Chuck Brown
|
The Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown |
|
|---|---|
Onstage, October 1, 2005
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Charles Louis Brown |
| Born |
August 22, 1936 Gaston, North Carolina |
| Origin | Washington, D.C. |
| Died | May 16, 2012 (aged 75) Baltimore, Maryland |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1960s–2012 |
| Website | windmeupchuck.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Gibson Gibson ES-335 (blonde) | |
Charles Louis "Chuck" Brown (August 22, 1936 – May 16, 2012) was an American guitarist, bandleader and singer who is has garnered the honorific nickname "The Godfather of Go-Go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and around the Washington metropolitan area in the mid-70s. While its musical classification, influences, and origins are debated, Brown is regarded as the fundamental force behind the creation of go-go music.
Charles Louis Brown was born on August 22, 1936 in Gaston, North Carolina. Brown's mother, Lyla Brown, was a housekeeper, and his father, Albert Louis Moody, was a United States Marine. Brown's father, however, was not present in his life, and Brown lived in poverty. When Chuck Brown was six years old, he moved to Washington, D.C. in 1942, and at 15 he started to live on the streets. He did not graduate high school; Brown quit school and decided to perform odd jobs to make money, including shining shoes.
In the 1950s, Brown was convicted of murder and served eight years in Lorton Correctional Complex. At first, the case was tried as aggravated assault; however, it was moved up to murder once the victim died. Brown stated that his actions were in self-defense. In prison, he traded cigarettes for a guitar, which was how his love for the instrument began. When Brown completed his sentence, he moved back to Washington, D.C. and worked as a truck driver, a bricklayer, and a sparring partner at multiple boxing gyms. He also started to perform at parties throughout the area; however, he could not play at venues that served liquor, because his probation officer would not allow it.
Chuck Brown died on Wednesday, May 16, 2012, at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital of multiple organ failure, including heart failure. He was 75 years old. Several weeks prior to his death, he had postponed and canceled shows due to hospitalization for pneumonia. His interment was at Trinity Memorial Gardens in Waldorf, Maryland.
...
Wikipedia