Jamie Principle facts for kids

Jamie Principle (born July 5, 1960) is a talented music artist and producer from Chicago, Illinois. He creates music in many different styles, like new wave, electronic music, and R&B. While he is well-known for his work in house music, his musical journey includes much more than just that one style. Jamie's unique sound mixes many influences, showing how he can create music that goes beyond typical music types.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Jamie Principle was a key figure in the early days of house music, which started in Chicago in the early 1980s. Many people in the music scene looked up to him. For example, Marshall Jefferson, another famous musician, said in 1986 that Jamie was one of the first to record house music that was played by the legendary DJ Frankie Knuckles. Jamie's early songs inspired many other artists.

The Story of "Your Love"

One of Jamie Principle's most famous songs is "Your Love" from 1984. This song is known as one of the very first house music tracks ever made. The words for "Your Love" came from a poem Jamie wrote for his girlfriend at the time, Lisa Harris. He then added music and recorded the song at home using a simple four-track recorder.

A friend named Jose Gomez got a copy of the song and shared it with DJ Frankie Knuckles. Knuckles loved "Your Love" and played it often at The Power Plant, a popular dance club in Chicago. The song became a huge hit in the city's underground clubs. It was so popular that fans would copy it onto tapes, and these tapes would spread throughout the music scene for over a year before the song was officially released as a 12-inch single.

Chart Success and Collaborations

Jamie Principle started having songs appear on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the early 1990s. His song "Cold World", a collaboration with Steve "Silk" Hurley, reached No. 22 on the dance chart. He also had the classic song "You're All I Waited For" released on the Smash Records label. Jamie also helped write CeCe Peniston's hit song "I'm Not Over You", which reached No. 2 on the US Dance chart and No. 10 on the US R&B chart.

Throughout the 1980s, Jamie Principle continued to release music. Some of these songs, like "Baby Wants to Ride", "Bad Boy", "Rebels", "Waiting on My Angel", and "I'm Gonna Make You Scream", were often released with Frankie Knuckles also credited. In 1992, Jamie Principle released a dance album called The Midnite Hour.

In 2004, Jamie Principle and Frankie Knuckles teamed up again for the song "Back N Da Day". This song became a No. 1 hit on the US Dance Chart.

Recent Work and Appearances

More recently, Jamie Principle has worked with the popular band Gorillaz. He was featured on their song "... Party" from their 2017 album Humanz. He also appeared with Snoop Dogg on the Gorillaz song "Hollywood" from their 2018 album The Now Now.

In 2024, Jamie Principle was featured in Episode 3 of the PBS series Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution. This show explored the history and impact of disco music.

Music Releases

Albums

• The Midnite Hour (1992)

Singles

• "Your Love" (1984)
• "Waiting On My Angel" (1985)
• "Bad Boy" (1987)
• "I'm Gonna Make You Scream" (1987)
• "Rebels" (1988)
• "Baby Wants To Ride" (1988)
• Frankie Knuckles featuring Jamie Principle: "Your Love" (1989)
• Steve "Silk" Hurley featuring Jamie Principle: "Cold World" (1989)
• "Date With The Rain" (1990)
• "You're All I've Waited 4" (1991)
• Frankie Knuckles featuring Jamie Principle: "Back N Da Day" (2004)
• Waiting on My Angel (2011)
• Gorillaz featuring Jamie Principle and Zebra Kats: "... Party" (2017)
• Gorillaz featuring Jamie Principle and Snoop Dogg: "Hollywood" (2018)
• Lonely2live (with Felix da Housecat) (2020)

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
• Club Zanzibar (a famous electronic music venue from the 1980s)