The New York Times Sunday Magazine | The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters
28 Apr 2026
The New York Times Sunday Magazine | The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters
Nile Rodgers is framed here as the architect of the groove -- a self-described "arranger" rather than composer, whose jazzy chord voicings and signature "chucking" guitar style distilled New York's late-70s club scene into universal anthems like "Le Freak" and "Good Times."
His influence stretches far beyond disco: by embracing sampling, he laid foundational groundwork for hip-hop and shaped artists as varied as Diana Ross, Madonna, Daft Punk, and Johnny Marr. The thread running through it all is his rare gift for turning subcultural energy into collective joy -- anthems that have outlasted every era they have passed through.
