Mr. Fingers

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

Mr. Fingers is the best-known alias of Larry Heard, born in 1960 on the South Side of Chicago. He grew up with jazz and Motown and played several instruments from an early age. At seventeen he was the drummer in the band Infinity, a jazz-fusion cover band. He worked for the American government and used that salary to buy his first studio equipment. As a drummer he felt limited, and so he bought a synthesizer and a drum machine himself.

Music and breakthrough

In 1984 he bought a Roland Juno-60 and a TR-909. Within a few days he had recorded three tracks that became milestones of deep house: Can You Feel It, Mystery of Love and Washing Machine. With the singer Robert Owens and Ron Wilson he formed Fingers Inc., which in 1988 released the double album Another Side, the first full-length album in house. His singles as Mr. Fingers appeared on Trax Records and DJ International, and the compilation Ammnesia (1989) came out without his permission. Only in 1992 did his first official album, Introduction, follow.

Influence

Heard is regarded as a pioneer of deep house, which linked the futuristic outlook of house with the soft sound of disco. His 1986 single Can You Feel It had a great influence on dance music. He also recorded under other names, such as Loosefingers and Fingers Inc., and kept making music well into 2026.

Listening

• 
  Can You Feel It · Mr. Fingers, 1986
  Apple Music ↗

Discography

Studio albums

• 1988Ammnesia
• 1992Introduction
• 1994Back to Love
• 2013Four Most Cuts Presents – Frankie Knuckles Vs. Mr Fingers
• 2018Cerebral Hemispheres
• 2022Around the Sun, Pt. 1
• 2023Around the Sun, Pt.2
• 2026Leev Ur Mynd

See also

• Cerebral Hemispheres