In honor of the 40th anniversary of Chicago house music, Derrick Carter and DJ Heather will headline a free event at Chicago’s Daley Plaza.
Starting at 12pm on May 29 and MC’d by Mother Diva, House Music 40 has teamed with the ARC Music Festival to produce the first of several events the city is hosting to celebrate the anniversary.
The late-May fete is part of House Music 40’s mission to pay homage to Chicago house music and to raise money for DJs, artists, producers, and promoters from the scene with health issues.
In a statement from ARC Music Festival’s cofounder, John Curley “House Music 40 understands that after everything those DJs have given us, it’s important for us as fans to give back.” “It’s impossible to fully thank someone for the gift of house music, but in every action, we take with ARC we aim to keep letting them know that ARC is a living monument dedicated to them and house music everywhere.” (ARC will take place Labor Day weekend in Union Park.)
While one of the scene’s founding fathers, Frankie Knuckles, was playing primordial house at Chicago’s Warehouse club in the late 1970s, this event’s organizers have marked 1984 as year one of the commercial success of several House music singles released four decades ago, including “On and On” by Jesse Saunders and Vince Lawrence, “Jack Trax” by Chip E. and Joe Smooth, and “Your Love” by Jamie Principle and Frankie Knuckles, among others.
The May 29 confab will include a presentation by Cook County Board Commissioner Bill Lowry, who will present the resolution of House Music 40. “As a Southsider who grew up enjoying house music, it is an honor to show tribute to the originators of house and its birthplace — launching a global phenomenon that has contributed to our great city and our county.” “We’re excited to be a part of the kick-off celebrations,” said Lowry.
In 2023, the Windy City recognized the Warehouse as a Chicago landmark. “The Warehouse at 206 South Jefferson is where Black and Brown Chicagoans celebrated life and love and the birth of house music, a genre that has taken over the globe.” “The Warehouse is where Frankie Knuckles, a Grammy winner and proud openly gay Black man, created a safe space for everyone,” said Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa.
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Diego Delso