Jay Denham

At 15, he picked up his first instrument, a bass guitar, and by 17 he was playing in a rock band at his friends' parties. He liked punk and what Americans called "new wave," the funk of groups like Parliament, Cameo, and The Time. In 1982, a cassette of the Chicago Hot Mix fell into his hands, introducing him to the revolutionary sounds of Farley Jackmaster Funk and Frankie Knuckles. Struck by these new sounds, he traveled to Chicago to buy records and tune in to local radio stations he couldn't hear in his hometown of Kalamazoo. In Chicago, he met house producer Chip E and was captivated by the idea of trying to make his own music.