Chuck Roberts was hailed as the voice of house music for his instantly recognizable “In the beginning, there was Jack” spoken word sample.
Chicago house music’s innermost circle mourns one of its own today as Chuck Roberts has passed away. The singer, songwriter, and producer is best known for his spoken-word contribution to Rhythm Controll‘s 1987 single “My House,” which is often called “the house music gospel” by fans of the genre around the world.
Terry Hunter, a Chicago house DJ and producer who helped Roberts reimagine “My House” as the 2018 single “In The Beginning (There Was Jack)” featuring Monique Bingham, shared the news of his passing on Facebook. Without specifying a cause of death, he wrote, “I can’t believe I’m writing this! RIP Chuck The Voice Roberts!!!!“
According to 5 Magazine, Roberts died peacefully while surrounded by family in Berwyn, Illinois at age 66 following a battle with cancer.
Chuck Roberts was born in Chicago’s West Side to a family closely involved with the church. He started singing at religious functions around six or seven years of age and joined his first band at 13.
In a 2020 interview with GoBANG Magazine, Roberts recounted how his father let them practice in a Church space until he heard them playing “Black Magic Woman” by Santana. His first taste of commercial success came with the funk band Mister‘s 1983 track “I Wanna Thank You.”
It was, of course, “My House” that cemented Roberts as a central figure in house music lore. Mixmag notes that Chicago house producer Tony Lewis called Roberts in the middle of the night to tell him that he needed someone with a holy background to explain “what house music is” on the record. Roberts recounted that he spoke the words before he ever wrote them, and that the iconic sample was recorded in about five takes.
In the years that followed, the words “In the beginning, there was Jack, and Jack had a groove…” were heard throughout the world — especially in the UK, whose acid house movement elevated numerous US dance music artists to much higher heights than they saw in the States. The “My House” vocal was also sampled in Fingers Inc‘s seminal 1988 deep house cut “Can You Feel It.”
In recent years, Roberts delivered tracks like 2020’s “I Choose To Live” and featured on the 2024 track “Oscillator” by Illusionize and DJ Glen. Friends have taken to social media to share accounts of how Roberts mentored and encouraged them to pursue their goals in the music industry.
No memorial details for Chuck Roberts have been shared with the public at the time of writing. We here at EDM Identity express our sincere condolences to his loved ones and supporters.
