Nile Rodgers: who is Chic band member, what songs is he famous for - and when is his Amol Rajan interview on TV?

In the hour-long documentary, Rajan speaks to Chic guitarist and songwriter Nile Rodgers about his childhood, setting up the band with his musical partner, and the racism that still troubles America.

Who is Nile Rodgers?

Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer, and the co-founder of Chic.

He was born on September 19, 1952 in the Lower East Side of New York.

His mother, Beverly Goodman, gave birth to Rodgers when she was 14.

Rodgers’ biological father, Nile Rodgers Sr, was a travelling percussionist who was rarely present as Rodgers grew up.

In 1959, Goodman married Bobby Glanzrock, and the couple became heroin users - a habit that Rodgers also picked up when he was only 13.

After learning to play guitar at 16, Rodgers teamed up with bassist Edwards to form Chic in 1972. The band broke up in 1983, but Rodgers went on to work with a number of different artists.

Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on albums that have sold more than 500 million units and 75 million singles worldwide.

These albums included Madonna’s Celebration album, and singles included Lay Me Down (Avicii) and Get Lucky (Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams)

In 2014, Rolling Stone magazine wrote that "the full scope of Nile Rodgers’ career is still hard to fathom".

He has previously worked with The B-52s, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Grace Jones, The Vaughan Brothers, Bryan Ferry, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, and Daft Punk.

In 2014, he won three Grammy Awards for his work on Daft Punk’s album, Random Access Memories.

In 2018, Rodgers co-founded Hipgnosis Songs Fund, a publicly-traded music IP investment company.

What songs is Nile Rodgers famous for?

In the 1979 album, Risque, the song Good Times was a number one single on the pop and soul charts, and also became the most-sampled song of all time.

Good Times inspired Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust, and Around the World by Daft Punk.

Rodgers and Edwards wrote and produced music for other artists, including He’s the Greatest Dancer, We Are Family, Sister Sledge, I’m Coming Out and Upside Down.

After Chic’s breakup in 1983, Rodgers continued to produce major albums and singles for other artists.

These include Lets Dance by David Bowie, Like a Virgin by Madonna, The Reflex and Notorious by Duran Duran, and Original Sin by INXS.

When is the Amol Rajan Interview on TV?

Amol Rajan’s Interview with Nile Rodgers will be on BBC Two on Thursday 10 March.

In England, Scotland and Wales, the episode is on at 9:00pm.

In Wales however, the episode is on at 11:15pm on BBC Two Wales.

Who else has Amol Rajan interviewed?

In July 2021, Rajan interviewed Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, about the company’s privacy, quantum computing, pioneering development in Al and much more.

Last month, tennis player Novak Djokovic opened up to Rajan about his controversial choice not to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and the effects this choice may have on his career.

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