Chuck Brown 1936-2012 / The Superslice

Chuck Brown, “the Godfather of Go-go“, passed away at the age of 75, from multiple organ failure which included problems with his heart. He had been stricken with pneumonia and was in a Baltimore hospital for the past couple of days.

While disco flourished in the ’70s, Brown, a guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer, put Washington D.C. on the map with his brand of funk music.

Music aficionados will know the classic funk song, Bustin’ Loose (below). It was a hit groove for Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers, released from the LP of the same name in late 1978. The widely played and ubiquitously sampled record spent four weeks at the top of the R&B singles chart and peaked at number thirty-four on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1979.

He was a huge contributor to the funk movement. He will be missed.

–@teemunny

The Brown family would like to thank everyone for their love and support over the years. We know that Chuck’s legacy will live on through all of you who have supported him and his creation of Go-Go. His passion, inspiration and drive have always come from his family and fans. He would have wanted all of his fans to know that they meant the world to him and none of his success was possible without them. God bless.