The pulse of DC has stopped. Our hearts are heavy as we feel like we’ve lost the most influential patriarch of our family. Chuck Brown’s family graciously shared their husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather with us…the children of the go-go sound. This city is so small and tight-knit that it’s hard not to boast of knowing a member of his family if not the man himself. The connection to Chuck is more than the music. It’s shared loved and DC Pride among native Washingtonians.
I missed out on the early origins of go-go, but grew up in its explosive era of the 80s. As a kid, my aunt would tell me her tales of being a student at Kelly Miller or H.D. Woodson and sneaking out to a Chuck show.
“Girrrrl, we partied HARD with Chuck Brown back in those days,” my aunt would say with a hardy laugh.
It was through my aunt that I first fell in love with Chuck and the go-go sound, though as I grew older go-go wouldn’t be my main choice of music. Still, I’m a DC girl and I can’t escape the monotony of the broken tribal sound. My aunt had a vinyl of a Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers live recording. Of course at the age 7 or so, what immediately caught my attention was the Woody Wood Pecker sample the Soul Searchers laced in the middle of their version of Moody’s Mood for Love and Here We Go Again. I would go bananas trying to figure out how did they do that? Eventually I would listen to the whole album from start to finish. I would go bananas twice as much, not knowing that I was listening to jazz infused go-go but was loving the horns, the guitar and Chuck’s voice; which seemed so seductive in a way that a giggling kid is witnessing her father trying to woo her mother.
“There I go, there I go, there I goooooo.”
It’s odd that growing up in DC, while I had a love for go-go, I wasn’t hardcore with it. So, I can’t spew off the names of venues like The Metro (aka The Met), Kilimanjaro, Knights of Columbus, Bravo, The Capital Centre, Ibex, The Blackhole, The Icebox, Triples, The Classics, The Legend (nee’ The Quonset) as places that I regularly went to see go-go favorites, including Chuck. I saw him up close and all at places like the Carter Barron, the 9:30 Club and at various family like events around the city. Of course, if you cued up Chuck Brown at a family function (wedding, reunion, cookout, funeral repast) it was a sure-fire way to get everyone out of their seat. Live or not, I received my healthy dose and then some of Chuck Brown.
What is clear for anyone who has even attended just one Chuck Brown show is this; unless he was performing a blues set (which is did with ease and an amazing serenity), it was pretty much a guarantee that no matter, whenever and where ever you saw Chuck perform ladies were going to sweat out their weaves and make up would run and fellas were going to look just as easily bad with sweat pouring from every pore. It was all evidence of a funky good time had by all. It was all about the music.
My last time seeing Chuck perform was during Mayor Vincent Gray’s inauguration gala a year ago. As expected, everyone dressed in their finest cocktail and formal attire sweated it out once Chuck hit the stage. Even I came out of my five-inch heels, let my make up run and cranked and pumped my fist in the air. Little did I know that would be the last time I would get to say with a full crowd, “Wind Me Up Chuck!” It was a sweet moment that’s all too common at a Chuck show. No fighting or “beefs” ( as they are sadly commonly linked to go-go music and concerts nowadays). Ladies whose feet were failing them, leaned on strange shoulders that gladly provided the support as the party rocked on. Fellas either stuck to the usual idle two-step or became slaves to the beat as they let their knees and their hips rock. Feet were stepped on, an accidental slip of the arm may have knocked someone’s drink out their hand, but no one made a fuss. Chuck’s aura brought that sense of peace and fun to a place, even in the lower level of the convention center at a formal event. That’s what I’m going to miss about him and his performances.
What I appreciated most about Chuck was his sense of “home is where the heart is.” Though I was aware of his crossover appeal into mainstream, I either took it for granted or was totally blind to how big Chuck was in and OUT of DC. The evidence is in today’s hip hop, such as Nelly sampling Bustin’ Loose for his song “Hot in Herre!” and Eve’s “Tambourine” samples “Blow Your Whistle.” Normally, if someone makes big noise outside of their hometown they leave their home behind and may mention or reference it when it’s convenient. They even may move as they chase their dream with feelings of outgrowing their home. It’s understandable to a degree as you can outgrow your surroundings and your talent and gifts maybe too big to just contain to one area. With Chuck it was different. I always said that if I ever got to interview him I would ask him what keeps him here in DC.
You see, Chuck is a national figure, and as I said I never really grasped that, until much later in life. Chuck may have had a show in Virginia, Georgia or California, but he was ALWAYS here in DC. He performed just has hard and as much here as he did when on the road performing in other cities. He stayed consistent and true to the art form that he help create and solidify as a “DC Thang,” that outsiders would not be able to understand. They may not have been able to understand this thing called go-go, but Chuck induced some potent magic with the sound as the utmost anti-go-go person became a zombie to the beat. He had that magic touch.
A few of my friends that are musicians have had the wonderful opportunity of working with Chuck; including an old elementary school classmate and (still) my neighbor Shante’ Moore. She co-wrote the Grammy nominated hit “Love,” the song in which Chuck does a duet with Jill Scott. I know my musician friends are feeling it – the punch of grief – right now. In addition to my musician friends, another friend of mine is really close to Chuck’s family. I can’t even begin to imagine her grief right now as she is out of the country and can’t be here to grieve and remember with friends and family. It was hard enough watching the evening news with Chuck’s daughter, Cherita (Cookie) , speaking through tears. I walked away from the television.
The whole city is sober with grief. It’s odd that someone mentioned that it’s like we expected Chuck to live forever. Maybe to some degree we did, as we couldn’t (or didn’t want to) imagine DC without Chuck. Even my grandmother, who is a few years older than Chuck, in her post head injury, pre-dementia state was in disbelief as she rambled off the names of parks that she remembered Chuck playing pre-go-go eras. Never in a million years could we imagine that an illness stemming from pneumonia could take out our musical hero; our godfather that cared and loved us enough to share his music and blanket us with his warm spirit.
What is comforting to know, at 75, Chuck passed away during a time when he was still in the midst of doing what he loved. I’m sure he was aware of the respect and love this city has held for him. We gave him his “flowers” throughout the years of his life; including name a street in his honor; Chuck Brown Way, the street in which the (newly restored and reopened) iconic Howard Theatre sits just right off from. Ironically, he was suppose to appear at its grand reopening a month or two ago and was scheduled to perform in June. Everything was pending on his recovery from his illness.
Still, what better way to go knowing you were loved and well received. Perhaps this is why he stayed with us here in the DC area. It was love.
“L-O, L-O, V-E Love!”
Mahoganie: Musings East of the Anacostia River 
ichoosethesun
May 17, 2012
Great tribute. Chuck will be dearly missed as he shared our music with the world.
MrsTDJ
May 19, 2012
Awesome tribute post. After moving to the DMV from NY, it took me awhile to appreciate and love gogo music. Chuck played a huge part in that process.