People from across the DMV area took to Fort Dupont Park in Southeast, D.C. on Aug. 16, for the 11th Annual Chuck Brown Day, not only celebrating the memory of the late Godfather of Go-Go, but also emphasizing the unifying and healing power of music despite challenging times in the District, nation and world.
“What’s going on today is a community celebration,” Thennie Freeman, director of D.C.’s Department of Parks and Recreation, told The Informer. “There’s a healing power in music and we’re just happy that people came together and we’re excited [we were able] to put together a community event.”
Amid tensions, protests and heightened law enforcement after the Trump administration deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C. in a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Chuck Brown Day was a celebration of District culture and music, featuring performances from celebrated go-go bands: Black Alley, Trouble Funk, Be’la Dona, and The Chuck Brown Band.
Food vendors and exhibitors were on site and students could take home free school supplies, available through The Chuck Brown Foundation.
Brown is widely lauded for pioneering the go-go genre, a unique funk-based sound that originated in Washington, D.C., in the mid-1960s to 1970s, which he developed with his band, The Soul Searchers.
Despite his death in May 2012, his legacy lives on through his music and its ability to bring many people together in the name of the go-go swing and more.
“Today’s about celebrating our community, our history, and the sound of our city,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Keeping Brown’s Legacy Alive
As the crowd jammed to musical performances, they also witnessed internationally-acclaimed artist Demont Pinder in action, creating a portrait that honored Brown’s life and legacy– ahead of what would have been his 89th birthday on Aug. 22.
“It’s very important for us to come out here and celebrate this man because he gave so much to us,” Pinder told The Informer as he worked on his Brown installation. “He gave us a whole genre of music, so the least we could do is come out and celebrate [him] like it’s one big family reunion… if this was the energy 365 days a year, l think the world would be a beautiful place.”
For Wiley Brown, one of the late musician’s sons and lead singer of the Chuck Brown Band, taking the stage to honor his father is always a significant moment, but particularly during the annual celebration that highlights his memory.
“l’ve been listening to my dad practicing every night since I was a little kid,” he told The Informer. “For me to be able to be in this position now, it’s almost like life has come full circle.
The son and performer, who was also featured on “Ready to Love” Season 6, said his family appreciates all of the love that the community has shown his father during his life and more than a decade after his death.
“It means the world to me and my family,” he said. “It’s nothing like seeing so much love for my dad and the music that he created. [It’s been] 13 years [since] he passed away, it’s insane how much of an impact that he’s left on all the people through his music.”
Go-Go has now been enshrined in D.C.’s history through the Go-Go Music of the District of Columbia Designation Act of 2019, signed by Bowser, making the genre the official sound of the District.
“I know my dad is up there smiling down [seeing] how much love and support that go-go music has,” he said. “For them to put the stamp on it, it’s here to stay and it’s here to grow and keep going and going and going, because that’s what go-go is all about. Once it gets started, it doesn’t stop.”
As a D.C. native, attendee Antonio Cabbagestalk said he felt obligated to be part of the annual Chuck Brown Day celebration.
“I’m here because I’m a Washingtonian, and l’m a go-go fan,” Cabbagestalk told The Informer. “D.C. is the home city of go-go, so I [have] to be here to represent my city.”
Cabbagestalk noted the event was a great way to highlight the beauty of D.C. culture, particularly as the Trump administration continues to say negative things about the District in terms of crime, neighborhoods, unhoused residents and more.
“[Chuck Brown Day brought] people together, people came out, they partied, had a real good time, and enjoyed themselves,” he said. “That’s what life is all about.”
