The Story Behind the Sound

Origin

Chicago, IL

First Song

Mind Games — Quest

Record Labels

State Street Records, Streetside Records & Now 51st Street Music Chicago

Legacy

First diverse House Music band to tour worldwide

Jessie Jones (Master C & J™) was the music buyer at Loop Records in downtown Chicago where all the DJs from Chicago and the surrounding area suburbs would go to purchase the latest Imports, music from New York, and from Chicago. It was the headquarters for House Music and Jessie was pumping out thousands of records out of the store because of his unique ears breaking hit records around the world.

Our roots are from Chicago and it all started with the first song Mind Games, by Quest (Jessie Jones, Carl Bias, and Liz Torres) in the studio just playing around and vocalist, Liz Torres based the lyrics on a real life story between the two who were dating at the time.

Later on Quest changed to Master C & J™ and we were the first diverse House Music band that toured worldwide. The band/production team always consisted with Black, White and Latino musicians, vocalists and DJs.

With his unique record labels starting with State Street Records and Streetside Records, he also had one of the #1 stage performance around the world which made Master C & J™ and Liz Torres so unique. The shows was different from any other artist, which was very entertaining. Watching one of the shows makes you go out and purchase the music of Master C & J™ and Liz Torres.

During the legendary final closing weekend of the Paradise Garage in late September 1987 — a marathon celebration that spanned 72 continuous hours — Master C & J™ and Liz Torres made history as one of the few live acts permitted on stage. They performed twice during that historic send-off: first during the opening phase of the marathon to kick off the live entertainment, and again near the absolute end of the 72-hour closing ceremony alongside Larry Levan himself.

Their tracks — including classic masterpieces like "Can't Get Enough," "Mind Games," and "Face It" — were massive anthems spun repeatedly by Larry Levan throughout that legendary final weekend. Their dual live performance during the Garage's final hours remains a seminal moment in Chicago-to-NYC house music history.

So if you like House music this is why you should know your history of Master C & J™ and Liz Torres.

Acknowledgment goes to New York, Chicago and DJs around the world. So now come into our House and experience the Master C & J™ Sound!

A native of Puerto Rican descent born in Humboldt Park and raised in Logan Square, DJ Lugo Rosado stands as one of the definitive Latino architects of Chicago House Music. With a career spanning nearly five decades—from his early days behind the turntables in 1977 to his ongoing influence across global underground networks—Lugo Rosado continues to serve as a vital bridge between Afro-Caribbean rhythmic traditions and the electronic pulse of Midwestern dance culture.

Lugo's deep musical intuition was forged in a household rich with the syncopated brass and percussion of Latin music, particularly through the influential catalogs of Fania, Combo, and Salsoul Records. In the early 1980s, while still a teenager, he became the primary 12" vinyl buyer for Disco City #6, a landmark Latino record store in Logan Square. Serving as a taste-maker at the epicenter of Chicago's emerging DJ movement, Lugo curated and broke the latest New York Funk, Florida Latin sounds, Latin Freestyle, and the foundational Chicago House & imports. DJs from across the city routinely gathered at the shop to consult with Lugo before their weekend gigs. Years later, he continued shaping dance retail culture in the Dance Music department at Tower Records on Clark Street during the CD explosion.

As Chicago's club scene expanded, Lugo brought a unique cross-cultural signature to the movement. Deeply influenced by the soulful, eclectic curation of Larry Levan at New York's Paradise Garage, Lugo blended East Coast vocal sophistication with the raw, driving energy of Chicago's underground. Spinning in basement clubs and after-hours venues across the city, he worked alongside, shared stages with, and earned the respect of the genre's pioneers—including Frankie Knuckles, Kenny "Jammin" Jason, Farley "Jackmaster" Funk, and Steve "Silk" Hurley.

Lugo was an instrumental force in breaking Trax Records' catalog across legendary venues such as Jenals, El Mirador Ballroom, , The Playground, Club Hippo, The Marz Bar, The Limelight/Chgo, The Park West, The Congress Theatre, the world-famous Aragon Ballroom, and the Chicago Pan American Festival at Olive Park/Navy Pier, Chgo. His growing reputation as a master selector also led to guest spots at major national venues, including United Skates in Jackson Heights, Queens, NYC.

In the studio, Lugo helped define the blueprint for Latin-infused dance music. During the formative era of the genre, he served as an uncredited contributor to Jesse Velez's seminal release "Girls Out On The Floor"—widely recognized as the first Latin House record in dance music history.

Discovered by producer Jessie Jones (founder of Master C & J™ and Loop Records), Lugo joined the core production team and band backing Chicago's original House Music Diva, Liz Torres. His production, arrangement, and remix work extended to major dance labels including Jive Records, State Street Records, and Trax Records. Celebrated for his mastery of soulful, deep arrangements, he earned the title "Undisputed DJ of Vocal House.”

Beyond electronic dance music, Lugo Rosado remains a prominent figure on the international Latin music circuit. He is a primary selector for major Salsa concerts, having opened for global icons such as Marc Anthony, La India, Tito Nieves, Brenda K. Starr, and Gilberto Santa Rosa. Reflecting his broad cultural reach, he also served as the long-time DJ and Music Director for Latino Fashion Week Chicago—which was the only official Latino Fashion Week event in the United States.

Lugo's contributions to music history have been widely recognized by civic and cultural institutions. He was inducted into Chicago's DJ Hall of Fame for his pioneering contributions to dance music, and formally honored by the Mayor of Chicago, the Chicago City Council, and the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County for the 40th Anniversary of House Music. He has served as a guest lecturer at Roosevelt University and Columbia College Chicago, presenting the authentic grassroots narrative of Chicago's underground dance movement from the North Side to the South Side.

He has also been a highlighted performer at major retrospective events, including Power 92's sold-out History of House Music concert series (Parts I & II).

In 2019, coming full circle with his long-time production partner Jessie Jones, Lugo co-founded 51st Street Music Chicago. Headquartered in Chicago's historic Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, the label is dedicated to preserving the classic Master C & J™ deep-house legacy while producing fresh, forward-thinking dance releases for an international audience.

Past Club & Special Event Appearances

• Urban Theater Chicago / Back In The Days
• Honey Pot Performance's Community Archiving / The Chicago Black Social Culture Map
• Columbia College
• Roosevelt University
• American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music — Smithsonian traveling exhibition
• Architects Of House/ Top 100 Most Influential House Music DJs /DJ Day 1-9-11 The Shrine
• Anniversary of House Music
• Latino Grammy Party
• Latino Fashion Week
• V-Live Night Club
• March of Dimes
• Crobar
• Puerto Rican Day Parade
• Pride Parade
• Excalibur
• Green Dolphin
• Hennessey Urban Movida
• Sushi Samba
• Latinicity Chicago
• Latina Expo Chicago
• Bud Billiken Parade
• World's Largest Daytime House Party — Joe Live, Rosemont, IL

DJ Lugo Rosado — Discography available on Discogs.com

by: Cesar Rolon / Imagen Hispanic Marketing & Consultants

Reggie Hughes is the brother of legendary blues performer Jimmy Hughes (blues ballad "Steal Away") and the cousin of Percy Sledge (known for the song "When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles) and has spent a great many years of his life performing from when he was 17 years old with such greats as the Disco Legend, Sylvester ("You Make Me Feel Mighty Real", "Dance (Disco Heat)", and "Body Strong") and Alexander O'Neal (R&B singer, songwriter).

Reggie has also been the opening act for Renee and Angela, Natalie Cole and has performed with the legendary Drifters and The Chi-Lites, and also worked in stage plays with John Ruffin productions, alongside Christian Keys and Darin Henson.

Reginald Hughes is now the featured vocalist of the Master C & J™ team and this newly discovered talent, has only just begun, to be heard on the many hits to come out of Chicago on the 51st Street Music Chicago Record label.

He has a long family history in music and continues that tradition in music with Master C & J™ (Jessie Jones, DJ Lugo Rosado).

Watch out world, Reginald Hughes is making his mark!