*Wind me up, Chuck! Go-go music may not ever catch on beyond the Beltway, but the National Endowment of Arts has finally recognized the musician who pioneered the innovative artform in the 1970s.

Chuck Brown, still active at age 70 as the “Godfather of Go-Go,” was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship Tuesday, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. The Fellowship comes with a $20,000 prize and is presented annually by the NEA – usually to traditional craftspeople unknown outside of their professions.

The NEA said Brown was chosen for the honor because he "remains among the few 20th-century American vernacular musicians who clearly developed and shaped a musical genre from its infancy to a more mature state."


Brown’s 1978 hit single “Bustin’ Loose, Pt. 1,” which spent four weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's R&B chart, pioneered the percussion-heavy, funk driven music-form accented with horn riffs and call-and-response chants. Nelly sampled “Bustin’ Loose” for his 2002 sizzler “Hot in Herre.” Other recent go-go-driven singles include Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” and Amerie’s “1 Thing.”

Three other traditional folk musicians snagged NEA fellowships: country and gospel singer Wanda Jackson, who shot to stardom as a pioneering female rockabilly star in the late '50s; Chicago gospel singer Albertina Walker, and Cajun fiddler and bandleader Michael Doucet. The awards will be presented in September at an event on Capitol Hill. A concert at Lisner Auditorium in D.C. is scheduled for Sept. 23.

It don't mean a thing
if it aint got the go-go swing
doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop doo wop!

Cool! are you from D.C.?

SweetKreme said:

I am. Well, the PGC, actually.

I'm from PGC too! I'm really happy for Chuck. I like the old school go-go much better than the go-go out now.

SweetKreme said:

-----
From PGC

DonnaBelle said:

Legs dittos that.

that's some crankin' heavy shiznit
That guy is responsible for probably the best and most exciting concert I've ever been to, or at least it's still in my top three of all time. Go Chuck Go!!

Stax said:

I'm from NY but I live in Baltimore now - I do alot of partying in DC though! and I work in PG (Laurel)

I skipped over this initially because I thought you were talking about the group.

Congrats Chuck...



...Gimme the bridge y'all, gimme the bridge y'all



tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

DonnaBelle said:

You got that right. Chuck, Reds and the Boys, Rare Essense, Trouble Funk....that's the shit right there.


[Edited 6/17/05 12:27pm]

Stax said:

Hell Yeah. When I used to live in DC, Chuck, Rare Essence, Troubled Funk, and even E.U. were my shit.

GO-GO that was ("no imo still is the shit") Chuck is like the G-Father of Go-GO.
We were kick'n that shit down here in Texas back in the 80's i seen Trouble Funk, Slim, i believe Tilt, Arkade Funk,Hot Cold Sweat in concert.
i still have all of my GO-GO funk, Chuck Brown &the soul searchers, Rare Essence,Trouble Funk,Slim,Tilt,Cold Hot Sweat,Junkyard.



In the words of Big Tony "Grip it and hold it'then shake what you got,
cause when your stuff get's hot you've got to give it up"

Damm it i forgot to give brutha Chuck his propers'
"Keep on Soldier"

SweetKreme said:

Hey whassup i'm in Bmore,too! you know chuck is gonna be down at Hopkins plaza on september 2 for a FREE CONCERT as part of their summer music series...i know DC gonna represent...also Van Hunt is FREE on aug 4, i think
[Edited 6/17/05 17:39pm]

meltwithu said:

That's definitely wassup - thanks for tellin me I'm gonna check that out, The city paper usually keeps me informed - I can't wait for Lauryn Hill this Friday at the Afram--- YAy!!!

I forgot to tell you guys Chuck will be at the African- American Heritage festival in Baltimore on June 26, 2005 at 5 pm - Close or visit www.aahf.net

SweetKreme said:

Thanks for the heads up. I was looking at the concert schedule. Also, it stated that Faith, India Irie, Doug E. Fresh, and Mint Condition will be there. Damn, Baltimore is going to have it going on fo sho.

MsLegs said:

Yes baby! Don't forget Lauryn Hill on Sat.'s show

DonnaBelle said:

lol i just thought is that what wPGC stands for. sorry, i'm just being silly.

i'm from nc but i used to visit dc during the summers. the first go go song i heard was "i need money. talking bout money money money". i was thinking what are these kids singing. i was so pressed to learn the words to that song. now that i live in dc i rarely ever listen to go go. i do hear a lot of people singing backyard band"s "fakin like". i guess that's one of the new songs of the moment.

k7i2m3 said:

I love Trouble Funk. That was some pure slammin' ass funk!

Yeah, congrats to Chuck! For y'all in the area, I just saw on the news that he'll be a Freedom Plaza in downtown DC on this Saturday. They didn't say what time, but I figure if it's there, it's free!

SweetKreme said:

they got chuck, mint condition and faith evans all running over each other...that is so lame.

meltwithu said:

I know sweetie - I'm gonna have to run all over the place.

laurarichardson said:

vainandy said:

I saw this report about Chuck on Channel 4 News either Tuesday night or Wednesday night..

Chuck is the REASON I dig GO-GO music! that brother can PLAY.

did anyone not know that Chuck is playing (like he usually does) that Safeway barbeque thing on Pennsylvania Avenue Saturday evening???
I think normally you have to pay to get in (& get the food) but a lot of times people simply set themselves up outside the fence where they can still hear (& even see) Chuck do his thing.

it's been about a year since I last saw Chuck (at this same PA Ave-type event) so I'm planning on going tomorrow night myself

CHUCK BROWN IS GO-GO MUSIC.

Chuck and the whole GO GO genre, Trouble Funk is in my ears at least once a week. Recognition is long over due and more people need to check this.