Go go

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For other uses, see Go go (disambiguation).

Go-Go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and around Washington, D.C. in the mid and late 1970s. While its musical classification, influences, and origins are debated, Chuck Brown (b. 1934) is regarded as the fundamental force behind the creation of go-go music.

Go-go is defined by continuous, complex, heavy rhythm arrangements focused through two motifs performed on multiple congas, tumbadoras, and rototoms, interspersed with timbale and cowbell parts, driven by heavy-footed drumming and punctuated by crowd call-and-response. A swing rhythm is often implied (if not explicitly stated).

Some go-go bands have seen varying degrees of success nationally and worldwide, but Washington, D.C. remains the preeminent center for the music.

1 History
2 Modern Day
3 Popular go-go bands and songs
4 Other Notable Go-Go Bands
- 4.1 Go-go bands who play some R&B
5 External links

[edit] History

Image:ChuckBrownOct012005a.jpg

Chuck Brown, a fixture on the Washington music scene with Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers ("We the People", "Ashley's Roachclip"), inspired other local bands in the mid-1970s to incorporate go-go music more and more into their standard live shows. This included the funk-driven Trouble Funk and the rock-influenced E.U., who became the most popular bands on the go-go music scene by the end of the 70s. Brown's 1979 hit single "Bustin' Loose" was the culmination of go-go music's early success. Trouble Funk briefly signed with New Jersey's Sugar Hill Records, where they released the minor hit "Pump Me Up". E.U. scored a national hit when they performed their song "Da Butt" in the Spike Lee motion picture School Daze in 1988.

The next generation of go-go featured The Junk Yard Band and Rare Essence, two enduring bands that gained popularity after go-go had become established. The Junk Yard Band began as a group of children as young as nine years old, performing music on a hodge-podge of discarded items fashioned into musical instruments. They signed and toured with New York's Def Jam Records, where they released the 12-inch single "The Word". Rare Essence, who was mentored at a young age by Chuck Brown, signed briefly with Mercury Records, but both bands' prominence were primarily established in and around Washington and the Mid-Atlantic area.

Many of these bands still perform today, along with successive generations of bands. Go-Go is always performed live at nightclubs, neighborhood parties, and sometimes with famous singers. Go-Go initially spread through the distribution of free cassette tapes, and is now found locally in the Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia area for sale on CDs.

Go-go clubs sometimes acquired a reputation for violence, and in some areas of Washington, clubs are not permitted to play go-go or have go-go bands appear. One well-publicized venue with trouble was Club U, located inside a DC government building at the corner of 14th Street NW and U Street NW, where a murder and other incidents happened before the club was closed.[1]

[edit] Modern Day

Recently, there has been an explosion of go-go influenced music on mainstream radio that can be attributed mostly to Rich Harrison, the Washington, D.C., born producer who has infused go-go with his personal sound.

In 2003, Harrison worked with Beyoncé Knowles producing her single "Crazy in Love", which sampled the Chi-Lites "Are You My Woman?". The song was a huge international success and reinvented the go-go genre, bringing it back into the mainstream.

Beyoncé Knowles's 2006 album, B'Day, also features go-go influenced music. It was released on the 4th of September and has been receiving favorable reviews despite negativity surrounding the album.

In 2005, Harrison wrote and produced for Korean-American R&B singer Amerie and her go-go influenced hit single "1 Thing." Amerie is also from the Washington, DC / Baltimore area and the single reached the top ten on the US Billboard Charts (peaked at 8) and the top ten within the UK. Amerie’s sophomore album, Touch, has several go-go influenced songs.

Other popular artists like Ludacris and Nelly are said to have go-go influenced songs, such as Nelly's "Hot in Herre," which incorporated the hook from Chuck Brown's 1979 #1 R&B hit "Bustin' Loose."

Go-go has taken on a decidedly more percussion oriented sound in its current day form. Rarely does one hear any horns, extensive keyboard work or bass guitars. The emphasis now, popularized by the Backyard Band, is on drums, particularly the snare drum, the tom-tom, cymbals, rollatons, timbales, congas and the like. There is however a retro movement going back to go-go's original days as marathon sessions of the popular R&B songs of the day. The bands playing that style include Suttle Thoughts, Familiar Faces and others that cater to a 30 and over audience. The fanbase for this retro go-go genre is increasing.

Some go-go artists have been able to branch out into other forms of entertainment. Most notably, Anwan "Big G" Glover, a founding member of Backyard Band, has taken the role as Slim Charles on HBO's hit show "The Wire."[2]

[edit] Popular go-go bands and songs

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