Nile Rodgers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nile Rodgers
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Rodgers in 2023
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| Birth name | Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. |
| Born | September 19, 1952 New York City, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1972–present |
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Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. He is famous for co-founding the band Chic. Rodgers has written, produced, and played on songs that have sold more than 750 million albums all over the world.
He started the Big Apple Band in 1972 with his friend, bassist Bernard Edwards. Later, they renamed the band Chic. Their first album in 1977 had the hit songs "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" and "Everybody Dance". In 1978, their album C'est Chic featured the worldwide hit "Le Freak". The song "Good Times" from 1979 became a number one hit and is one of the most-sampled songs ever, especially in hip-hop music.
With Edwards, Rodgers also wrote and produced huge hits for other artists. These include "We Are Family" for Sister Sledge and "I'm Coming Out" for Diana Ross. After Chic broke up in 1983, Rodgers produced famous albums like David Bowie's Let's Dance and Madonna's Like a Virgin.
He has worked with many other stars, including Daft Punk, Beyoncé, Duran Duran, INXS, and Lady Gaga. He has won several Grammy Awards, including for his work on Daft Punk's album Random Access Memories and Beyoncé's album Renaissance. Rodgers was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 for his amazing contributions to music.
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Early life
Nile Rodgers was born on September 19, 1952, in New York City. His mother, Beverly Goodman, was only 14 when he was born. His biological father, Nile Rodgers Sr., was a musician who was often traveling and not around much.
Later, his mother married Bobby Glanzrock. Rodgers described him as a "beatnik PhD" who thought about things in a unique way. Their home in Greenwich Village was often visited by famous artists and comedians like Thelonious Monk and Richard Pryor.
Before he learned to play guitar at age 16, Rodgers played the flute and clarinet. As a teenager, he played guitar in many different types of bands. He was also a member of the Lower Manhattan part of the New York Black Panther Party, a group that worked for the rights of African Americans.
Career
1970s: The Start of Chic
In 1970, Rodgers met bassist Bernard Edwards while they were both musicians for the Sesame Street stage show. They formed a band called The Big Apple Band. They even opened for The Jackson 5 on their 1973 world tour.
Rodgers and Edwards later joined with drummer Tony Thompson. Because another band was called The Big Apple Band, they changed their name to Chic in 1977.
Inspired by the band Roxy Music, Chic created a new sound mixing jazz, soul, and funk. Their song "Dance, Dance, Dance" became a hit. Soon, Chic had many top ten hits, including "Le Freak", "I Want Your Love", and "Good Times". "Le Freak" was a massive success for their record label, Atlantic Records.
Because Chic was so successful, Atlantic asked Rodgers and Edwards to produce other artists. They worked with Sister Sledge on their album We Are Family. The songs "He's the Greatest Dancer" and "We Are Family" became huge hits.
1980s: Producing for Superstars
In the early 1980s, disco music became less popular. Rodgers and Edwards worked together on the album Diana for Diana Ross, which had the hits "Upside Down" and "I'm Coming Out".
After Chic stopped making music together, Rodgers began producing for other major artists. He produced David Bowie's best-selling album, Let's Dance. He also produced Madonna's album Like a Virgin, which had four big hits including the title track and "Material Girl".
He also worked a lot with Duran Duran, producing their hit songs "The Reflex" and "Wild Boys". By the end of 1985, Billboard magazine named him the #1 Singles Producer in the World. He also produced albums for the B-52's, including their hit "Love Shack".
1990s: New Projects and Sadness
In the 1990s, Rodgers continued to produce for famous musicians like David Bowie and Eric Clapton. He also worked on movie soundtracks for films like Thelma and Louise and Cool World.
Rodgers and Edwards brought Chic back together in 1992 and recorded a new album, Chic-Ism. In 1996, they performed a series of concerts in Japan. Sadly, after one of the shows, Edwards passed away on April 17, 1996. Rodgers was devastated but decided to honor his friend by continuing to make great music.
In 1998, Rodgers started his own record label called Sumthing Else Music Works. The label focused on releasing soundtracks for video games, like the popular Halo and Resident Evil series.
2000s: Video Games and Giving Back
During the 2000s, Rodgers focused a lot on music for movies and video games. He worked on soundtracks for Halo 2, Rush Hour 2, and the comedy movie Semi-Pro.
After the September 11 attacks in 2001, Rodgers organized a new recording of the song "We Are Family". More than 200 musicians and celebrities came together to record it. In 2002, he started the We Are Family Foundation with his partner, Nancy Hunt. The foundation helps young people from different backgrounds work together to make the world a better place.
2010s: "Get Lucky" and Hall of Fame
In 2011, Rodgers released his autobiography, Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny. Rolling Stone magazine called it one of the greatest rock memoirs ever.
A huge moment came in 2013 when he worked with the electronic duo Daft Punk. Rodgers co-wrote and played guitar on their song "Get Lucky". The song was a massive hit all over the world and became one of the UK's best-selling singles of all time.
The collaboration won Rodgers three Grammy Awards in 2014. That same year, Rolling Stone named him one of the 50 most important people in electronic dance music (EDM).
In 2016, Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2017, Rodgers was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his musical excellence. In 2018, he and his band Chic released their first album in 25 years, It's About Time.
2020s: Still Making Hits
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Rodgers has stayed busy in the 2020s, working with artists like Keith Urban and Jack Savoretti. In 2022, an asteroid was named "nilerodgers" in his honor for his 70th birthday.
In 2023, he won two more Grammy Awards for his work on Beyoncé's album Renaissance. He also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He has worked with the K-pop group Le Sserafim and the British band Coldplay. In 2024, he worked with Beyoncé again on her album Cowboy Carter.
In January 2024, the World Economic Forum gave Rodgers its Crystal Award for his work to make the world a more peaceful and fair place through his music.
The Hitmaker Guitar
Rodgers plays a 1960 Fender Stratocaster guitar that he calls "The Hitmaker." He got it from a music shop in Miami Beach. The guitar is very light and has a unique sound that can be heard on countless hit records.
His friend Bernard Edwards taught him a special way to play it called "chucking." This technique involves playing a constant rhythm with his right hand while changing chords with his left. This style became a key part of the Chic sound. The Fender guitar company even made a special limited edition copy of The Hitmaker in 2014.
Personal life
In the early 1990s, Rodgers had a serious health scare that made him change his lifestyle.
In 2010, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. He wrote about his experience on a blog to help others. He was declared cancer-free in 2013. In 2017, he had another surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his kidney and made a full recovery.
Rodgers lives in Miami, Florida, with his life partner, Nancy Hunt.
Images for kids
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Rodgers at SXSW London 2025.
See also
In Spanish: Nile Rodgers para niños
