Chuck Brown, Godfather Of Go-Go, Will Be Celebrated At Memorial Concert

Remembering Chuck Brown

Thursday night at D.C.'s Howard Theater, The Chuck Brown All Star Go-Go Tribute Band, among others, will honor the first anniversary of a D.C. legend's death:

chuck brown


“Everybody who connected with Chuck misses him,” said Darryl Brooks, a concert promoter who worked with Brown, told the Washington Post. “But for the family, it’s like somebody taking the foundation from under you. I pray for them.”

The Post has more, in a long remembrance that delves into the musician's life and legacy:

Chuck Brown died May 16, 2012, of complications from sepsis during a long hospitalization for pneumonia. He was 75, a local legend, the progenitor of a homespun strain of funk that became the sound of black Washington.

His fans lost a cultural icon. His family lost a husband, a dad, a provider.

Read the Post's whole piece here, to find out more about how Brown's family and bandmates are coping with their loss.

Last August, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray designated Aug. 22 as "Chuck Brown Day" and announced plans to name a portion of Langdon park in Northeast Washington park after Brown, whom he called “one of the greatest Washingtonians.”

Gray's plan called for a renovation of the park, including building a new amphitheater to hold more than 900 people. Area residents have vocally pushed back against the planned construction, citing concerns over congestion and noise.

“I like Chuck Brown, but the issue is . . . why was the community not consulted?” Delores Bushong, a Northeast resident who has lead the opposition to the Mayor's plan, told the Washington Post in April. “They did not tell us there was going to be a music pavilion here.”

Plans have since been scaled back. The city announced that it would now only renovate the existing amphitheater structure, which can hold approximately 200 people.

Still, on Thursday night, Brown's legacy will be on full display at the dance party in the Howard Theater. “The music will be alive, even though he is gone,” Donnelson, Brown's step-daughter, told the Post.

A second concert will be played on Friday at Rams Head in Annapolis.

Before You Go

Chuck Brown Memorial

Chuck Brown Memorial

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