One of the original innovators in Chicago house, Marshall Jefferson had a hand in several of the music’s most influential early tracks. As a solo act, he recorded 1986’s “Move Your Body” — subtitled and unanimously acclaimed “The House Music Anthem.”

Jefferson also helped record Phuture’s “Acid Tracks,” the first and best acid-house single, and Ce Ce Rogers’ uplifting anthem “Someday,” both in 1987. Amidst a wave of acid-inspired records, he grew tired of the sound and moved into a more spiritual form of music later termed deep house; along with Larry Heard, he became one of its best producers.

A reflective full-length titled Day of the Onion was released in 1996, and the trippy single “Mushrooms” (with Noosa Heads) appeared in its original form the same year, gradually becoming one of Jefferson’s biggest club tracks.

He released several mixed compilations, mainly retrospectives of the genre and its roots, including 2003’s Move Your Body: The Evolution of Chicago House. He’s consistently stayed active, touring and releasing singles into the 2020s, including reunions with longtime associates Ten City, Ce Ce Rogers, and Curtis McClain