer/Prod
Bang Orchestra- Rush- Trax ---Writer/Prod
CCP - A Solution – Mute ---Writer/Prod
The Swans - Girl with a Gun – Mute ---Writer/Prod
Bang Orchestra - Sample That – Geffen ---Writer/Prod
Shay Jones – Time To Party – Trax ---Writer/Prod
Shay Jones – Feeling the Need – Trax ---Writer/Prod
Gwendolyn - Come to Me - Precision / Trax ---Writer/Prod

Cath Carroll Cath Carroll (born 25 August 1960)Larkin, Colin (1997) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music'', Virgin Books, , pp. 96–7 is a British musician and music journalist. Career Carroll was born in Chipping Sodbury, England, but raised in Swa ...

- Too Good To Live ---Writer/Prod
LeNoiz - Wanna Dance – Trax ---Prod
Fresh - Dum Dum – Trax ---Prod

- Love Can't Turn – Trax ---Writer

- Move Your Body – Trax ---Engineer/Prod
Virgo/

- VirgoTrax / Go Wild - Other Side ---Prod/Engineer
Dezz7 / 10City - Funny Love – Trax ---Prod

Darryl Pandy Darryl Pandy (born December 24, 1962, died on June 10, 2011 at age 48Gregory Paratore: "Darryl ...

- Climax – Brightstar ---Prod
Ron Hardy - Sensation – Trax ---Writer/Prod
Grant - Dance – Trax ---Prod
Midnight - In a Heartbeat – Jessay ---Writer
The Homeboys – It's Your Night – Jessay ---Writer
Dr. Derelict - Undercover – Jessay ---Writer
Z Factor – Z Factor – Mitchbal ---Writer/Prod

– On & On ---Writer
Z Factor – Fast Cars ---Writer/Prod

References

External links

*
Vince Lawrence Myspace

Slang MusicGroup Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Vince 1964 births Living people Record producers from Illinois American house musicians