Chuck Brown was born August 22 was aguitarist and singer who is affectionately called "The Godfather ofGo-go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and aroundWashington, D.C. in the mid- and late 1970s. While its musical classificationinfluences, and origins are debated, Brown is regarded as the fundamental forcebehind the creation of go-go music.
Brown's musical career began in the 1960s playing guitarwith Jerry Butler and The Earls of Rhythm, joining Los Latinos in 1965. Hestill performs music today and is commonly known in the Washington, DC area.Brown's early hits include "I Need Some Money" and "Bustin'Loose". "Bustin' Loose" has been adopted by the WashingtonNationals baseball team as its home run celebration song, and was interpolatedby Nelly for his 2002 number one hit "Hot in Herre." Brown alsorecorded go-go covers of early jazz and blues songs, such as "Go-GoSwing" Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing If Ain't Got ThatSwing", "Moody's Mood for Love", Johnny Mercer's "MidnightSun", Louis Jordan's "Run Joe", and T-Bone Walker's "StormyMonday".
He has influenced other go-go bands such as Big G and TheBackyard Band, Rare Essence, Experience Unlimited (EU), Little Benny and theMasters, and Trouble Funk. The song "Ashley's Roach clip" from theSoul Searchers' 1974 album Salt of the Earth contains a famous drum break,sampled countless times in various other tracks. In the mid-1990s, he performedthe theme music of Fox's sitcom The Sinbad Show which later aired on The FamilyChannel and Disney Channel.
Brown is considered a local legend in Washington, D.C., andhas appeared in television advertisements for the Washington Post and otherarea companies. The D.C. Lottery's "Rolling Cash 5" ad campaignfeatures Chuck Brown singing his 2007 song "The Party Roll" in frontof various D.C. city landmarks such as Ben's Chili Bowl.
Brown resides in Brandywine, Maryland. He has 2 sons Wileyand Nekos Brown. Wiley is a gifted musician and football player at Virginia Tech.His son, Nekos, was a defensive end/linebacker for the Virginia Tech footballteam. While his son was in college, Brown scheduled concerts and otherappearances around the Hokies home schedule to ensure that he would never missa game, and became a fixture at Lane Stadium. Following the Virginia Techmassacre, Brown stated in an interview that he was "absolutelydevastated" by the tragedy, and cried every day for two weeks. In showsthat followed, Brown would pause for a moment in prayer for the victims andtheir families before beginning his performance, and dedicated several shows totheir memory.
Brown was the subject of the cover article in The WashingtonPost Magazine on October 4, 2009, entitled Chuck Brown's Long Dance. Hereceived his first Grammy Award nomination in 2010 for Best R&B PerformanceBy A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Love" (with Jill Scott and MarcusMiller), from the album We Got This.
Since the early 1970s, Brown has exclusively played a blondeGibson ES-335, which is affectionately referred to as his "Blondie." OnSeptember 4, 2011, Brown was honored by the National Symphony Orchestra, as theNSO paid tribute to Legends of Washington Music Labor Day concert - honoringBrown's music, as well as Duke Ellington and John Philip Sousa - with a freeconcert on the West Lawn of the Capitol. Brown and his band performed cappedthe evening with a performance.
WJLA reports that Chuck Brown, known as the "Godfatherof Go-Go" passed away today. His daughter confirmed the news. From WJLA: Brown'spassing comes about a week after the Washington Post confirmed that themusician, considered the pioneer ofGo-Go music, had been hospitalized with pneumonia. Brown's 1970 hit,"Bustin' Loose," hit #1 on the MCA charts. The song was later sampledin the 2002 Nelly song, "Hot in Herre." He had recently postponednumerous shows due to his failing health.