Nile Rodgers' influence on modern pop music can barely be defined by his oeuvre of work as musician, producer and songwriter. A career that spans four decades and scores of hits, yet he has always been content being on the sidelines. Le Freak showcases a major portion of the career of Nile Rodgers. the Hitmaker.



The book starts off at Nile the little asthmatic kid whose childhood was spent with his junkie parents, watching TV and loitering around. After a difficult upbringing, which he details on particularly, he found his love for the guitar as a teenager and began a part hippie, homeless beatnik life panhandling and playing music for money. This early period has some interesting tales, like how he wound up in the same ER as a bloodied Andy Warhol after a bad hallucinogenic trip or his stint with the Black Panthers.

This is when his involvement in the music business as a guitarist had begun, and he would soon meet Bernard Edwards or Nard as he would call him. Together they formed the Big Apple Band and backed a group called NYC, touring extensively with them. After the disbanding of NYC, they'd soon become involved with Tony Thompson, and the Chic trio formed.

The book then details on the writing of their first hits and the conception of their image, their first inspirations and their sound. The book eventually details on the rise and fall of disco, the "disco sucks" movement, and their future success as producers writing for Sister Sledge and Diana Ross. Unfortunately, the two friends eventually drifted apart, but then David Bowie happened.

The book then details on the making of the Let's Dance album with Bowie and afterwards the Like a Virgin album with Madonna along with some other works with artists like Duran Duran. By this time, Nile had become independent of the Chic moniker and was suffering from severe alcoholism and drug problems. The book then details his breakdown from extensive drug use and the time when he almost quit the showbiz after rehab, only to be called back to action by Michael Jackson. Eventually it all moves onto the ill-fated Chic show at Budokan after which Bernard Edwards was found dead in his hotel room.

What I most admired about this book is Nile's honesty. The man didn't take any credit away from the artists and gave credit where it was due. He also details on his junkie days and cleaning up his act. A must-read for the lovers of pop-culture and African-American music culture in America.

Note: If you're not familiar with Nile Rodger's body of work, here is a video interview of him playing a medley of some of his most important hits with his band Chic, in just sixty seconds.