Kevin "Mega" McFall on the Origins of Chicago House Music

A World Made by Many

Explore Chicago house music history with Kevin "Mega" McFall, from The Warehouse and Frankie Knuckles to the culture that still shapes the city.

A man in sunglasses, a dark blazer, and a green shirt walks along a city street, with tall buildings and parked vehicles behind him.

Ask Kevin “Mega” McFall where house music got its name, and he doesn’t start with a song. He starts by telling you about the kids who walked into a record store asking for “that music from the warehouse.”

Kevin has spent six decades in the city, on and off, with stretches in New York, Boston and Charlotte. He introduces himself simply: “I am a house music historian and DJ and the first publicist.” Every Wednesday night, he’s on air at the Vintage House show. It’s been broadcasting for a decade, and he’s been part of it for eight of those years.

How Chicago House Music Got Its Name

And if you ask for the full story behind house music’s name, Kevin happily shares the long version. It starts with DJs like Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy, spinning records at clubs like The Warehouse and The Music Box. Kids went to record stores afterward to look for the music they heard. They came in and asked for the music that was being played at The Warehouse, it became part of the vernacular. Instead of saying “The Warehouse,” they’d ask for house music. “That name became a colloquialism that spread beyond the record stores to people attending parties,” he recalls.

Kevin McFall, a House Music Historian in Chicago

The sound itself was born out of necessity. A lot of people describe early house music as being very raw, Kevin says, and that stemmed from only having a basic synthesizer and a basic drum machine. DJs bought or hocked whatever gear they could get their hands on, chasing a sound they heard in clubs but didn’t always have access to.

A hand wearing a wristwatch adjusts a slider on a sound mixing console with rows of knobs, faders, and blue-lit buttons.

The Clubs and Communities That Built House Music

Access is central to Kevin’s stories. Some of the earliest rooms that played house music were membership-based gay clubs in the city he bluntly describes as deeply segregated. Many gay clubs in Chicago only welcomed white patrons, but The Warehouse stood out for being open to everyone in the gay community, regardless of race.

DJs like Wayne Williams, founder of the Chosen Few DJs, carried the sound out of those rooms and into spaces where the wider city and other communities could hear it. From there, house music spread through underage, unlicensed venues that had juice bars instead of liquor licenses, through Catholic school dances and through a Saturday night program called the Hot Mix 5. That was until, as Kevin puts it, “House music began to really take root and take off,” becoming a global phenomenon.

Kevin is careful about why that history matters, pointing to one afternoon in particular, Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in 1979. On that night, a radio DJ who was upset about a format change staged a promotion built around blowing up a crate of disco records on the field. “The movement had racial undertones,” Kevin says, calling it a hurtful moment aimed at the artists who made the music, adding that it’s why preservation work matters so much now.

For Kevin, house music is always about who feels free when they listen to it. The music itself is made by many people across many cultures, and “their nuances come together to help create and foster an experience that we call house music,” he says.

Discover Chicago House Music with Our House Masterclass

After meeting Kevin, you might find yourself searching for a record store, ready to turn up the volume on something new. For those who want to get closer to the music, there’s a way in.

Our House Masterclass brings you into a Chicago recording studio for a private, two-hour mixing session with local producers. You’ll trace house music’s roots through early soul and funk cuts, hear how Chicago's Black, Latino, and queer communities shaped the sound, and see what really happens behind the decks.

A red vertical theater sign reading “CHICAGO” and “CHASE” stands among downtown buildings, including a round, stacked-cylinder tower.

No experience required. Curiosity, a willingness to listen, and a sense of play are all you need. After Kevin shares how it all began, you may never hear a house track the same way again.

A man wearing glasses reaches for a record on a high shelf in a music shop while holding an open record sleeve.

A World Made By Many: Join Us for Dinner at Somerset

On November 6, Somerset hosts A Night Made by Many as part of our Viceroy Spirited Series. Dinner begins at 7 PM.

The four-course menu is a collaboration between our kitchen and bar, with each savory course paired by Beverage Director Sayo “Chi” Anise. Expect Champagne with tuna tartare, a Rhône red with ribeye, and for dessert, Dubai chocolate cheesecake alongside a Brachetto-Cognac cocktail.

Throughout the evening, you’ll hear the stories behind each dish and pairing. It’s Chicago hospitality, told by the people who shape it.

Take a look at A Night Made by Many and join us at the table.

Let Chicago Show You More

At Viceroy Chicago, we’re here to introduce you to the people and places that give the city its character. Kevin’s Chicago drops the needle on a record and a story, but flip the album over and there’s always something to discover on the b-side.

Explore our Chicago experiences and see where the city takes you.

A smiling bald man wearing sunglasses and a dark jacket stands in front of a tall stone building lined with windows.