Farley Jackmaster Funk

When a new style of music first cracks the pop charts, the hit is usually a deliberate crossover by an artist having little to do with the music's original pioneers. The first house single to reach the charts, however, was recorded by seminal Chicago DJ and producer, Farley Jackmaster Funk. His cover of Isaac Hayes' "Love Can't Turn Around" made the Top Ten in mid-1986 -- ironically, not in his home country but in the U.K. -- at the same time that he was one of the biggest names in Chicago house. Born in 1962, Farley began DJing while still a teenager. He first made his name in 1981, broadcasting on Chicago's WBMX-FM with Ralphi "the Razz" Rosario, Kenny "Jammin" Jason, Mickey "mixin" Oliver and Scott "Smokin" Seals as the Hot Mix 5 -- the legendary DJ team which broke house music for a wider Chicago audience. Farley also appeared at the legendary Warehouse club (mixing alongside Frankie Knuckles) and then began a residency at the Playground (later the Candy Store) which set in stone his reputation as one of the city's top DJs.

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