Born on September 19: Nile Rodgers, tireless creator of hits that are always very Chic

Born in 1952 in New York, Nile Rodgers confided in an interview: "My mother had me when I was 14. She was in a kind of prison for adolescents and children. That's where I was officially born."

A difficult start in life that later led him to escape into music, while his parents often left him alone. Music kept him company and he listened to it as much as he practiced it, first with the flute at the age of six, then discovered the classical guitar during his adolescence. At 18, he participated in the television programme "Sesame Street" where he officiated as a guitarist, then at the Apollo Theater in Harlem where he accompanied Aretha Franklin, among others. "I already knew that music was going to be my life," he confides. At the same time, the young prodigy founded the group The Big Apple Band with his friend and bassist Bernard Edwards, whom he met on "Sesame Street". In 1973, the group, which was beginning to achieve some success, was offered the opening slot on the Jackson 5 tour. After a second album with more modest sales, the two partners decided to join forces with drummer Tony Thompson to form The Boys from the ashes of The Big Apple Band. The rock-funk group embarked on an extensive tour but unfortunately failed to attract any interest from record labels.

In 1977, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards renamed the group Chic, and a year later, it met with enormous success, marking the beginning of their international career with "Le Freak c'est chic." The hit set dance floors ablaze and became the best-selling single in the history of Atlantic Records. As an aside, the global hit was born on New Year's Eve, when the two accomplices (despite being invited by Grace Jones) were denied entry to the legendary Studio 54. Evicted, after celebrating the New Year by drinking champagne sitting outside the club, the duo composed their song based on the bouncer's phrase: "Freak Out!"

In 1979, they released "Good Times," which remains one of the most sampled songs in history. Most notably by the group The Sugarhill Gang, who reworked the song's famous bass line into a song released the same year, "Rapper's Delight." It was an immediate success for what is often considered the first rap song. Is sampling copying? The answer seems to be "yes" for the two members of Chic, who, after some negotiations, reached an agreement with The Sugarhill Gang and were credited as co-writers of the hit. No hard feelings toward Nile Rodgers, who sometimes covers "Rapper's Delight" on stage. The members of The Sugarhill Gang, for their part, probably retained a bitter taste from this story, since it turns out that instead of sampling Chic's track, they had replayed it in the studio with a funk band.

The two friends were then offered the opportunity to produce some of the talents on their label, Atlantic Records. They chose Sister Sledge and the famous "We Are Family." They then contributed to Sheila's success with "Spacer." "He opened up a new path for my career; it's one of the greatest gifts I've ever received," the French singer recently confided, whose song was recently revived during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

In the 1980s, the disco craze gradually faded, and Chic disbanded in 1983. Nile Rodgers then began a solo career, but more importantly, he had a decisive encounter with David Bowie. That same year, they released the pop-sounding album "Let's Dance," which gave the producer and guitarist a new lease on life and new collaborations.

In 1984, the tireless hitmaker produced Madonna's iconic album "Like a Virgin," which sold over 21 million copies. He says: "Madonna came with demos, all generated by electronic sequencers. I told her, 'Anyone can do that: use a sequencer.' But if my band plays that music, it will sound completely different. Because Chic has his own original sound. So I asked him to play it all for real!"

The hits kept coming. For the English band Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers wrote "Seven And The Ragged Tiger." He collaborated with Avicii on the album "True." He also wrote "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk. Nile Rodgers definitely holds a special place among music legends. A composer, guitarist, and producer, he is above all a talented magician, transforming everything he touches into a gold record. He has therefore deservedly earned his place in the "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame" and the "Songwriters Hall of Fame."

Always on the lookout for new collaborations, he worked with the K-pop girl group Lesserafim on the title track from their debut album, "Unforgiven," which features Rodgers' signature funk guitar rhythms. In 2024, he caused a stir by joining the band on stage at the Coachella Festival.

Now 73, he has written some of the most beautiful pages in the history of popular music.

(MH with Céline Massart - Photo : © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Nile Rodgers performing at the OLT Rivierenhof in Deurne near Antwerp (Belgium) on August 8, 2023