Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgersis an American record producer, songwriter, musician, composer, arranger and guitarist. He is the lead guitarist and co-founding member with Bernard Edwards of the band Chic, which has been active since 1976 and was one of the most successful groups of the disco era...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMusic Producer
Date of Birth19 September 1952
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
age bands home mostly music personal pretending singing song walking
When I was very young, there was a lot of music at home, mostly jazz. I was walking around singing and pretending I was in bands from a very young age. But the first song that was really personal to me was 'Blue Suede Shoes'.
send song tried wrote
There's never been a song that I just wrote and tried to send to an artist.
song thinking stories
I grew up in the era of the concept album. What I do now is pick up on singles, and they are their own complete stories; you don't necessarily have to hear the rest of the album because I don't think albums are created like that anymore. They get songs from all over the place.
song writing people
I'd probably be a super wealthy guy if I had sat around writing songs and getting them placed like everyone else I know. But I write songs about people or after I meet them and they're somewhat biographical - they're fiction but also non-fiction.
song writing genius
Almost all the producers I know and dig, like Quincy Jones or Brian Eno, are really musicians first. I'm a composer, an orchestrator, an arranger and a musician first. I know how to write and rewrite songs, and the genius is really in the rewriting.
belonged exclusive invited people
I didn't want this to be only for people who belonged to an exclusive club, something that the world isn't invited to,
anybody business buying entertainment music
Music is the one part of the entertainment business where you can't fool anybody into buying a record.
artists music neither nor producer record responsibility
My responsibility is to the artist first. There's something that artists intrinsically know about their music and their fanbase that neither the record company nor the producer really knows.
becomes cancelled impossible life public simply stop unless work
I've never cancelled any public appearance, simply because that's what my life is; it's doing my work, and I never want to stop doing my work unless it becomes impossible for me to do it.
I'm always the last person in the world who would ever try to predict a trend.
across believe stumbling
I don't believe in the philosophy of stumbling across hit records.
brink death dig people
When people tell you you're on the brink of death, you've got to dig pretty deep to get it together.
although clarinet flute knew life living music pay
I used to play flute and clarinet at school, and although I wasn't thinking about making a living or getting a pay cheque, I already knew I was going to play music all my life.
music
Music has to keep moving. But I was lucky. For me there was always something around the corner.