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Farley Keith

b. 1962

American DJ

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About Farley Keith

Born 1962. Farley Keith is an American club DJ, disc jockey, musician, record producer and composer.

Farley "Jackmaster" Funk (born Farley Keith Williams; January 25, 1962) is an American musician, DJ and record producer of Chicago house and acid house music. He is notable for writing and producing a number of highly influential tracks in the mid and late 1980s.

He has released records under various aliases such as "Farley Funkin' Keith", "Rude Boy Farley Keith", "The Housemaster Boyz", "Jackmaster Dick" or "The Godfather of House".

Career Farley got his start in the music industry in 1981 as one of the original members of the Hot Mix 5, a DJ team at WBMX-FM 102.7 FM, Oak Park, Illinois (original members of Kenny "Jammin" Jason, Mickey "Mixin" Oliver, Scott "Smokin" Silz, Farley "Funkin" Keith and Ralphi "Rockin" Rosario). He was a guest DJ at the Warehouse nightclub, and was a resident DJ at The Playground, which later became the Candy Store The new version, "Love Can't Turn Around", reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart in 1986. It holds an important place in the history of house music as the first record in the genre to make it into the UK Singles Chart and to popularize house music overseas.

Farley had several other follow-up hits during the late 1980s, most notably "House Nation" in 1986, credited to the House Master Boyz and the Rude Boy of House, which followed "Love Can't Turn Around" into the UK top ten.

The album No Vocals Necessary (1988) contained a 303 driven instrumental acid house track named "The Acid Life" that was successfully (but uncredited) covered by Technotronic as "Pump Up the Jam" (1989).

Apart from his own works, he did some remixing, producing and editing for other artists during this time. He also DJed and performed at many parties in the Chicago suburbs, and is still playing venues as a DJ .

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DJ mixes Real House: Hot Mix CD (1996)

Compilations Trax Classix (2005)

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Club DJ, disc jockey, musician, record producer, composer
Nationality
Also known as
Farley Jackmaster Funk, Farley Keith Williams, Farley Williams, Farley "Jackmaster" Funk, Jackmaster, Rude Boy Farley Keith
moreFarley Funkin' Keith

People in Farley Keith's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Farley Keith's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Farley Keith?

American DJ

When was Farley Keith born?

Farley Keith was born on 25 January 1962 in Chicago.

What is Farley Keith's occupation?

Farley Keith is a club DJ, disc jockey, musician, record producer and composer.

What nationality is Farley Keith?

Farley Keith is American.

Sources & further reading

Β· Wikipedia: Farley Keith

Β· Wikidata: Q2080533

Β· DBpedia: Farley "Jackmaster" Funk

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Farley Keith. https://biography.guide/farley-keith/

MLA: "Farley Keith." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/farley-keith/.

Chicago: "Farley Keith." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/farley-keith/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 Β· Spot an error? Report a correction.

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