Answers
Who Invented House Music?
Short answer: nobody alone. It was built in early-1980s Chicago by a handful of DJs and producers. Here’s who, and how.
01
The name
It started at the Warehouse
The word “house” comes from the Warehouse, a Chicago club where Frankie Knuckles was resident from 1977. Record shops started labelling the records he played “as heard at the Warehouse”, which got shortened to house.
02
The people
Who built it
- Frankie Knuckles: the DJ whose sound gave it a name.
- Ron Hardy: the Music Box resident who broke the rawest records.
- Jesse Saunders: “On and On” (1984), often called the first house record.
- Marshall Jefferson: “Move Your Body” and producer of “Acid Tracks”.
- Larry Heard: the first deep house records as Mr. Fingers.
03
The roots
Before house: disco
House didn’t come from nowhere. It grew out of disco after the late-’70s backlash, from DJs like Knuckles and Larry Levan who kept playing it, re-edited it and layered drum machines underneath.
?
FAQ
Questions people ask
Who is the father of house music?
Frankie Knuckles is usually called the Godfather of House.
What was the first house song?
Jesse Saunders’ “On and On” (1984) is most often named as the first house record on vinyl.
Where was house music invented?
Chicago, in the early 1980s.
Sources: Wikipedia: House music, Wikipedia: The Warehouse. Facts checked October 2026. Spot something wrong? Tell us.