K ALEXI SHELBY / OWENS, ROBERT - DOWNTOWN

DJ and producer. One of Chicago's true heroes and cited by many as a pioneer the city's sound with one of his earliest releases Essence Of A Dream being regarded a classic. At the age of 12 he was already moving in the right circles, befriending Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy whilst frequenting the famous Warehouse. His upbringing in Chicago in the 70s and 80s meant that he was exposed to a range of genres and different styles of music including Stevie Wonder, Prince, Curtis Mayfield and David Huff. These same names would prove to be the roots of his influences. A tally of successful hit records, remixing and collaborations resulted in his talents being sought by artists like The Pet Shop Boys, Derrick May, Angel Abi, Paul Johnson and Mr Lee. He has also worked with Larry Heard & Robert Owens, Dave Angel, Tjen Tjen, Felix Da Housecat and Will Smith. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Robert Owens (born 1961) http://www.myspace.com/robertjowens is an House/Soul artist best known for his work with the Chicago House group Fingers, Inc. Robert Owens became one of the figures most associated with the late-'80s golden era of Chicago house. Born in Ohio in 1961, he grew up singing in the church, but was working as a DJ when he met pioneering Chicago producer Larry Heard in 1985. The pair formed Fingers Inc. with Ron Wilson, and released a few excellent singles ("You're Mine," "It's Over") and the 1988 full-length Another Side.The group dissolved soon after, though, as Heard's burgeoning solo-production career (as Mr. Fingers) took over. Owens had already released tracks on his own - "Bring Down the Walls" and "I'm Strong" for Alleviated, with production from Heard - and he signed a solo contract with 4th & Broadway. His 1990 LP "Rhythms in Me" was a solid effort, though it soon disappeared within the quickly disintegrating Chicago house scene. (One of his best-known singles of the late '80s, the epic house moment "Tears," appeared under the names of Frankie Knuckles and producer Satoshi Tomiie.) In 2000, Robert Owens appeared on the Photek hit "Mine to Give." He collaborated with Coldcut on their album Sound Mirrors, on the track "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" in 2006. He also collaborated with Rob Pearson on single "Escape from the Madness" which was released on Plastic City in 2007. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.