Chuck Brown  

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Chuck Brown (born August 22, 1936 - May 16, 2012) was a guitarist and singer who is affectionately called "The Godfather of Go-go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and around Washington, D.C. in the mid- and late-1970s. While its musical classification, influences, and origins are debated, Brown is regarded as the fundamental force behind the creation of go-go music. The song "Ashley's Roachclip" from the Soul Searchers' 1974 album Salt of the Earth contains a famous drum break, sampled countless times in various other tracks.


Contents

Overview

Brown's musical career began in the 1960s playing guitar with Jerry Butler and The Earls of Rhythm, joining Los Latinos in 1965. He still 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 Washington Nationals baseball team as its home run celebration song, and was interpolated by Nelly for his 2002 number one hit "Hot in Herre." Brown also recorded go-go covers of early jazz and blues songs, such as "Go-Go Swing" 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".

He influenced other go-go bands such as Big G and The Backyard Band, Rare Essence, Experience Unlimited (EU), Little Benny and the Masters, and Trouble Funk.

The song "Ashley's Roachclip" from the Soul Searchers' 1974 album Salt of the Earth contains a famous drum break, sampled countless times in various other tracks.

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.

Since the early 1970s, Brown exclusively played a blonde Gibson ES-335, affectionately referred to as his "Blondie."

Legacy

Brown is considered a local legend in Washington, D.C., and has appeared in television advertisements for the Washington Post and other area companies. The D.C. Lottery's "Rolling Cash 5" ad campaign features Chuck Brown singing his 2007 song "The Party Roll" in front of various D.C. city landmarks such as Ben's Chili Bowl.

Brown was the subject of the cover article in The Washington Post Magazine on October 4, 2009, entitled Chuck Brown's Long Dance. He received his first Grammy Award nomination in 2010 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.

In 2009, the block of 7th Street in Northwest Washington, DC 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 performed capped the evening with a performance.

Personal life

Brown resided in Brandywine, Maryland. He had 2 sons, Wiley and Nekos Brown. Wiley is a musician and football player at Virginia Tech. His son, Nekos, was a defensive end/linebacker for the Virginia Tech football team. While his son was in college, Brown scheduled concerts and other appearances around the Hokies home schedule to ensure that he would never miss a game, and became a fixture at Lane Stadium. Following the Virginia Tech massacre, Brown stated in an interview that he was "absolutely devastated" by the tragedy, and cried every day for two weeks. In shows that followed, Brown would pause for a moment in prayer for the victims and their families before beginning his performance, and dedicated several shows to their memory.

Death

Chuck Brown died on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at Baltimore's John Hopkins Hospital of multiple organ failure. He was 75 years old. Several weeks prior to his death, he had postponed and canceled shows due to hospitalization for pneumonia.

Discography

  • 1972: We the People
  • 1974: Salt of the Earth
  • 1979: Bustin' Loose
  • 1980: Funk Express
  • 1984: We Need Some Money
  • 1986: Go Go Swing Live [Future Sounds Production]
  • 1987: Any Other Way to Go?
  • 1987: Live '87 - D.C. Bumpin' Y'all [live; double album]
  • 1989: Trust Me: Live Pa Tape, Vol. 2 [Future Records & Tapes]
  • 1990: Wind Me up Chuck, Vol. 3 [Raw Venture Records & Tapes]
  • 1991: 90's Goin' Hard
  • 1993: This Is a Journey into Time [live]
  • 1995: Hah Man
  • 1995: The Other Side - with Eva Cassidy (recorded in 1992 and released in 1995)
  • 1997: Live Pa Tape
  • 1998: Timeless
  • 1999: The Spirit of Christmas
  • 2001: Your Game...Live at the 9:30 Club
  • 2002: Put Your Hands Up!
  • 2005: Best of Chuck Brown (remastered)
  • 2007: We are About The Business (Raw Venture Records)
  • 2010: We Got This (Raw Venture Records)

See also





Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Chuck Brown" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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