Frankie Knuckles, nicknamed "The Godfather of House", was an iconic American DJ, producer and remixer best known as a pioneer of house music in the 1980s. He started Dj’ing in New York in the early 70s, primarily playing soul and funk, before concentrating on a more stripped down style of minimalistic disco. Knuckles is credited with creating a new house music style, sampling and cutting classic disco and R&B tracks in order to create a hybrid sound. He is credited with coining the phrase "House Music" in 1984 when describing the sound he was playing at legendary Chicago club, The Warehouse. He went on to remix and/or produce for successful artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Whitney Houston. Knuckles was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and passed away in 2014.