Sometimes known as the father of house music, Jefferson was originally a DJ, who exchanged mix tapes with friends from the Chicago Post Office, some of whom appeared on “The House Music Anthem” Jefferson’s 1986 single, including Curtis McClain, another DJ, who eventually sang lead vocals. The first house song to feature piano as a lead instrument, it was a popular and influential song in the genre. It also started use of the word “anthem” to describe uplifting songs.
During the late-1980s heyday of house music Marshall recorded solo and collaborative material under various names such as Virgo, Jungle Wonz, Truth and On The House. Jefferson’s deep house productions include songs by CeCe Rogers and Sterling Void, and Ten City’s first two albums. In March 1987, the British music magazine NME reported that Jefferson and Frankie Knuckles were in the UK for the first house-music tour.
“Move Your Body” appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on house-music radio station SF-UR. This song also appeared in Michael Winterbottom’s film “24 Hour Party People” and in the 1991 documentary film “Paris is Burning”.
Jefferson now splits time between the UK and the USA, recording and Dj’ing. “The Digitations” is inspired by his futuristic view of the human condition, which he describes as “evolution of the marriage between spirit and technology”.