Robert Owens

Robert Owens

Robert Owens is a US songwriter, producer, DJ and house vocalist from Chicago, associated with soul and vocal house. Born in 1961, he grows up singing in church and later works as a DJ before meeting Chicago producer Larry Heard in 1985.

Fingers, Inc.

With Heard and Ron Wilson, Owens forms Fingers, Inc., a Chicago house group closely linked with the late 1980s development of the style. The group releases singles including “You’re Mine” and “It’s Over”, and issues the 1988 album Another Side. The group then dissolves as Heard continues his solo work under the name Mr. Fingers.

Solo work and collaborations

Before and alongside his solo career, Owens records tracks such as “Bring Down the Walls” and “I’m Strong” for Alleviated, with production from Heard. He then signs to 4th & Broadway and releases the 1990 album Rhythms in Me. One of his best-known late-1980s singles is “Tears”, issued under the names of Frankie Knuckles and producer Satoshi Tomiie.

In 2000, Owens appears on Photek’s “Mine to Give”. He also works with Coldcut on the album Sound Mirrors, contributing to “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” in 2006, and collaborates with Rob Pearson on “Escape from the Madness”, released on Plastic City in 2007.