Mr. Fingers

Larry Heard, best known as Mr. Fingers, helped define the sound of Chicago house in the 1980s. Born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 31, 1960, he is an American DJ, record producer and musician whose work connected house music's futurist drive with the warmer, fuller textures of disco. His 1986 single “Can You Feel It” became a landmark dance record and a major influence on later electronic music.

Heard is widely regarded as a pioneering figure in house music and as a progenitor of deep house. Recording under names including Fingers, Gherkin Jerks, Loosefingers, Blakk Society and Larry Heard, he developed a body of work that moved across house, acid house, jazz house and deep house while retaining a melodic, atmospheric approach.

As leader of Fingers Inc., Heard played a central role in one of house music's formative groups. Fingers Inc.'s 1988 album Another Side was the first long-form house LP, marking an early full-length statement for a style that had largely been built around singles and club records. Under the Mr. Fingers name, Heard's music remains closely associated with the deep, soulful side of Chicago house.