Artist · United States

Nile Rodgers

Since 1952

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Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American guitarist. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide.

Formed as the Big Apple Band in 1972 with bassist Bernard Edwards, Chic released their self-titled debut album in 1977; it featured the hit singles "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" and "Everybody Dance". The 1978 album C'est Chic included "I Want Your Love" and "Le Freak", with the latter selling more than seven million singles worldwide. The song "Good Times" from the 1979 album Risqué was a number one single on the pop and soul charts, and became one of the most-sampled songs of all time.

With Edwards, Rodgers wrote and produced music for other artists, including the songs "He's the Greatest Dancer" and "We Are Family" (for Sister Sledge) and "I'm Coming Out" and "Upside Down" (for Diana Ross). After Chic's breakup in 1983, Rodgers produced albums and singles for other artists, including David Bowie's Let's Dance; "Original Sin" by INXS; Duran Duran's "The Reflex" and "Notorious"; and Madonna's Like a Virgin. He also worked with artists including Kylie Minogue, the B-52s, Keith Urban, Jeff Beck, Avicii, Kygo, Daft Punk, Mick Jagger, Coldplay, Bryan Ferry, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, George Michael and Beyoncé. He won three Grammy Awards in 2014 for his work on Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, and two in 2023 for his work with Beyoncé on her album Renaissance. He is the co-founder of We Are Family Foundation, a nonprofit founded following the September 11 attacks.

Rodgers is a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame via the Award for Musical Excellence. He has received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement/Special Merit Award. Known for his chucking guitar style, Rolling Stone placed Rodgers 7th on a list of the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, writing: "There's 'influential,' then there's 'massively influential', then there's Nile Rodgers... a true innovator who never slows down, still making history with his guitar." He appeared on the New York Times list of the greatest living American songwriters in 2026.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Also in Français

Nile Rodgers, né le 19 septembre 1952 à New York, est un guitariste, auteur-compositeur et producteur de musique américain. Son nom est indissociable de son ami bassiste Bernard Edwards (1952-1996). Ils sont les maîtres du disco et de la funk à la fin des années 1970 avec leur groupe Chic, livrant également des albums « clés en mains » en tant que compositeurs, musiciens et producteurs à plusieurs artistes, dont Sister Sledge, Sheila ou Diana Ross.

Seul, en tant que producteur et guitariste, Nile Rodgers travaille avec de très nombreux artistes et obtient notamment des succès mondiaux avec Madonna (Like a Virgin), David Bowie (Let's Dance), INXS (Original Sin), Duran Duran (Notorious) et bien d'autres, ou dans un autre genre, avec la bande musicale des jeux vidéo Halo 2 et Halo 3. En 2013, il participe à la guitare sur trois titres de l'album Random Access Memories de Daft Punk et particulièrement au tube Get Lucky pour lequel il co-reçoit trois Grammy Awards.

Nile Rodgers continue parallèlement à se produire sur scène dans le monde entier, accompagné de musiciens avec qui il interprète la musique de Chic et quelques-uns des plus grands succès qu'il a composés ou produits depuis plus de quarante ans, cumulant 500 millions d'albums et 75 millions de singles vendus. Il est un des artistes les plus samplés de la musique moderne ; aussi bien par des artistes de hip-hop que du genre électro. Sa façon particulière de jouer des riffs sur sa Fender Stratocaster fétiche dont le surnom est hitmaker, a fait école. En avril 2017, Nile Rodgers est introduit au Rock and Roll Hall of Fame avec le prix d'« excellence musicale ».

Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0