Nile Rodgers
Encyclopedia
Nile Gregory Rodgers is an American
musician, producer, composer
, arranger
, and guitarist
.
band in his teens, and then working in the house band
at Harlem's world famous Apollo Theater
, playing behind Screaming Jay Hawkins, Maxine Brown
, Aretha Franklin
, Ben E. King
, Betty Wright
, Earl Lewis and the Channels, Parliament Funkadelic, and many other legendary R&B artists.
Bernard Edwards
in 1970. Together they formed The Big Apple Band that backed R&B act New York City
("I’m Doing Fine Now"). The band’s one hit allowed them to tour extensively, even opening for The Jackson 5
on the American leg of their first world tour in 1973. The band dissolved after their second album failed to yield a hit, but Nile and Bernard joined forces with drummer Tony Thompson
, and worked and recorded as a Funk Rock band called The Boys, which played numerous gigs up and down the East Coast. Despite major label interest in their demos, they could not get a record deal when the record companies discovered they were black; the excuse was that black rock artists would be too hard to promote. The band continued playing mostly local bars.
, Luther Vandross
and many others. Since another New York artist, Walter Murphy
, had a band also called The Big Apple Band
, Rodgers and Edwards were forced to change their band’s name to avoid confusion. Thus, in 1977 the band was renamed as Chic
. Rodgers has stated that a major inspiration was a Roxy Music gig he saw in London: "It was a totally immersive artistic experience - the crowd were fly, the band were fly, the music was textual, they were saying 'come into my world'." So Rodgers was inspired to try and create the black version of Roxy Music - and that was Chic.
Between gigs they recorded their first album with then-boss Luther Vandross
, who provided background vocals on the group’s early recordings. The band scored numerous top ten hits and helped propel disco
to new levels of popularity. Chic’s chart-topping songs "Le Freak
", "I Want Your Love", "Everybody Dance
", "Dance, Dance, Dance
", "My Forbidden Lover
", and "Good Times" have become club/pop/R&B standards. "Le Freak" is Atlantic Records
’ only triple platinum selling single and "Good Times" shot to the #1 spot in spite of the "Disco Sucks
" backlash in 1979.
The success of Chic's first singles led Atlantic to offer Rodgers and Edwards the opportunity to produce any act on its roster. They chose Sister Sledge
, whose 1978 album, We Are Family, peaked at #3 and remained on the charts well into 1979. The first two singles, "He's the Greatest Dancer
" and the title cut "We Are Family
" both reached #1 on the R&B chart, and #6 and #2, respectively on the Pop chart. "He’s the Greatest Dancer" was sampled in 1998 to create Will Smith
’s "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It
".
As the Chic Organization’s tight sound became increasingly sought-after, Rodgers and Edwards began record production with numerous artists, together or individually.
for Diana Ross
, yielding the smash hits "Upside Down
" and "I'm Coming Out
". Chic’s song "Good Times" played a pivotal role in the explosion of hip hop music
, as an interpolation of the song's bass-line and the record’s string-section sample, was the bedrock of The Sugarhill Gang
's "Rapper's Delight
" – the first multiple-platinum Hip Hop single. The Chic Organization produced the smash hit "Spacer" for French disco act Sheila and B. Devotion
and Deborah Harry
’s 1981 solo album Koo Koo
.
Chic dissolved in 1983 after its final contractual Atlantic album, Believer and Soup For One
(a film soundtrack). At that time Rodgers began a solo career producing his first album Adventures in the Land of the Good Groove.
Rodgers produced the 1983 album Talkback
, by Canadian New Wave/New Romantic band Spoons
, which included the hits "Old Emotions" and "The Rhythm".
Rodgers produced David Bowie
's biggest selling album Let's Dance with several hit singles including "China Girl
", "Modern Love
" and the title track, "Let’s Dance
". He produced the single "Original Sin
" by INXS
. Duran Duran
worked extensively with Rodgers after he co-produced their largest selling hit single, "The Reflex
" in 1983 and followed up with "The Wild Boys
" on their 1984 live album Arena.
That same year he produced Madonna
's blockbuster album Like a Virgin
, spawning her two signature hits "Material Girl
" and the album's title track, "Like a Virgin
". He also joined Robert Plant
’s platinum selling studio band The Honeydrippers
, on the album The Honeydrippers: Volume One
. This period sparked Rodgers’ interest in soundtracks, the first of which were Alphabet City
, Gremlins
("Out Out" - Peter Gabriel
) Against All Odds ("Walk Through the Fire
" - Peter Gabriel), That's Dancing ("Invitation to Dance" - Kim Carnes
), White Nights (numerous songs) and The Fly
("Help Me
" - Bryan Ferry
).
In 1985 Rodgers produced albums for Sheena Easton
, Jeff Beck
, The Thompson Twins, Mick Jagger
, and many others, while still finding time to perform at Live Aid
. He was awarded #1 Singles Producer In the World in Billboard
magazine to close out the year.
In 1986, he produced Duran Duran
's Notorious album, which yielded a #2 title track hit, "Notorious
". During a live set, Simon Le Bon
introduced Rodgers by saying, "Well, this band went through a difficult time and it might not have made it if it weren't for this gentleman." Rodgers contributed to numerous other projects and appearances with members of the band throughout the 1980s. He also produced albums for Grace Jones
, Earth Wind and Fire’s vocalist Phillip Bailey, and Al Jarreau
. Rodgers performed on "Higher Love
" with Steve Winwood
, and records for Cyndi Lauper
, Howard Jones
, and David Sanborn
. He then worked with Peter Gabriel
on yet another soundtrack project, Laurie Anderson
’s Home of the Brave
.
Rodgers formed the short-lived experimental band Outloud in 1987, with David Letterman
’s guitarist, composer and vocalist, Felicia Collins
, and acclaimed French session musician, producer, composer and keyboardist, Philippe Saisse
; they released a single album, Outloud, on Warner Brothers.
In 1988 Rodgers composed his first orchestral soundtrack for the film Coming to America
(the second highest grossing film of the year) starring Eddie Murphy
. Rodgers followed this with soundtracks for White Hot (the world’s first Hi-Def feature motion picture), and Earth Girls Are Easy
. The latter would pair him with The B-52’s. In 1989 he co-produced their comeback multi-platinum album Cosmic Thing
, which had the hit singles "Love Shack
", "Roam
", "Cosmic Thing
" and "Deadbeat Club
". That year he also produced Workin' Overtime
, Diana Ross
’ return to Motown, a deal that scored her an executive position at the label, along with releases by the Dan Reed Network
, Slam, and Duran Duran
’s compilation, Decade
, which was appropriately titled. It was the most successful decade for Rodgers and also for many of the artists he worked with.
. Early in this decade he also produced projects for David Bowie
, Eric Clapton
, The B-52s, David Lee Roth
, Ric Ocasek
, The Dan Reed Network
, Cathy Dennis
, Patty Griffin
, Jimmy Vaughan, The Stray Cats and many other artists, along with continuing soundtrack work on Thelma and Louise
, Cool World
and The Beavis and Butt-head Experience
(co-writer of “Come to Butt-head”). After a 1992 birthday party where Rodgers, Bernard Edwards
, Paul Shaffer
and Anton Fig
played old Chic hits to rapturous response. Rodgers and Edwards reformed a new version of Chic. They recorded a fresh crop of material for the album Chic-Ism
and performed live worldwide.
In 1996, Rodgers was honored as the JT Super Producer of the year. He performed with Edwards, Sister Sledge
, Steve Winwood
, Simon Le Bon
and Slash
in a series of commemorative concerts in Japan, which provided a career retrospective. Unfortunately, his longtime musical partner and close friend Bernard Edwards
died of pneumonia during the trip, a blow that Rodgers took very hard. A year later Rodgers returned to Japan to pay homage to his fallen partner.
He started playing live concerts again while composing and producing music for film soundtracks: Beverly Hills Cop 3, Blue Chips
, The Flintstones
and Feeling Minnesota
(working with Bob Dylan
) to name but a few.
In 1998, Rodgers founded Sumthing Else Music Works
record label and Sumthing Distribution
, an independent music label distributor. Sumthing focuses on distributing a fast-growing new genre: video game soundtracks. Its titles include the complete Halo
and Resident Evil franchises and other well-known Triple-A game soundtracks like Gears of War
and Borderlands
.
, Snow Dogs
and Semi-Pro
starring Will Ferrell
, who co-wrote the title song “Love Me Sexy” with Rodgers. In 2002-2003 he co-produced Astronaut, with the original five members of Duran Duran
.
Also in 2002, Rodgers appeared on the Red Hot Organization
's compilation CD, Red Hot and Riot. The CD, a tribute to the music and positive social message of afropop pioneer, Fela Kuti
, featured Rodgers on remakes of Kuti songs, "Water No Get Enemy" and "Zombie (Part Two)." He appeared on "Water No Get Enemy" alongside influential hip hop and R&B artists, D'Angelo
, Macy Gray
, and The Soultronics
and on "Zombie (Part Two)" with famous jazz trumpeteer, Roy Hargrove
. All proceeds of the CD were donated to charities working towards greater AIDS awareness.
The September 11th tragedies prompted Rodgers to create the We Are Family Foundation
(WAFF) to help promote the healing process. To begin, he organized a re-recording of the song he and Edwards wrote for Sister Sledge
called "We Are Family
" with more than 200 musicians, celebrities, and personalities. Director Spike Lee
filmed the "We Are Family" music video and director Danny Schechter
filmed a documentary depicting the recording sessions called The Making and Meaning of We Are Family. The film was chosen as a Sundance Film Festival
Special Selection in 2002. Rodgers then produced another "We Are Family" music video involving more than 100 beloved children's television characters. The children's music video airs as a public service announcement on Disney Channel
, Nickelodeon
, and PBS stations promoting a common humanity and celebrating the vision of a global family.
Rodgers received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) NY Chapter's Governor's Lifetime Achievement Award and the Heroes Award. On September 19, 2005, he was honored at the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York when he was inducted for his many outstanding achievements as a producer, along with former bandmate Bernard Edwards.
Chic has been nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame four times - 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Rodgers served as co-musical director for the tribute concert to Ahmet Ertegün
at the Montreux Jazz Festival
in the summer of 2006. The concert included performances by Chic, Robert Plant
, Steve Winwood
, Stevie Nicks
, Kid Rock
, Ben E. King
, Chaka Khan
, George Duke
(co-music director), Paolo Nutini
and many other artists who were signed to Ertegün's Atlantic Records. A PBS documentary, Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built, uses footage from this show, as it was one of the last times Ertegün would be captured on video.
He continues to tour and produce live events since the reunion of The Chic Organization.
In October 2011, Rodgers worked with singer Adam Lambert
in New York on material for Lambert's sophomore album. Both Rodgers and Lambert tweeted enthusiastically about the collaboration, and Rodgers also mentioned it on his blog Plante C.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician, producer, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
.
Biography
Rodgers began his career as a session guitarist in New York, touring with the Sesame StreetSesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
band in his teens, and then working in the house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
at Harlem's world famous Apollo Theater
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...
, playing behind Screaming Jay Hawkins, Maxine Brown
Maxine Brown (soul singer)
Maxine Ella Brown is an American soul and R&B singer.-Background and career:Maxine Brown began singing as a child, performing with two New York based gospel groups called the Angelairs and the Royaltones when she was a teenager...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Ben E. King
Ben E. King
Benjamin Earl King , better known as Ben E. King, is an American soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me", a U.S...
, Betty Wright
Betty Wright
Bessie Regina Norris, better known by her stage name, Betty Wright , is a Grammy winning Miami-based soul and R&B singer-songwriter, who won fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight Is the Night"...
, Earl Lewis and the Channels, Parliament Funkadelic, and many other legendary R&B artists.
1970s
Nile met bassistBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
in 1970. Together they formed The Big Apple Band that backed R&B act New York City
New York City (band)
New York City was an American R&B vocal group. They formed in 1972 under the name "Tri-Boro Exchange", and all of the group's members had had significant experience singing in other vocal and doo-wop ensembles.-Career:...
("I’m Doing Fine Now"). The band’s one hit allowed them to tour extensively, even opening for The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
on the American leg of their first world tour in 1973. The band dissolved after their second album failed to yield a hit, but Nile and Bernard joined forces with drummer Tony Thompson
Tony Thompson
Anthony T. "Tony" Thompson was a session drummer best known as a member of Chic. He was raised in the middle-class community of Springfield Gardens, in Queens, NY.-Chic:...
, and worked and recorded as a Funk Rock band called The Boys, which played numerous gigs up and down the East Coast. Despite major label interest in their demos, they could not get a record deal when the record companies discovered they were black; the excuse was that black rock artists would be too hard to promote. The band continued playing mostly local bars.
Formation of Chic
As The Big Apple Band, Rodgers and Edwards worked with Ashford & SimpsonAshford & Simpson
Nickolas Ashford , and Valerie Simpson , were a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists....
, Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
and many others. Since another New York artist, Walter Murphy
Walter Murphy
Walter Anthony Murphy, Jr. is an American instrumentalist, songwriter, and arranger. He rose to fame with the hit instrumental "A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of passages from the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, in 1976, when disco was at the height of its...
, had a band also called The Big Apple Band
Walter Murphy
Walter Anthony Murphy, Jr. is an American instrumentalist, songwriter, and arranger. He rose to fame with the hit instrumental "A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of passages from the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, in 1976, when disco was at the height of its...
, Rodgers and Edwards were forced to change their band’s name to avoid confusion. Thus, in 1977 the band was renamed as Chic
Chic (band)
Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
. Rodgers has stated that a major inspiration was a Roxy Music gig he saw in London: "It was a totally immersive artistic experience - the crowd were fly, the band were fly, the music was textual, they were saying 'come into my world'." So Rodgers was inspired to try and create the black version of Roxy Music - and that was Chic.
Between gigs they recorded their first album with then-boss Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
, who provided background vocals on the group’s early recordings. The band scored numerous top ten hits and helped propel disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
to new levels of popularity. Chic’s chart-topping songs "Le Freak
Le Freak
"Le Freak" is a successful 1978 disco song by the disco band Chic. It was the band's third single album and first Billboard Hot 100 and soul music number-one song. Along with the tracks, "I Want Your Love" and "Chic Cheer", "Le Freak" scored number one on the disco charts for seven weeks...
", "I Want Your Love", "Everybody Dance
Everybody Dance (song)
"Everybody Dance" is the second single from the first album Chic by the Chic. It features Norma Jean Wright on lead vocals. Luther Vandross appears on background vocals...
", "Dance, Dance, Dance
Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)
"Dance, Dance, Dance " is a 1977 disco song recorded by Chic. It was the group's first hit, reaching #6 on both the pop and R&B charts and reached #1 on the dance play charts. Luther Vandross provided backup vocals...
", "My Forbidden Lover
My Forbidden Lover
"My Forbidden Lover" is the second single from the band Chic's 1979 album Risqué. The song was written and produced by Chic's two frontmen, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers....
", and "Good Times" have become club/pop/R&B standards. "Le Freak" is Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
’ only triple platinum selling single and "Good Times" shot to the #1 spot in spite of the "Disco Sucks
Disco Demolition Night
Disco Demolition Night was a promotional event that took place on Thursday, July 12, 1979, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois, during which a crate filled with disco records was blown up on the field. It was held during the twi-night doubleheader baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and...
" backlash in 1979.
The success of Chic's first singles led Atlantic to offer Rodgers and Edwards the opportunity to produce any act on its roster. They chose Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge Debbie Sledge , Joni Sledge , and Kathy Sledge . They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs...
, whose 1978 album, We Are Family, peaked at #3 and remained on the charts well into 1979. The first two singles, "He's the Greatest Dancer
He's the Greatest Dancer
"He's the Greatest Dancer" is a disco song written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers and recorded by Sister Sledge for their 1979 breakout album We Are Family ....
" and the title cut "We Are Family
We Are Family (song)
"We Are Family" is a 1979 dance hit song by Sister Sledge, composed by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. Rodgers and Edwards offered the song to Atlantic Records; although the record label initially declined, the track was released as a single from the album of the same name and quickly began to...
" both reached #1 on the R&B chart, and #6 and #2, respectively on the Pop chart. "He’s the Greatest Dancer" was sampled in 1998 to create Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
’s "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It
Gettin' Jiggy Wit It
"Gettin' Jiggy wit It" is a single by Will Smith from his album Big Willie Style. Released in early 1998 and co-written by Nas, it was Smith's first hit produced by Poke & Tone, who replaced his long-time partner Jazzy Jeff, though the record-scratching techniques of Jazzy Jeff can be heard in the...
".
As the Chic Organization’s tight sound became increasingly sought-after, Rodgers and Edwards began record production with numerous artists, together or individually.
1980s
The 80s were unquestionably Rodgers and Edwards’ most successful decade commercially. In 1980 they wrote and produced the album DianaDiana (album)
diana is a 1980 album by American R&B and soul singer Diana Ross, released by Motown. Her 11th studio album, it was, and still is, the biggest-selling studio collection of Ross' career.-Conception:...
for Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, yielding the smash hits "Upside Down
Upside Down
"Upside Down" is a hit song by Diana Ross released on the Motown label. It was the first single taken from her 1980 album diana and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 6, 1980. It also hit number one on the Billboard Disco/Dance and R&B charts...
" and "I'm Coming Out
I'm Coming Out
"I'm Coming Out" is a hit single released by Motown singer Diana Ross in 1980, written and produced by Chic members Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers for her album diana .-Background:...
". Chic’s song "Good Times" played a pivotal role in the explosion of hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, as an interpolation of the song's bass-line and the record’s string-section sample, was the bedrock of The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang
The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group, known mostly for their 1979 hit, "Rapper's Delight", the first hip hop single to become a Top 40 hit. The song uses the instrumental track from the classic hit "Good Times" by Chic as its foundation....
's "Rapper's Delight
Rapper's Delight
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 single by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, a...
" – the first multiple-platinum Hip Hop single. The Chic Organization produced the smash hit "Spacer" for French disco act Sheila and B. Devotion
Sheila (and) B. Devotion
Sheila & B. Devotion was a disco group fronted by French singer Sheila between 1977 and 1980. This formation briefly reached popularity in Europe and to a lesser extent in the US club circuit during the disco era...
and Deborah Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
’s 1981 solo album Koo Koo
Koo Koo
KooKoo is the debut solo album by the American singer Debbie Harry, released in 1981.-Album information:KooKoo was made while Harry and boyfriend Chris Stein were taking a year long break from the band Blondie...
.
Chic dissolved in 1983 after its final contractual Atlantic album, Believer and Soup For One
Soup for One (soundtrack)
Soup For One is a soundtrack album to the movie Soup For One by American R&B band Chic et al., released on the label WEA in 1982, the first Chic album not to be issued on Atlantic Records...
(a film soundtrack). At that time Rodgers began a solo career producing his first album Adventures in the Land of the Good Groove.
Rodgers produced the 1983 album Talkback
Talkback (Spoons album)
Talkback was the third album by the Burlington, Ontario-based band Spoons.The tracks that got airplay in Canada were "Old Emotions","The Rhythm" and "Talk Back". A video was also produced for "Old Emotions", directed by Rob Quartly...
, by Canadian New Wave/New Romantic band Spoons
Spoons (band)
Spoons are a Canadian New Wave new romantic synth pop music group, formed in 1979 in Burlington, Ontario. They recorded several Canadian chart hits between 1982 and 1989, and in 1983, they won Group of the Year at the U-Know awards...
, which included the hits "Old Emotions" and "The Rhythm".
Rodgers produced David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's biggest selling album Let's Dance with several hit singles including "China Girl
China Girl (song)
"China Girl" is a song co-written by David Bowie and Iggy Pop during their years in Berlin, first appearing on Pop's album The Idiot...
", "Modern Love
Modern Love (song)
"Modern Love" is a song written and recorded by David Bowie, and the first track on his album Let's Dance. It was issued as the third single from the album in 1983....
" and the title track, "Let’s Dance
Let's Dance (David Bowie song)
"Let's Dance" is the title album track on David Bowie's album Let's Dance. It was also released as the first single from that album in 1983, and went on to become one of his biggest-selling tracks....
". He produced the single "Original Sin
Original Sin (INXS song)
"Original Sin" is a hit single by Australian rock group INXS released in 1984 on their fourth album The Swing. It was written by Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farriss, and produced by Nile Rodgers....
" by INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
. Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
worked extensively with Rodgers after he co-produced their largest selling hit single, "The Reflex
The Reflex
"The Reflex" is the eleventh single by Duran Duran, released worldwide on 16 April 1984.The song was heavily remixed for single release and was the third and last to be taken from their third album Seven and the Ragged Tiger.-Song history:...
" in 1983 and followed up with "The Wild Boys
The Wild Boys (song)
"The Wild Boys" is the twelfth single by Duran Duran, released in October 1984.The song was the only studio track on the live album Arena, and was produced by Nile Rodgers, who had previously remixed the single "The Reflex"...
" on their 1984 live album Arena.
That same year he produced Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's blockbuster album Like a Virgin
Like a Virgin
Like a Virgin is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released on November 12, 1984 by Sire Records. It was re-released worldwide in 1985, with the inclusion of the bonus track "Into the Groove". In 2001, Warner Bros. Records released a remastered version with two bonus...
, spawning her two signature hits "Material Girl
Material Girl
"Material Girl" is a song performed by American singer-songwriter Madonna. It was released on January 30, 1985, by Sire Records, as the second single from her second album Like a Virgin. It also appears slightly remixed on the 1990 greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection, and in its...
" and the album's title track, "Like a Virgin
Like a Virgin (song)
"Like a Virgin" is a song by American singer Madonna from her second album of the same name. It was released on November 6, 1984 by Sire Records, as the first single from the album. The song appears on the greatest hits compilation albums The Immaculate Collection and Celebration...
". He also joined Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
’s platinum selling studio band The Honeydrippers
The Honeydrippers
The Honeydrippers was a rock band of the 1980s. Former Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant formed the group in 1981 to satisfy his long-time goal in having a rock band with a heavy R&B basis. Formed originally in Worcestershire, the band went on to record an EP in the US...
, on the album The Honeydrippers: Volume One
The Honeydrippers: Volume One
The Honeydrippers: Volume One is an EP released on 24 September 1984, by a band led by rock singer Robert Plant. The project originated when Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegün wanted to record an album of his favourite songs from the 1950s. Plant was chosen because Ertegün had seen his...
. This period sparked Rodgers’ interest in soundtracks, the first of which were Alphabet City
Alphabet City (film)
Alphabet City is a 1984 crime drama film directed by Amos Poe. The story follows a young gangster of Italian descent named Johnny, who has been given control over his own neighborhood by the Mob. Then unknown actors Vincent Spano , Jami Gertz, and Michael Winslow give compelling performances in...
, Gremlins
Gremlins
Gremlins is a 1984 American horror comedy film directed by Joe Dante, released by Warner Bros. The film is about a young man who receives a strange creature—called a Mogwai—as a pet, which then spawns other creatures who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters. It was followed by a sequel,...
("Out Out" - Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
) Against All Odds ("Walk Through the Fire
Against All Odds (soundtrack)
Against All Odds: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the 1984 film Against All Odds. The album includes the original score by Larry Carlton, as well as several tracks by artists popular at the time of the film's release...
" - Peter Gabriel), That's Dancing ("Invitation to Dance" - Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes is an American singer-songwriter. She is a two-time Grammy Award winner noted for her distinctive raspy vocal style. Some people have called her "The Female Rod Stewart" due to her raspy voice....
), White Nights (numerous songs) and The Fly
The Fly (1986 film)
The Fly is a 1986 science fiction horror film co-written and directed by David Cronenberg. Produced by 20th Century Fox, and Brooksfilms, the film stars Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz. It is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name, but retains only the basic premise of a scientist...
("Help Me
Help Me (song)
"Help Me" is a blues standard first recorded by Sonny Boy Williamson II in 1963. The song, a mid-tempo twelve-bar blues, is credited to Williamson, Willie Dixon, and Ralph Bass and is based on the 1962 instrumental hit "Green Onions" by Booker T. and the MGs. "Help Me" became a hit in 1963 and...
" - Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
).
In 1985 Rodgers produced albums for Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
, Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
, The Thompson Twins, Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, and many others, while still finding time to perform at Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
. He was awarded #1 Singles Producer In the World in Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine to close out the year.
In 1986, he produced Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
's Notorious album, which yielded a #2 title track hit, "Notorious
Notorious (song)
"Notorious" is the 14th single by Duran Duran. It was released internationally by EMI on 20 October 1986. "Notorious" was the first single issued from the album Notorious, and the first released by Duran Duran as a 3-piece band after the departure of Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor...
". During a live set, Simon Le Bon
Simon Le Bon
Simon John Charles Le Bon is an English musician, best known as the lead singer, lyricist and musician of the band Duran Duran and its offshoot, Arcadia.-Early life:...
introduced Rodgers by saying, "Well, this band went through a difficult time and it might not have made it if it weren't for this gentleman." Rodgers contributed to numerous other projects and appearances with members of the band throughout the 1980s. He also produced albums for Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
, Earth Wind and Fire’s vocalist Phillip Bailey, and Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau
Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
. Rodgers performed on "Higher Love
Higher Love
"Higher Love" is a 1986 number-one hit song by Steve Winwood. It was the first single released from his fourth solo LP, Back in the High Life. It was written by Winwood and Will Jennings, and produced by Russ Titelman and Winwood...
" with Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, and records for Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, Howard Jones
Howard Jones (musician)
Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
, and David Sanborn
David Sanborn
David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
. He then worked with Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
on yet another soundtrack project, Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson
Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
’s Home of the Brave
Home of the Brave (1986 film)
Home of the Brave is a 1986 American concert film featuring the music of Laurie Anderson, who also directed the movie. The film's full on-screen title is Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson. The performances were filmed at the Park Theater in Union City, NJ during the summer of 1985.The...
.
Rodgers formed the short-lived experimental band Outloud in 1987, with David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
’s guitarist, composer and vocalist, Felicia Collins
Felicia Collins
Felicia Collins is an American vocalist, guitarist and occasional percussionist, best known for her work on the CBS television program The Late Show with David Letterman, as part of the CBS Orchestra.She was born in New York City and grew up in Albany, New York.-Beginnings in music:While enrolled...
, and acclaimed French session musician, producer, composer and keyboardist, Philippe Saisse
Philippe Saisse
Philippe Saisse is a French Grammy Award-nominated Smooth Jazz and New Age music keyboardist, producer and arranger.He was born in Marseille and raised in Paris. After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris he won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. He became the protege of Gary Burton...
; they released a single album, Outloud, on Warner Brothers.
In 1988 Rodgers composed his first orchestral soundtrack for the film Coming to America
Coming to America
Coming to America is a 1988 comedy film directed by John Landis. The screenplay was written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, from a story by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the film. Murphy plays an African prince, who heads to the United States in hopes of finding a woman he can marry...
(the second highest grossing film of the year) starring Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
. Rodgers followed this with soundtracks for White Hot (the world’s first Hi-Def feature motion picture), and Earth Girls Are Easy
Earth Girls Are Easy
Earth Girls Are Easy is a 1988 American musical comedy film directed by Julien Temple. It stars Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Michael McKean, Julie Brown, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans. The film is marketed with the tagline "An out-of-this-world, down-to-earth comedy adventure"...
. The latter would pair him with The B-52’s. In 1989 he co-produced their comeback multi-platinum album Cosmic Thing
Cosmic Thing
Cosmic Thing is the fifth studio album by New Wave band The B-52's, released in 1989. It contains the singles "Love Shack" and "Roam", which remain two of their most popular tunes...
, which had the hit singles "Love Shack
Love Shack
"Love Shack" is a single by rock band The B-52's. Originally released in 1989 from their album Cosmic Thing, the single was the band's biggest hit song and first million-copy seller...
", "Roam
Roam
"Roam" was the fourth single from The B-52's' 1989 hit album Cosmic Thing, following " Cosmic Thing," "Channel Z," and "Love Shack." Roam was a number-three hit on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in January 1990. The vocals are sung by Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson.The Discovery Channel used...
", "Cosmic Thing
(Shake That) Cosmic Thing
" Cosmic Thing" is a song by The B-52's released as a single on the soundtrack to the film Earth Girls Are Easy...
" and "Deadbeat Club
Deadbeat Club
"Deadbeat Club" was the fifth and last single released from The B-52's' album Cosmic Thing. It peaked at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990. Based on chart performance, "Deadbeat Club" falls behind only the singles, "Love Shack", "Roam" and "Good Stuff" as their biggest hit. The song is about the...
". That year he also produced Workin' Overtime
Workin' Overtime
Workin' Overtime is a 1989 album released by American singer Diana Ross, released on the Motown label. It was Ross' first Motown album since 1980's diana after Ross left the label for a then record breaking $20 million deal with RCA. Upon Ross' return to the label, Motown founder Berry Gordy, Jr...
, Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
’ return to Motown, a deal that scored her an executive position at the label, along with releases by the Dan Reed Network
Dan Reed Network
The Dan Reed Network is a funk rock band formed by Dan Reed in Portland, Oregon, United States, in 1984. Dan Reed lended his vocals to a 1990 rap rock collaboration with the Portland Trail Blazers, "Bust a Bucket".-Breathless beginnings:...
, Slam, and Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
’s compilation, Decade
Decade: Greatest Hits
Decade – Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by Duran Duran, released on November 15, 1989 .The remix single "Burning the Ground" was released to radio to promote this album; it was created by producer John Jones mixing snippets of the band's biggest hits from the previous decade into a new...
, which was appropriately titled. It was the most successful decade for Rodgers and also for many of the artists he worked with.
1990s
In September 1990, Epic Records released the Rodgers produced Vaughan Brothers album, Family Style, shortly after the untimely death of guitar virtuoso Stevie Ray VaughanStevie Ray Vaughan
Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...
. Early in this decade he also produced projects for David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, The B-52s, David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Roth was ranked nineteenth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time....
, Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
, The Dan Reed Network
Dan Reed Network
The Dan Reed Network is a funk rock band formed by Dan Reed in Portland, Oregon, United States, in 1984. Dan Reed lended his vocals to a 1990 rap rock collaboration with the Portland Trail Blazers, "Bust a Bucket".-Breathless beginnings:...
, Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis
Cathy Dennis is a British dance-oriented pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress...
, Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964, is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with...
, Jimmy Vaughan, The Stray Cats and many other artists, along with continuing soundtrack work on Thelma and Louise
Thelma and Louise
Thelma & Louise is a 1991 film co-produced and directed by Ridley Scott and written by Callie Khouri, the film's plot revolves around Thelma and Louise's escape from their troubled and caged lives. It stars Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise, and co-stars Harvey Keitel as a...
, Cool World
Cool World
Cool World is a 1992 American live-action/animated film directed by Ralph Bakshi, and starring Kim Basinger, Gabriel Byrne, and Brad Pitt. It tells the story of a cartoonist who finds himself in the animated world he created, and is seduced by one of his characters, a comic strip vamp who wants to...
and The Beavis and Butt-head Experience
The Beavis and Butt-head Experience
The Beavis and Butt-head Experience is a compilation album, released in 1993 by Geffen Records. The name is a reference to Jimi Hendrix's original band, The Jimi Hendrix Experience.-Overview:...
(co-writer of “Come to Butt-head”). After a 1992 birthday party where Rodgers, Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
, Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
and Anton Fig
Anton Fig
Anton Fig , known as "The Thunder from Down Under" is a session drummer, noted for his work in David Letterman's house band, the CBS Orchestra. Letterman often refers to Fig as "Anton Zip"or "Buddy Rich Jr."...
played old Chic hits to rapturous response. Rodgers and Edwards reformed a new version of Chic. They recorded a fresh crop of material for the album Chic-Ism
Chic-Ism
Chic-Ism is the eighth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on the WEA label in 1992. It is the final Chic album of original material.The album includes singles "Chic Mystique" and "Your Love"...
and performed live worldwide.
In 1996, Rodgers was honored as the JT Super Producer of the year. He performed with Edwards, Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge Debbie Sledge , Joni Sledge , and Kathy Sledge . They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs...
, Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, Simon Le Bon
Simon Le Bon
Simon John Charles Le Bon is an English musician, best known as the lead singer, lyricist and musician of the band Duran Duran and its offshoot, Arcadia.-Early life:...
and Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
in a series of commemorative concerts in Japan, which provided a career retrospective. Unfortunately, his longtime musical partner and close friend Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
died of pneumonia during the trip, a blow that Rodgers took very hard. A year later Rodgers returned to Japan to pay homage to his fallen partner.
He started playing live concerts again while composing and producing music for film soundtracks: Beverly Hills Cop 3, Blue Chips
Blue Chips
Blue Chips is a 1994 drama film about basketball, directed by William Friedkin, written by Ron Shelton and starring Nick Nolte as a college coach and real-life basketball stars Shaquille O'Neal and Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway as talented finds....
, The Flintstones
The Flintstones (film)
The Flintstones is a 1994 American live-action comedy film based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon television series of the same name about a Stone-Age man, his family and his best friend. The film was directed by Brian Levant, written by Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein and Steven E...
and Feeling Minnesota
Feeling Minnesota
Feeling Minnesota is a 1996 American romantic comedy film, starring Keanu Reeves, Vincent D'Onofrio, Cameron Diaz, Tuesday Weld and Courtney Love.-Plot summary:...
(working with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) to name but a few.
In 1998, Rodgers founded Sumthing Else Music Works
Sumthing Distribution
Sumthing Distribution is a New York based company started by Nile Rodgers that distributes recording artist and independent record labels. It is the largest African-American owned distribution company in America.-External links:**...
record label and Sumthing Distribution
Sumthing Distribution
Sumthing Distribution is a New York based company started by Nile Rodgers that distributes recording artist and independent record labels. It is the largest African-American owned distribution company in America.-External links:**...
, an independent music label distributor. Sumthing focuses on distributing a fast-growing new genre: video game soundtracks. Its titles include the complete Halo
Halo (series)
Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
and Resident Evil franchises and other well-known Triple-A game soundtracks like Gears of War
Gears of War
Gears of War is a military science fiction third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios...
and Borderlands
Borderlands (video game)
Borderlands is a science fiction based first-person shooter with RPG elements that was developed by Gearbox Software for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was first revealed in the September 2007 issue of Game Informer magazine...
.
2000s
Rodgers focused on many soundtrack projects, film and video games alike. Among them were: Rush Hour 2Rush Hour 2
Rush Hour 2 is a 2001 martial arts action comedy film. This is the second installment in the Rush Hour film series. A sequel to the 1998 film Rush Hour, the film stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker who respectively reprise their roles as Inspector Lee and Los Angeles police detective James Carter...
, Snow Dogs
Snow Dogs
Snow Dogs is a 2002 American live-action comedy film that was released in the United States on January 18, 2002 by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Brian Levant, and stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. and James Coburn...
and Semi-Pro
Semi-Pro
Semi-Pro is a 2008 American sports screwball comedy film from New Line Cinema. The film was directed by Kent Alterman and stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tierney. The film was shot in Los Angeles near Dodger Stadium , in Detroit and in Flint, Michigan...
starring Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
, who co-wrote the title song “Love Me Sexy” with Rodgers. In 2002-2003 he co-produced Astronaut, with the original five members of Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
.
Also in 2002, Rodgers appeared on the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
's compilation CD, Red Hot and Riot. The CD, a tribute to the music and positive social message of afropop pioneer, Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
, featured Rodgers on remakes of Kuti songs, "Water No Get Enemy" and "Zombie (Part Two)." He appeared on "Water No Get Enemy" alongside influential hip hop and R&B artists, D'Angelo
D'Angelo
Michael Eugene Archer , better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is known for his production and songwriting talents as much as for his vocal abilities, and often draws comparisons to his influences,...
, Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
, and The Soultronics
The Soultronics
The Soultronics was an American R&B and neo soul supergroup that served as the backing band for musician D'Angelo in 2000 during The Voodoo Tour, the supporting tour for his second studio album Voodoo...
and on "Zombie (Part Two)" with famous jazz trumpeteer, Roy Hargrove
Roy Hargrove
Roy Anthony Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
. All proceeds of the CD were donated to charities working towards greater AIDS awareness.
The September 11th tragedies prompted Rodgers to create the We Are Family Foundation
We Are Family Foundation
The We Are Family Foundation is an American 501 nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by songwriter, musician, and producer Nile Rodgers in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks...
(WAFF) to help promote the healing process. To begin, he organized a re-recording of the song he and Edwards wrote for Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge
Sister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge Debbie Sledge , Joni Sledge , and Kathy Sledge . They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs...
called "We Are Family
We Are Family (song)
"We Are Family" is a 1979 dance hit song by Sister Sledge, composed by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. Rodgers and Edwards offered the song to Atlantic Records; although the record label initially declined, the track was released as a single from the album of the same name and quickly began to...
" with more than 200 musicians, celebrities, and personalities. Director Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
filmed the "We Are Family" music video and director Danny Schechter
Danny Schechter
Danny Schechteris a television producer, independent filmmaker, blogger, and media critic who writes and lectures frequently about the media in the United States and worldwide. He specializes in investigative journalism and producing programming about the interfaces among human rights, journalism,...
filmed a documentary depicting the recording sessions called The Making and Meaning of We Are Family. The film was chosen as a Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
Special Selection in 2002. Rodgers then produced another "We Are Family" music video involving more than 100 beloved children's television characters. The children's music video airs as a public service announcement on Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
, Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, and PBS stations promoting a common humanity and celebrating the vision of a global family.
Rodgers received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) NY Chapter's Governor's Lifetime Achievement Award and the Heroes Award. On September 19, 2005, he was honored at the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York when he was inducted for his many outstanding achievements as a producer, along with former bandmate Bernard Edwards.
Chic has been nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame four times - 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Rodgers served as co-musical director for the tribute concert to Ahmet Ertegün
Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
at the Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
in the summer of 2006. The concert included performances by Chic, Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
, Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
, Ben E. King
Ben E. King
Benjamin Earl King , better known as Ben E. King, is an American soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me", a U.S...
, Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
, George Duke
George Duke
George Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
(co-music director), Paolo Nutini
Paolo Nutini
Paolo Giovanni Nutini is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician from Paisley. His father is of Italian descent, from Barga, Tuscany, although both his parents are Scottish, his family having been in Scotland for three generations....
and many other artists who were signed to Ertegün's Atlantic Records. A PBS documentary, Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built, uses footage from this show, as it was one of the last times Ertegün would be captured on video.
2010s
Rodgers autobiography Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny was published in late 2011.He continues to tour and produce live events since the reunion of The Chic Organization.
In October 2011, Rodgers worked with singer Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
in New York on material for Lambert's sophomore album. Both Rodgers and Lambert tweeted enthusiastically about the collaboration, and Rodgers also mentioned it on his blog Plante C.
Health Issues
In January 2011, Rodgers revealed on his website he is fighting cancer, which was diagnosed in October 2010.Chic
- ChicChic (album)Chic is the debut album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in 1977. It includes the hit singles "Dance, Dance, Dance " - originally released on label Buddha Records - and "Everybody Dance"...
(1977) - C'est ChicC'est ChicC'est Chic is the second studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in 1978. C'est Chic includes the band's classic hit "Le Freak" which topped the US Hot 100 chart, US R&B, and US Club Play in October 1978, selling six million copies in the US alone and is to date both...
(1978) - Risqué (1979)
- Real PeopleReal People (album)Real People is the fourth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in 1980, including the singles "Rebels Are We" and "Real People"...
(1980) - Take It OffTake It Off (album)Take It Off is the fifth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in late 1981. The album includes the single "Stage Fright" which did reach #35 on the US R&B chart, it was however the first Chic single failing to enter the US Pop charts, and the Take It Off album only...
(1981) - Soup For OneSoup for One (soundtrack)Soup For One is a soundtrack album to the movie Soup For One by American R&B band Chic et al., released on the label WEA in 1982, the first Chic album not to be issued on Atlantic Records...
(soundtrack, Chic/various artists) (1982) - Tongue in ChicTongue in ChicTongue In Chic is the sixth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in late 1982. The album includes the single "Hangin'"...
(1982) - Believer (1983)
- Chic-IsmChic-IsmChic-Ism is the eighth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on the WEA label in 1992. It is the final Chic album of original material.The album includes singles "Chic Mystique" and "Your Love"...
(1992) - Live at the BudokanLive at the Budokan (Chic)Live at The Budokan is a live album by American R&B band Chic, released on Nile Rodgers' label Sumthing Else in 1999. The album contains the concert at Tokyo's Budokan on April 17, 1996 that was to be the very last performance by fellow Chic member Bernard Edwards who died the following day...
(1999)
Solo
- Adventures in the Land of the Good Groove (1983)
- B-Movie Matinee (1985)
- Outloud (1987)
- Chic Freak and More Treats (1996)
Official production (partial)
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Dan Reed Network The Dan Reed Network is a funk rock band formed by Dan Reed in Portland, Oregon, United States, in 1984. Dan Reed lended his vocals to a 1990 rap rock collaboration with the Portland Trail Blazers, "Bust a Bucket".-Breathless beginnings:... (1989) Decade: Greatest Hits Decade – Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by Duran Duran, released on November 15, 1989 .The remix single "Burning the Ground" was released to radio to promote this album; it was created by producer John Jones mixing snippets of the band's biggest hits from the previous decade into a new... , Duran Duran Duran Duran Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States... (1989) Eddie Murphy Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician.... (1989) Workin' Overtime Workin' Overtime is a 1989 album released by American singer Diana Ross, released on the Motown label. It was Ross' first Motown album since 1980's diana after Ross left the label for a then record breaking $20 million deal with RCA. Upon Ross' return to the label, Motown founder Berry Gordy, Jr... , Diana Ross (1989) Family Style Family Style is a blues-rock album by the Vaughan Brothers, released on September 25, 1990. The album features the brethren guitarists and vocalists, Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan, in their only studio collaboration. In his early years, Stevie Ray Vaughan often remarked that he would like to do an... , Vaughan Brothers (1990) Move to This Move to This is the debut album by English dance artist Cathy Dennis. It was released in 1990.- Track listing :# "Just Another Dream" – 4:03# "All Night Long " – 4:00... , Cathy Dennis Cathy Dennis Cathy Dennis is a British dance-oriented pop singer-songwriter, record producer and actress... (1990) Fireball Zone Fireball Zone was the third solo album from Ric Ocasek, the lead singer-songwriter of The Cars.- Tracks :All songs written by Ric Ocasek except where noted.#"Rockaway"#"Touch Down Easy" #"Come Back"... , Ric Ocasek Ric Ocasek Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars.... (1991) Good Stuff Good Stuff is the sixth studio album by New Wave band The B-52s, released in 1992. This is the first B-52s album in which vocalist Cindy Wilson does not appear, though she rejoined some years later.... , The B-52's (1992) Black Tie White Noise Black Tie White Noise is an album by David Bowie. Released in 1993, it was his first solo release in the 1990s after spending time with his hard rock band Tin Machine, retiring his old hits on his Sound+Vision Tour, and marrying supermodel Iman Abdulmajid. This album featured his old guitarist from... , David Bowie (1993) Your Filthy Little Mouth Your Filthy Little Mouth is the fourth full-length studio album by David Lee Roth , released in 1994. It was the last David Lee Roth album released on the Warner Bros. label and produced by famous producer Nile Rodgers.... , David Lee Roth (1994) Azabache Azabache is the third studio album by Spanish singer Marta Sanchez. Was released in 1997. On this album more producers were involved along with longtime musical partner Christian De Walden and they created a rock oriented album, instead of the pop music Marta recorded for her first and second album... , Marta Sánchez (1997) Samantha Cole Samantha Cole is an American dance-pop singer/songwriter.-Early life & career:Cole grew up in Southampton, New York. At the age of 15, Cole began taking vocal lessons and landed a number of singing engagements in New York. Cole made some 30 appearances on MTV's The Grind, and became a regular... , Samantha Cole (1997) All-4-One All-4-One is a male R&B/pop group best known for their cover hit single "I Swear" from their self-titled 1994 debut album. The group comprises Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all from the Antelope Valley and Mojave, California areas, but are based in the Los Angeles... (1998) SMAP SMAP is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the current group members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori... (Japan) (1998) Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena is an Australian singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress. She has won several awards, most notably 6 ARIA Awards and in both 1996 and 2000 she received the World Music Award for the world's best selling Australian artist... (2001) Cheb Mami Ahmed Khelifati Mohamed better known by his stage name Cheb Mami , is an Algerian-born raï singer... (2001) Only A Woman Like You Only a Woman Like You is an album by Michael Bolton, released in 2002 .The album constituted a comeback for Bolton peaking at #36. Nevertheless, the album's success could by no way be compared to the success of his previous efforts... , Michael Bolton Michael Bolton Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack... (2002) Shady Satin Drug Shady Satin Drug, released October 26, 2004 from pop/rock band soulDecision. The album was their second release after departing with their former company . The album's first single of the album was "Cadillac Dress". The single was never released as an official disc single. It was available to be... , Soul Decision (2004) Duran Duran Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States... (2004) Evolution Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth... , MorissonPoe (2007) |
Soundtracks
- Soup For OneSoup For One (film)Soup For One is a 1982 sexually-themed romantic comedy that was directed and written by Jonathan Kaufer and produced by Marvin Worth. The R-rated film was released by Warner Bros. Pictures...
(1982) - Alphabet CityAlphabet City (film)Alphabet City is a 1984 crime drama film directed by Amos Poe. The story follows a young gangster of Italian descent named Johnny, who has been given control over his own neighborhood by the Mob. Then unknown actors Vincent Spano , Jami Gertz, and Michael Winslow give compelling performances in...
(1984) - Coming to AmericaComing to AmericaComing to America is a 1988 comedy film directed by John Landis. The screenplay was written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, from a story by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the film. Murphy plays an African prince, who heads to the United States in hopes of finding a woman he can marry...
(1988) - Earth Girls Are EasyEarth Girls Are EasyEarth Girls Are Easy is a 1988 American musical comedy film directed by Julien Temple. It stars Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Michael McKean, Julie Brown, Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans. The film is marketed with the tagline "An out-of-this-world, down-to-earth comedy adventure"...
(1989) - White Hot (1989)
- Beverly Hills Cop IIIBeverly Hills Cop IIIBeverly Hills Cop III is a 1994 action-comedy film starring Eddie Murphy and directed by John Landis, who had previously worked with Murphy on Trading Places and Coming to America...
(1994) - Blue Chips (1994)
- Public Enemy (1999)
- Rise of NationsRise of NationsRise of Nations is a real-time strategy computer game, developed by Big Huge Games and published by Microsoft on May 20, 2003. The development of the game was led by veteran Brian Reynolds, of Civilization II and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. Concepts taken from turn-based strategy games have been...
(2003) Game - Halo 2Halo 2Halo 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. Released for the Xbox video game console on November 9, 2004, the game is the second installment in the Halo franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved...
(2004) Game - Perfect Dark ZeroPerfect Dark ZeroPerfect Dark Zero is a first-person shooter video game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game had a difficult development cycle, during which a substantial part of it was initially designed for the Nintendo GameCube...
(2005) Game - Halo 3 Soundtrack (2007) Game
Biographical reference work
- Everybody Dance: Chic and the Politics of Disco, by Daryl Easlea, Helter Skelter Publishing (24 Oct 2004), ISBN 1-900924-56-0