To: President Donald Trump, Terry Stewart, The Maryland State House, The Maryland State Senate, Governor Larry Hogan, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Chuck Brown "The Godfather of GoGo" For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
Chuck Brown was born on August 22, 1936, in Gaston, North Carolina. He 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 go-go's musical classification, influences, and origins are debated, Brown is regarded as the fundamental force behind the creation of go-go music. Brown was considered a local legend in Washington, D.C., and 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 "Chuck Brown's Long Dance," the cover article in the Washington Post Magazine on October 4, 2009. 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 1900 block of 7th Street NW, in Northwest Washington, D.C., between Florida Avenue and T Street was renamed "Chuck Brown Way" in his honor.
On September 4, 2011, Brown was honored with a free concert on the West Lawn of the Capitol by the National Symphony Orchestra, as the NSO paid tribute in its Legends of Washington Music Labor Day concert featuring Brown's music, as well as Duke Ellington's and John Philip Sousa's. Brown and his band capped off the evening with a performance.
Brown's musical career began in the 1960s playing guitar with Jerry Butler and The Earls of Rhythm, joining Los Latinos in 1965. At the time of his death, he was still performing music and was well known in the Washington, D.C., 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 Here." 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 It 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. Sadly, Chuck Brown died of multiple organ failure (including heart failure or heart problems) on Wednesday, May 16, 2012, at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was 75 years old. Several weeks prior to his death, he had postponed and canceled shows due to hospitalization for pneumonia.
Because of his decades of musical influence and his dedication to music for over 30 years, Chuck Brown should be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Brown was the subject of "Chuck Brown's Long Dance," the cover article in the Washington Post Magazine on October 4, 2009. 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 1900 block of 7th Street NW, in Northwest Washington, D.C., between Florida Avenue and T Street was renamed "Chuck Brown Way" in his honor.
On September 4, 2011, Brown was honored with a free concert on the West Lawn of the Capitol by the National Symphony Orchestra, as the NSO paid tribute in its Legends of Washington Music Labor Day concert featuring Brown's music, as well as Duke Ellington's and John Philip Sousa's. Brown and his band capped off the evening with a performance.
Brown's musical career began in the 1960s playing guitar with Jerry Butler and The Earls of Rhythm, joining Los Latinos in 1965. At the time of his death, he was still performing music and was well known in the Washington, D.C., 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 Here." 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 It 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. Sadly, Chuck Brown died of multiple organ failure (including heart failure or heart problems) on Wednesday, May 16, 2012, at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was 75 years old. Several weeks prior to his death, he had postponed and canceled shows due to hospitalization for pneumonia.
Because of his decades of musical influence and his dedication to music for over 30 years, Chuck Brown should be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Why is this important?
Chuck Brown is the Godfather of go-go. He not only created his own style of music for DC, but for the world! Chuck Brown's music has been sampled by artists like Nelly in his smash summer hit "Hot in Here." After decades of providing the world with music, Mr. Brown has passed. This is why Chuck Brown needs to be considered and placed in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.