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Call to all D.C. Go-Go Fans: Let's Keep the Memory of D.C.'s Homegrown Sound Go-Going

08/17/2018 in DC by Dominic Charles
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Poster commemorating the life of Chuck Brown (Source: DC Library's Go-Go Archive)
Image commemorating the life of Chuck Brown (Source: DC Library's Go-Go Archive) 

Research for one of my recent articles, “Rare Essence Go-Goes On,” sent me to the D.C. Public Library where I talked with Derek Gray who is the archivist charged with the task of compiling a collection of documents and artifacts, which document the story of Washington’s homegrown sound, go-go music. While Gray’s collection is modest, it is powerful. You can almost hear the godfather of go-go, Chuck Brown’s, nationally acclaimed hit, “Bustin’ Loose,” as you rifle through the various album covers and newspapers which tell the stories of the Soul Searchers, Rare Essence, and other go-go bands and their impact on the D.C. community. 

Go-go music is a mixture of funk, hip-hop, and rock n’ roll with a unique D.C. twist.  While massively popular within the confines of the DMV, the go-go sound never caught on nationally. However, the style remains a way of life for many Washingtonians. Cultural historians Kip and Stephenson go as far to say that “for many young black Washingtonians and citizens of Prince George’s County, go-go bands are the most visible and public manifestation of black (youth) culture. Go-go bands empower them to shout out and express themselves in a public forum, it is an emotional release.”[1]

Speaking at a 1998 Rare Essence concert to the Washington Post, go-go fan Roderick Neal said “The inner-city kids don’t have anything else to identify with. Go-go is an inner-city sound. They don’t need money to reproduce that sound. They just need to find cymbals and drumsticks… It’s a cheap form of expression.”[2]

Ticket Stub from go-go concert held at the Capital Centre which featured acts like Chuck Brown and Rare Essence (Source: DC Library's Go-Go collection)
A ticket stub from one of the famous go-go Capital Centre Shows. These shows hosted the largest gathering of go-go fans in the country. (Source: DC Library's Go-Go Archive) 

Because go-go is such an important aspect of the collective memory of the DMV community, Derek Gray’s endeavor is no trivial matter. The archive began in 2012 when the D.C. Public Library and the D.C. Mayor’s Office announced a joint effort to preserve go-go’s memory following the death of Chuck Brown.

Now six years old, the project is an eclectic collection of artifacts, newspaper articles, album covers, and interview transcripts. Some of my personal highlights include drum sticks from The Back-Yard Band, concert flyers, a ticket stub from a Capital Center concert, interview transcripts from some of go-go’s greatest performers, and a wire statue of Chuck Brown. There is still plenty of room for growth, however, and Gray is asking the D.C. go-go community for help in creating an archive worthy of go-go’s legacy.

Cover of an issue of Go-Go Swings Magazine (Source: DC Library's Go-Go Archive)
 Cover of an issue of Go-Go Swings magazine which provided readers with the latest news from the Go-Go community. (Source: DC Library’s Go-Go Archive)

Gray and the Library are seeking various items related to the D.C. go-go scene: CDs and audio recordings of Chuck Brown and other go-go artists, flyers, posters, event advertisements, photographs, videos, DVDs, and other memorabilia. If any go-go fans are willing to provide artifacts – whether it be a ticket from a go-go show you attended, a Rare Essence record, or some other heirloom from a go-go experience – you will help preserve the legacy and history of D.C.’s homegrown sound for future generations.

For more information on the go-go archive, how to contribute to it, and the DC Library’s special collections visit the archive’s website or listen to Derek Gray’s interview on the D.C. Public Library’s radio program, “Full Service Radio.” 

Footnotes

  1. ^ Kip Lornell, Charles Stephenson Jr., The Beat!: Go-Go Music from Washington, D.C. (Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 2009), 28.
  2. ^ Howe Desson, “Where it Go-Goes, Fans Follow: Nearly 2,000 Pack Mall Lot to Hear Rare Essence do its thing,” The Washington Post, May 27, 1998, ProQuest Historical Libraries: The Washington Post.  
Last Updated:
12/16/2020

About the Author

Dominic Charles is a MA candidate in history at the George Washington University.  Before arriving in the DMV two years ago, Dominic received a double major in history and economics at the University of Central Florida.  A Florida native, Dominic’s love for local history was inspired by Patrick D. Smith’s historical fiction novel, A Land Remembered, which follows the transformation of Florida from an east coast backwater to a retirement oasis.  At the University of Central Florida, Dominic’s love for local history continued to grow through his work as an archivist at a local museum, located on the banks of the lazy St. John’s River, which housed the history of one of Florida’s oldest communities, Sanford.  At WETA, Dominic wishes to highlight the historic events which are a part of the DMV’s cultural fabric, and learn more about his new home. 

More posts by Dominic Charles »
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