Remembering Chuck Brown (1936 – 2012)

I have fond memories growing up in NW DC. I lived directly around the corner from the Blackhole (Capitol City Pavilion). While I was still too young to attend any of the go-go concerts there, my older cousins went frequently and I could only wait in anticipation as to when I would be old enough to go too. For me, I didn’t start going to see go-go bands until I was well into my college years.

One of the first, was a Chuck Brown show at some obscure club near 14th and U Street NW. I wasn’t paying attention while trying to dance, so much that I nearly knocked Chuck Brown over as he made it way to the stage for his set. I still have the photos. Yes those photos, with my friends and I, in front of an airbrushed painted backdrop. For those of you who have been to a go-go, cabaret or any party in the DC area within the last 15 years you will know what I’m referring too.

As a child there wasn’t a basement party, cookout or wedding that didn’t play a little Chuck Brown music to get the crowd moving. So it saddens my heart to know that Chuck Brown, the God-father of go-go has passed away.

Like mumbo sauce and half-smokes – Chuck Brown is DC and he will be missed.

From Wikipedia:

Chuck Brown (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 Chuck Brown website WindMeUpChuck.com:

Chuck Brown public viewing and public services arrangements have been released. Public viewing will take place at The Howard Theatre on Tuesday May 29 from 11 am to 10 pm.  Public home-going service will take place on Thursday May 31st at 12 noon at the Washington Convention Center.

Details of the Funeral Services from DC.gov:

Public Viewing
Tuesday, May 29th
11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
The Howard Theatre
620 T Street NW
http://www.thehowardtheatre.com/

Public Memorial Service
Thursday, May 31st
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place NW
http://eventsdc.com/

Get to Know Chuck Brown’s Music on iTunes:

Washington, D.C., bandleader, performer, and songwriter Chuck Brown has been a prominent figure on the city’s go-go scene since the late ’70s. Brown & the Soul Searchers have also been one of the rare go-go acts to gain national attention, even though it was short-lived. The Soul Searchers included trombonist/keyboardist John “JB” Buchanan, trumpeter Donald Tillery, saxophonist/flutist Leroy Fleming, bassist Jerry Wilder, percussionist Gregory Gerran, organist Curtis Johnson, keyboardist Skip Fennell, drummer Ricardo Wellman, and guitarist LeRon Young. They vaulted into the spotlight with “Busting Loose,” the top R&B single for four consecutive weeks at the end of 1978.

Donate to the Chuck Brown Foundation:

Envisioned by the Godfather of Go Go, Chuck Brown, as a way to give back to the causes he felt so passionately about….Education, Homelessness, and Re-entry Into Society After Incarceration

Tags: Chuck Brown, dc mumbo sauce, go-go bands, mambo sauce, Mumbo Sauce, mumbo sauce recipe, washington dc