“It’s a beautiful thing to come from nothing and be something,” Mike Dunn told 5 Mag on a rare sunny and warm March day in Chicago.

Dunn, in a speech after the ceremony opening DJs played a short set of some of his greatest hits, recalled his childhood living in the “the PJs, the projects” — the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood.

After an almost 40 year career in music, and during the week of his 60th birthday, the artist behind 1987’s “Dance You Mutha” on Westbrook Records, has been recognized by the city that he calls home.

On March 18th, 2026, the city of Chicago adopted a resolution to honor and celebrate Mike Dunn for his career and contributions to Chicago music.

Dozens of househeads, supporters, family members and Chicagoans gathered for an outdoor ceremony at Daley Plaza in the center of downtown to celebrate the pioneering Chicago DJ, producer, and core member of the world-renowned Chosen Few DJs.

“To be recognized by the city — it’s humbling, and it’s a blessing,” Dunn said.

Alderman Desmon Yancy of Chicago’s 5th Ward, a former DJ himself, spoke to the crowd amidst Chicago’s famous skyline of highrises and skyscrapers reflecting the sunshine and almost clear blue sky.

“It is an honor to be able to present this resolution along with Pat Dowell, Alderman of the 3rd Ward,” Yancy said.

A House music lover since his high school days in the ’80s, Alderman Yancy stood aside Dunn on the stage along with sister Raynese Dunn Shaw and childhood friend Gershon Jackson.

We wasn’t expecting to make it, yall… Like most of them, we wasn’t expecting to make it. So this for me is everything. This dream is everything.

Jackson praised the accomplishments of the premier remixer and studio engineer for global powerhouses like Defected, Glitterbox, Nu Groove, Classic Music Company, Big Love, and Club 106.3 FM, before reading the resolution aloud.

“Thirty-eight years later, he is one of the pioneers of House music,” Jaskon said. “He has become an innovator to our culture. He has blazed the trail for others to follow.”

Standing behind a podium and next to a table of CDJs, Jackson became emotional as he announced his lifelong friend’s name among “greatness” like Farley Jackmaster Funk, Lori Branch, Frankie Knuckles, and more.

“And now I get to say, Mike Dunn!” Jackson exclaimed while getting choked up.

Expectations of Failure

Dunn and Jackson’s families lived as neighbors and supporters of each other as the two grew up in Chicago’s historic southside Bronzeville neighborhood.

“[We grew up in] the Robert Taylor Homes [and] the thing about living in poverty is, it nurtures an expectation of failure,” Jackson explained preceding his reading of the resolution. “That what you have in front of you is what’s destined for you.”

The effects of poverty did hit Dunn hard, he shared at the podium with the crowd as they shouted words of encouragement.

“We wasn’t expecting to make it, yall,” Dunn said, “Like most of them, we wasn’t expecting to make it. So this for me is everything. This dream is everything.”

Dunn’s self-belief and resilience kept him going and led to the stewardship of Warehouse Records and the internationally influential Muzique Records.

Mike Dunn and Armando Gallop
Back In The Day: Mike Dunn and Armando Gallop

Dunn recalled taking money from his savings account, which his Big Ma had other plans for, to buy $4,000 worth of records to become a DJ.

“She was so pissed off at me… but then she saw when I started coming,” he describes. “And she still wasn’t happy, but she was like, oh, okay, okay, right.”

Dunn said the thing is to never give up.

“Believing yourself enough to never give up,” Dunn said. “I lost every piece of studio equipment I own almost, and got everything back again.”

Dunn told 5 Mag that he began his career throwing neighborhood parties at a local church bringing music to neighborhood kids. To help make a living, he tried to work in a stockroom.

Your DJ is like your pastor. House is like church.

“I got one check and I quit,” Dunn said. “My mind was made up to go hard, be focused on learning studio engineering [and] music production.”

Dunn recalled studying and watching artists like Marshall Jefferson, Bam Bam, Byron Stingily of Ten City, and Farley Jackmaster Funk to perfect his craft.

Nowadays, Dunn calls himself a trendsetter.

“When you hear a Mike Dunn track, you know it’s a Mike Dunn track. I just do something just a little different than everybody else trying to do it,” Dunn said.

“God made me phunky.”

The Importance of Now

While reminiscing about the passing of legendary Chicago DJ Ron Carroll in September of 2025, one of the ceremony’s opening DJs, J.Star, emphasized the importance of honoring and celebrating a monumental day for Chicago and for house music all over the world.

“You need to honor those who are present, who laid the way in the foundation for basically what’s getting us through now,” he said. House music aids in survival during heavy times and it is important to honor its pioneers, like Dunn and Carroll, he added.

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“House music is the lifeline… it’s the heartbeat. It’s the freedom anthem that’s literally carried us through times and countless situations, including what’s going on politically and everything right now.”

According to Dunn, the house community is “everything” and house music is a spiritual experience that can offer respite and joy that we all need right now.

“Your DJ is like your pastor… House is like church,” Dunn explained. “So you come in there to get rid of you and forget about your problems. [And they’ll say] ‘Take me somewhere today with this music. Let me forget about this. Make me feel good.’“

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