Godfather of Go-Go Music Dies

by Doug Levine

The so-called “Godfather of Go-Go” Chuck Brown died Wednesday (16 May) after suffering from pneumonia at a hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.  He was 75.   Brown was a music legend among fans in the nation’s capital.

Singer and guitarist Chuck Brown, along with his band The Soul Searchers, pioneered Washington’s Go-Go movement in the 1970s.  They turned it into a citywide phenomenon by blending funk with R&B, Latin, soul and dance hall music.  The band’s driving percussion beats were synchronized with Brown’s commanding vocals, while the horn-section provided tight, jazzy solos.

Chuck Brown, who moved to Washington from his native North Carolina, once said he was influenced by the sounds and fast beats he heard on the streets, as well as jazz and gospel.  Brown defined Go-Go as “a music that continues on and on, a call and response communication with the audience.”

Brown launched his career playing guitar with Jerry Butler and the Earls of Rhythm.  He was a member of the band Los Latinos before forming his own group The Soul Searchers in 1966.  After gaining a steady local following, they released their debut album, “We The People” in 1972.  Audiences continued to grow after the release of their hit single, “Bustin’ Loose.”

“Bustin’ Loose” became the first and only Top 40 hit for Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers, although it did reach Number One on the R&B chart.  Over the next three decades, the group recorded more than a dozen albums, culminating with their first Grammy nomination for the song “Love” from “We Got This.”  The honor took Brown by surprise.  He said, “After some 40 years in the business, running around and singing in different parts of the world, I never thought it would be like this.”

News of Brown’s death spread quickly throughout Washington, DC and beyond.  Washington Mayor Vincent Gray called Go-Go music “DC’s very own unique contribution to the world of pop music.”  He said the city would have been a different place without Chuck Brown.

“The Godfather of Go-Go” Chuck Brown died 16 May at age 75.

Photo: Go go musician Chuck Brown performing at the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, National Mall, Washington, D.C. on 1 October 2005. Photo taken by Gyrofrog.

Chuck Brown, 'The Godfather of Go-Go,' Dies at 75

Chuck Brown, the musician known as “The Godfather of Go-Go,” has died at 75 after a bout with pneumonia.

After several minor hit records, Brown created his own sound in the 1970s — a combination of funk, soul, and Latin music he called Go-Go, because he said the music goes and goes all night. The hit, “Bustin' Loose,” with his group, The Soul Searchers, helped define Go-Go's sound.

Go-Go became a signature sound of the African-American community of Washington, D.C. The affable, gravelly-voiced Brown was a familiar presence in the city's nightclubs and on the streets of black neighborhoods.

Photo by Eduardo Rodriguez, NEA. 2005.