Francis Warren Nicholls Jr., known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, which originated in Chicago during the early 1980s and spread worldwide. In 1997, Knuckles won the Grammy Award for Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical. Knuckles was often called "the godfather of house music".