go-go
Washington, D.C.
Photo courtesy of VS Davis
What better way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of go-go, the official music of Washington, D.C., than by welcoming back the Chuck Brown Band, now led by Wiley Brown, son of the “Godfather of Go-Go,” Chuck Brown. Nearly 15 years after the passing of their legendary founder and bandleader, the pioneering group continues to lay down the signature go-go beat for legions of fans nationwide.
Go-go music is the hyper-local dance music that emerged in Washington, D.C. in the 1970s. A highly syncopated, percussive, homegrown offshoot of funk, go-go combines elements of R&B, gospel, hip hop, and jazz; African and Latin-derived rhythms; and call-and-response vocals—all layered over a signature percussion pattern. Crowd participation and a nonstop groove are essential: shout-outs to individuals and neighborhoods keep audiences engaged, and songs blend into one another, keeping energy high. The sound is firmly rooted in D.C.’s Black neighborhoods; created, nurtured, and sustained by a whole community over generations, but almost everyone agrees that the originator of the sound was guitarist, singer, and bandleader Chuck Brown and his band The Soul Searchers.
Originally born in Gaston, North Carolina, in 1936, Brown moved to D.C. at age six. As a teen Brown quit school and lived in the streets until 1955, when a fight turned deadly—which Brown always maintained was self-defense—and landed him in the Lorton Correctional Complex. While incarcerated, Chuck famously traded cigarettes for a guitar, and taught himself to play. Upon his release, he set his sights on a career in music.
Chuck spent the ’60s honing his craft in various bands, including Los Latinos—a popular D.C. Latin-influenced R&B outfit, whose syncopated, conga-driven rhythms would become crucial to the go-go sound. In 1972 Brown led his own band, the Soul Searchers, on their first release, We The People, whose title track cracked the Billboard R&B chart. Their next release, 1974’s Salt of the Earth, yielded up two more minor hits, but their big break came in 1978, when their single “Bustin’ Loose” topped the R&B charts for a dozen weeks, putting go-go on the national musical map. The ’80s were the heyday of old school go-go, with bands like Trouble Funk and Experience Unlimited following in Brown’s footsteps, scoring hits and further evolving the music, often in parallel with another emerging genre, hip hop. Chuck also thrived, releasing two more albums and another signature hit in 1984, “We Need Some Money,” while also solidifying his legend as a live performer with marathon hometown concerts. Until his death in 2012, Brown settled into his role as “Godfather,” mentoring younger artists while continuing to perform, record, and collect his props, including a 2005 National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s highest honor for traditional artist, and a 2011 Grammy nomination.
Today, the Chuck Brown Band, led by Chuck’s son, Wiley Brown, keeps the go-go flame alive for a new generation. Wiley got his first taste of the spotlight early, joining his father onstage at the age of four. As a teenager he rapped onstage with the original Soul Searchers, before pursuing his dream to play college football. After Chuck’s passing, Wiley picked up the mic, joining the Chuck Brown Band full time in 2016, and has been turning out audiences with vintage, non-stop party jams and originals like “Summertime” ever since.