Marshall Jefferson

Marshall Julius Jefferson, born in 1959, is an American musician sometimes called the father of house music. He began as a record producer at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago, and his work spans Chicago house and deep house. Among the acts he produced or worked with are CeCe Rogers, Sterling Void and Ten City, on whose first two albums he worked.

His breakthrough came in 1986 with 'Move Your Body', a single for Trax Records and the first house song to use piano, released after he met the label's owner, Larry Sherman. He also recorded under aliases such as Virgo, Jungle Wonz, Truth and On the House. In March 1987 NME reported that he and Frankie Knuckles were in Britain for the first house-music tour. After a break in 1990 he returned to DJing in 1993 and held a five-year residency at the Tribal Gathering and Big Love events in Billericay, Essex. He now lives in Manchester. The song later featured in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. In 2021 he reunited with Byron Stingily on 'Be Free', the first Ten City single in 25 years.