House music originated in Chicago, USA, in the early 1980s. It was initially played in mid-1980s discos for African and Latino Americans and gays; first in Chicago in 1984, then in New York City, Toronto, Montreal, London, Detroit, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami. After USA, it reached Europe where England played an important role in the development of this genre in Europe.
In the 90s, it started contaminating pop and dance music worldwide. House music genre does not have a direct predecessor, however it is considered to be strongly influenced by soul, funk and disco. See Wikipedia for additional info.