Chuck Brown

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Charles Louis Brown (August 22, 1936 – May 16, 2012) was an American guitarist, bandleader, and singer known as "The Godfather of Go-Go".<ref name="Informer">Template:Cite news</ref> Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed around the Washington, D.C., area in the mid-1970s. While its musical classification, influences, and origins are debated, Brown is regarded as the fundamental force behind the creation of go-go music.<ref name="lawweekly1">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

At the time of his death, he was still performing music and was well known in the Washington, D.C., area. The song "Ashley's Roachclip" from the 1974 album Salt of the Earth by Brown's band The Soul Searchers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> contains a drum break, sampled countless times in various other tracks.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Brown's R&B hits include "Bustin' Loose"(1979)<ref>Chuck Brown Bio Windmeupchuck.com/bio. Retrieved 16 March 2023</ref> and "We Need Some Money"(1984).<ref>Chuck Brown We Need Some Money All music. Retrieved 22 March 2023</ref>

Early life: 1936–1963Edit

Brown was born on August 22, 1936, in Gaston, North Carolina.<ref name="nydeath">Template:Cite news</ref> Brown's mother, Lyla Brown, was a housekeeper. His father, Albert Louis Moody, was a United States Marine. Brown's father, however, was not present in his life, and Brown lived in poverty.<ref name="nydeath" /><ref name="wpdeath1">Template:Harvnb</ref> When Brown was six years old, he moved to Washington, D.C., and at 15 he started living on the streets.<ref name="mtvproove">Template:Cite news</ref> He did not graduate high school; after quitting school he decided to perform odd jobs to make money,<ref name="wpdeath2">Template:Harvnb</ref> including shining shoes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the 1950s, Brown was convicted of murder and served eight years in Lorton Correctional Complex. At first, the case was tried as aggravated assault; however, it was moved up to murder once the victim died. Brown stated that his actions were in self-defense.<ref name="wpdeath2" /> In prison, he traded cigarettes for a guitar, which was how his love for the instrument began.<ref name="wpdeath2" /> When Brown completed his sentence, he moved back to Washington, D.C., and worked as a truck driver, a bricklayer, and a sparring partner at multiple boxing gyms. He also started to perform at parties throughout the area; however, he could not play at venues that served liquor because his probation officer would not allow it.<ref name="wpdeath2" />

Music careerEdit

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File:Chuck Brown and his guitar (2005).jpg

Brown with his signature blonde Gibson ES-175

Brown's musical career began in the 1960s, playing guitar with many jazz musicians and soul singer Jerry Butler, joining Los Latinos in 1965.

Brown also recorded go-go covers of early jazz and blues songs, such as "Go-Go Swing", "Harlem Nocturne", Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing If Ain't Got That Swing", "Moody's Mood For Love", Johnny Mercer's "Midnight Sun", Louis Jordan's "Run Joe", and T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday".

In the mid-1990s, he performed the theme music of Fox's sitcom The Sinbad Show which later aired on The Family Channel and Disney Channel. "Bustin' Loose" has been adopted by the Washington Nationals baseball team as its home run celebration song and was interpolated by Nelly for his 2002 number one hit "Hot in Herre."

He received his first Grammy Award nomination in 2011 for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Love" (with Jill Scott and Marcus Miller), from the album We Got This.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Death and tributesEdit

Brown died on May 16, 2012, at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital of multiple organ failure, including heart failure, at the age of 75. Several weeks before his death, he had postponed and canceled shows due to hospitalization for pneumonia.<ref name="Informer" /><ref name="wjla2012-05-16">Template:Cite news</ref> His interment was at Trinity Memorial Gardens in Waldorf, Maryland.

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The Soul Rebels Brass Band, Rare Essence and Slick Rick performed a tribute concert and collaborated on June 21, 2012, in Washington, D.C., at the historic Howard Theatre which re-opened in April 2012.<ref name="Howard Theatre">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Artistry and legacyEdit

Brown played a blonde Gibson ES-335.<ref name="lawweekly1"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Brown is called the "Godfather of Go-Go"<ref name="nydeath" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> and was considered a local legend in Washington, D.C. Darryl Brooks, a local promoter who worked with Chuck Brown during his career, stated, "He was a symbol of D.C. manhood, back in the day, because of the authority that he spoke with. He just spoke from a perspective that black men could understand."<ref name="beyond" /> Andre Johnson, the leader of the go-go band Rare Essence, said that Chuck Brown "influenced generations of people—not just one—a few generations of musicians around here."<ref name="beyond" /> Vincent C. Gray, the mayor of Washington, D.C., said Brown was "go-go's creator and, arguably, its most legendary artist".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He influenced other go-go bands such as Trouble Funk, Experience Unlimited(EU), Rare Essence,<ref>Rare Essence Retrieved 23 March 2023</ref> Hot Cold Sweat, Junk Yard Band, AM/FM, Slug-Go, Redds & the Boys,<ref> Redds & the Boys Retrieved 23 March 2023</ref> Anwan Glover, the Backyard Band, and Little Benny and the Masters.

Awards and honorsEdit

Brown was a recipient of a 2005 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2009, the 1900 block of 7th Street NW, in Northwest Washington, D.C., between Florida Avenue and T Street, was renamed Chuck Brown Way in his honor.

On September 4, 2011, Brown was honored by the National Symphony Orchestra, as the NSO paid tribute to Legends of Washington Music Labor Day concert - honoring Brown's music, as well as Duke Ellington and John Philip Sousa - with a free concert on the West Lawn of the Capitol. Brown and his band capped off the evening with a performance.

In 2014, the Chuck Brown Memorial Park in Langdon neighborhood, Washington, D.C., was built to honor Brown. It features a memorial wall honoring his life and achievements, as well as a sculpture called "Wind Me Up, Chuck", signifying the "call and response" associated with go-go music.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

DiscographyEdit

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NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

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