Larry Heard (born May 31, 1960)
is an American DJ, record producer, and musician
who has recorded under various names, most notably Mr. Fingers. He is widely known as a pioneering figure in 1980s
house music, and was leader of the influential group
Fingers Inc.
Fingers Inc. was an American music group from Chicago, Illinois. It consisted of producer Larry Heard and vocalists Robert Owens and Ron Wilson. AllMusic called it the "top early Chicago house group".
History
Fingers Inc. was formed in Chicago, I ...
, whose 1988 album ''
Another Side'' was the first long-form house LP. He is regarded as a progenitor of the
deep house subgenre, bridging the gap between the
futurism of
house and the lush sound of
disco.
His landmark 1986 single "
Can You Feel It" would be a major influence on dance music.
Early life
Born on the South Side of Atlanta, Heard grew up hearing
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
and
Motown at home, and could play several instruments from a young age.
Before beginning his solo musical career in 1983, he was the drummer, at the age of 17, in the band Infinity (a
jazz fusion cover group that included
Adonis
In Greek mythology, Adonis, ; derived from the Canaanite word ''ʼadōn'', meaning "lord". R. S. P. Beekes, ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p. 23. was the mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite.
One day, Adonis was gored by ...
). He is sometimes cited as having been a member of
the Manhattan Transfer,
but Heard has denied this, saying, "
filled in for somebody on one show." He also worked for the US government as a benefit authorizer, which enabled him to buy his first pieces of studio equipment.
Musical career
Heard began producing music in 1984 after purchasing a
synthesizer and
drum machine; after a few days with the gear, he had recorded three tracks that would later be regarded as landmarks of
house music: "
Can You Feel It", "
Mystery of Love", and "Washing Machine."
Despite initially not having a connection to Chicago's
club scene
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
, he eventually met singer and DJ
Robert Owens at a party and the two formed the group
Fingers Inc.
Fingers Inc. was an American music group from Chicago, Illinois. It consisted of producer Larry Heard and vocalists Robert Owens and Ron Wilson. AllMusic called it the "top early Chicago house group".
History
Fingers Inc. was formed in Chicago, I ...
along with Ron Wilson.
The group would release the LP ''
Another Side'' in 1988.
Around this time, Heard also began releasing solo singles as Mr. Fingers on
Trax Records
Trax Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It played a major part in the development of house music.
History
Larry Sherman was originally a collector of vintage jukeboxes, and, frustrated ...
and DJ International.
At the end of the decade, Trax released ''Ammnesia'' (1989), which compiled Heard's early tracks; it was released without Heard's permission.
Heard reissued the album in 2022 on his own Alleviated label, marking its first authorized release.
In 1989, Heard contributed to the debut album by producer
Lil' Louis. In the early 1990s, he recorded with
Harry Dennis as the It
before setting out on his own, signing with
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...
as a solo act in 1991 and releasing his first official Mr. Fingers album ''Introduction'' in 1992 to international success.
After the label interfered with his Mr. Fingers follow-up, he released the less dance-oriented album ''Sceneries Not Songs, Vol. 1'' in 1995 under his given name.
He continued to record intermittently in the following years, and released the Mr. Fingers album ''
Cerebral Hemispheres
The vertebrate cerebrum (brain) is formed by two cerebral hemispheres that are separated by a groove, the longitudinal fissure. The brain can thus be described as being divided into left and right cerebral hemispheres. Each of these hemispheres ...
'' in 2018. Much of Heard's music has been released and re-released under different names, including Loosefingers, Fingers, House Factors, and Trio Zero.
In 2003, Heard was used as the model for one of the citizen characters in ''
Half-Life 2
''Half-Life 2'' is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Valve Corporation, Valve. It was published by Valve through its distribution service Steam (service), Steam. Like the original ''Half-Life (video game), Half-Life'' (1998), ''Half- ...
''.
Discography
as Mr. Fingers
Studio albums
* ''Introduction'' (1992)
* ''Back to Love'' (1994)
* ''
Cerebral Hemispheres
The vertebrate cerebrum (brain) is formed by two cerebral hemispheres that are separated by a groove, the longitudinal fissure. The brain can thus be described as being divided into left and right cerebral hemispheres. Each of these hemispheres ...
'' (2018)
* ''Around the Sun, Pt.1'' (2022)
Compilations
*''Ammnesia'' (1989)
*''Classic Fingers'' (1995)
EPs
* ''6 Tack E.P.'' (1988)
* ''Mr. Fingers 2'' (1991)
Singles
* "
Mystery of Love" (1985)
* "Washing Machine" (1986)
* "Slam Dance" (1987)
* "What About This Love" (1989)
* "Ammnesia" (1989)
* "Love and Juice" (1989)
* "Closer" (1992)
* "On My Way" (1992)
* "On a Corner Called Jazz" (1992)
* "Dead End Alley" (1992)
* "I Need You" (1994)
as Larry Heard
Studio albums
* ''Sceneries Not Songs Volume One'' (1994)
* ''Sceneries Not Songs Volume Tu'' (1995)
* ''Alien'' (1996)
* ''Dance 2000'' (1997)
* ''Dance 2000 Part 2'' (1998)
* ''Genesis'' (1999)
* ''Love's Arrival'' (2001)
* ''Where Life Begins'' (2003)
* ''Loose Fingers: Soundtrack from the Duality Double-Play'' (2005)
EPs
* ''The Calm & Chaos EP'' (1997)
* ''Dance 2000: The Glasgow Connection'' (1998)
* ''Dance 2000: The Chicago Connection'' (1999)
* ''25 Years from Alpha'' (2008)
* ''Distance Revisited EP'' (2012)
Singles
* "Black Oceans" (1994)
* "Missing You" (2000)
* "Direct Drive" / "Time Machine" (2001)
* "Another Night (Re-Edit)" (2001)
* "Praise" (2002)
* "Space Jungle" (2003)
* "Reminisce" (2003)
* "Evening Dance" (2003)
References
External links
Alleviated Records*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heard, Larry
1960 births
Living people
Remixers
African-American musicians
Musicians from Chicago
DJs from Chicago
American dance musicians
MCA Records artists
American house musicians
Deep house musicians
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American people