Chuck Brown, The Godfather Of Go-Go Music, Passes Away At 75

Chuck Brown, the creator of go-go music, a variant of funk music, died in Baltimore at the age of 75. The reason for his death was multiple organ failure due to sepsis, and is considered to be a great loss for music even though his music never really connected with the mainstream audience.

Considering his impact on the dance scene through his sing-speak music over several decades, Mayor Vincent C. Gray says, “Go-go is D.C.’s very own unique contribution to the world of pop music. Today is a very sad day for music lovers the world over.”

Brown was considered to be just as popular as any politician in Washington D.C, and in creating go-go music, which could go on for hours at a concert, and thus he is widely regarded as the ‘grandfather of go-go’.

He began his musical journey in 1962 after being released from jail, and used to play at barbecues and churches because his parole officer would not let him go to places where they served liquor.

With the 1970s being all about disco, he still combined aspects of bluesy guitar, James Brown’s funk, Latin rhythms and crowd-pleasing humor to create what he calls ‘music that just goes and goes’. “Bustin’ Loose” and “We Need some Money” became his greatest hits ever as he kept people on their feet night after night with his great performances.

He is survived by his wife, Jocelyn, and three sons along with a daughter KK, a rapper, with whom he used to perform regularly before he passed away.