Jesse Saunders, born on March 10, 1962 in Chicago, Illinois, is an American DJ, house music musician, record and film producer, and entrepreneur. He began his musical journey at age five studying piano and later explored other instruments. At 16, Saunders was exposed to Chicago's nightclub scene through Frankie Knuckles' music. In 1982, he opened his own nightclub, the Playground, where he incorporated original material into his sets. Saunders co-wrote his 1984 single "On & On" with Vince Lawrence, one of the first house music records commercially released on vinyl. This track, along with subsequent releases like "Funk U Up", established him as a pioneer in Chicago house music. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Saunders focused on producing and remixing, touring worldwide. He revived his Broken Records in 2004, which released digital content from major download sites featuring artists like Inaya Day and Marshall Jefferson.
