Jesse Saunders

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Jesse Saunders is an American house musician, DJ, producer and entrepreneur, born in 1962 and raised on the South Side of Chicago. As a teenager he got to know the city's club scene through Frankie Knuckles. Knuckles played at the Warehouse, where house music originated. In 1982 Saunders opened his own club, the Playground, and added his own material to his disco and R&B sets.

Music and breakthrough

In 1983 he began producing himself. In early 1984, together with Vince Lawrence, he released the single On and On on their own label Jes Say Records. It is regarded as one of the first commercial house singles on vinyl. The track came about as a replacement for a bootleg megamix that had been stolen from his record collection. Saunders and Lawrence used a Roland TR-808 as rhythm machine, a Korg Poly-61 and a Roland TB-303 as bass sound. Funk U Up, the first house track on the Billboard chart, followed, then Real Love, Love Can't Turn Around and Dum Dum. His group Jesse's Gang signed to Geffen and released Center of Attraction, with the club hit I'm Back Again.

Influence

Later he concentrated on writing, producing and remixing. He founded the label Broken Records and since 1991 organised the House Music Reunion Picnic. In 2009 the album 25th Anniversary of House Music appeared, followed by a world tour. His importance lies chiefly in the early vinyl: he was one of the first to put house music on record.

Listening