Go-go
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Stylistic origins |
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Go-go is a
Go-go was originated by
Performers associated with the development of the style include Rare Essence, EU, Trouble Funk, and singer-guitarist Chuck Brown.[3] Modern artists like Charles "Shorty Corleone" Garris continue the go-go tradition in D.C.[4]
Description
In technical terms, "go-go's essential beat is characterized by a five through four syncopated rhythm that is underscored prominently by the bass drum and snare drum, and the hi-hat... [and] is ornamented by the other percussion instruments, especially by the conga drums, rototoms, and hand-held cowbells."[5]
Unique to go-go is instrumentation with two standard congas and two junior congas, 8" and 9" wide and about half as tall as the standard congas, a size rare outside go-go. They were introduced to Rare Essence by Tyrone "Jungle Boogie" Williams in the early days when they couldn't afford full-sized congas and are ubiquitous ever since.[6] Its name arises from the persistent percussive beat, but it incorporates elements of many other genres.[7]
Origins
Although Chuck Brown is known as "
The term "gogo" (as it applies to a music venue) originated in France in the early 1960s, at the Whiskyagogo nightclub, named after the French title for the British comedy "Whisky Galore!".
In Washington D.C., minor group Wornell Jones and the Young Senators were formed in 1965, beginning a fierce competition with Chuck Brown and Black Heat on the local club circuit. The Young Senators later became known for their song "Jungle" released in 1970 by Innovation Records.[14][10][15]
Chuck Brown was a fixture on Washington and Maryland music scene with his band Los Lotinos as far back as 1966. By the mid-1970s, he had changed the group's name to The Soul Searchers, and developed a laid-back, rhythm-heavy style of funk performed with one song blending into the next (in order to keep people on the dance floor). The beat was based on Grover Washington Jr.'s song "Mr. Magic,"[16] though Brown has said in interviews that both he and Washington had adapted the beat from a gospel music beat found in black churches.[17]
Washington, D.C., funk's early national chart action came when Black Heat (the first D.C. go-go band to be signed by a major record label) released their Billboard top 100 hit "No Time To Burn" from their second album on Atlantic Records in 1974. They then toured with such national acts as Earth Wind & Fire, Parliament Funkadelic, Ohio Players, The Commodores, and others. In 1976, James Funk, a young DJ who spun at clubs in between Soul Searchers sets, was inspired (and encouraged by Brown himself) to start a band—called Rare Essence (originally the Young Dynamos)—that played the same kind of music.
History
Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers released their first go-go hit "Bustin' Loose" in late 1978; it reached number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs R&B charts and held that position for a month during February and March 1979 (peaking at #34 on the Pop chart).
Trouble Funk had its roots in the early 1970s Top 40 cover band called Trouble Band, then fronted by drummer, Emmett Nixon. With the inclusion of Robert 'Dyke' Reed (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Taylor Reed (trumpet, vocals), James Avery (keyboards, vocals), Teebone David (percussion), and Tony Fisher (bass, vocals), the band changed its name, and, in the late 1970s, after seeing the light at a gig they played with Chuck Brown, they, too, adopted the go-go beat. The band was signed to the Sugar Hill Records label in 1982 and recorded with Kurtis Blow. Trouble Funk recorded the go-go anthem "Hey, Fellas."
1980s
In the 1980s, some go-go bands such as Chuck Brown, Trouble Funk, EU, Rare Essence, Hot Cold Sweat, The Junk Yard Band, AM/FM, Redds and the Boys, Slug-Go achieved local success. Trouble Funk put out a few records on New Jersey-based label Jamtu before signing with one of the more powerful hip hop labels, Sugar Hill, where it released a six-track LP called Drop the Bomb in 1982, which included the hit "Pump Me Up" which had already been a regional hit years before. Maxx Kidd founded go-go label T.T.E.D. Records in 1982.
In 1984,
Along with the recording contracts Blackwell was handing out, he also wanted to make the go-go film and soundtrack; a D.C.-based version of The Harder They Come. The resultant film, Good to Go (or Short Fuse, as it was called on video) was plagued with problems: co-director Don Letts was let go halfway through production,[20] the film became less about the music and more about drugs and violence, and despite the fact that most of the post-production was completed in the fall of 1985, the film was held for release until late-summer 1986. When it did poorly on release, it seemed that go-go had missed its best chance to break into the mainstream. "Good to Go" OST album was released in 1986 also.[21] Soul/Funk groups used go-go beat in their songs. Examples of R&B were Club Nouveau "Lean on Me"(pop #1, yearend #10) Lebert "Casanova", and Midnight Star "Headlines".[22]
The
Rare Essence signed with
E.U. got its big break in 1986 when it was booked to play a party celebrating the release of
1990s–2000s
As time passed, more and more of a hip-hop influence crept into go-go. Early MCs like
There was, however, a retro movement in the 2000s reverting to go-go's original style of marathon sessions covering popular R&B songs such as Northeast Groovers. Many of these bands used the term "Grown 'n Sexy" to indicate a focus on appealing to audiences over 25. In 2006 and again in 2007, there was a Grown and Sexy Category at the WKYS 93.9 Go-Go Awards ceremony held at DAR Constitution Hall, which the Familiar Faces won in 2006, and L!ssen Da Grew^p won in 2007.[26]
Some go-go artists have been able to transition into other areas of entertainment.
Additionally, musicians from other genres of music have incorporated elements of the go-go aesthetic into their compositions and stage acts. Jazz/rock musician Mike Dillon, leads a band called Go-Go Jungle, often playing long, non-stop sets that incorporate go-go beats and raps interspersed with other subgenres of funk, jazz, and rock. Another example is Bob Mintzer's composition "Go-Go" from the Yellowjackets' 2003 release, Time Squared. Composer Liza Figueroa Kravinsky composed the Go-Go Symphony, an original full orchestra symphony that incorporates the go-go and bounce beats. She founded the identically named Go-Go Symphony ensemble,[29] which performs the Go-Go Symphony and other mashups of go-go and classical, sometimes in partnership with other full symphony orchestras. The February 21, 2014, world premiere of the fully orchestrated Go-Go Symphony and similar pieces, performed with the Capital City Symphony, received standing ovations and rave reviews.[30]
2010s
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, it became harder for go-go bands and local venues to hold concerts as law enforcement in both Washington, D.C., and neighboring
2020s
In February 2020, go-go was named the "official music" of Washington, D.C., in a unanimous vote by the
See also
- Music of Washington, D.C.
- Maxx Kidd
- Go-Go Crankin', a 1985 compilation album
- Go Go Live at the Capital Centre, a 1987 go-go concert
- Straight Up Go-Go, a 1992 documentary film
- The Beat: Go-Go's Fusion of Funk and Hip-Hop, a 2001 compilation album
References
- ^ latin influences of go-go Retrieved 15 March 2023
- ^ Lang, Marissa J. "Go-go is signed into law as the official music of D.C." The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "'Godfather of Go-Go,' Chuck Brown Dies". The Washington Informer. May 16, 2012. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012.
- ^ Wartofsky, Alona (January 14, 2021). "Crank Radio Will Give Go-Go a National Platform". Washington City Paper. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
- ^
Lornell, Kip; Charles C. Stephenson Jr. (2001). ISBN 0-8230-7727-6.
- ^ Take Me Out to the Go-Go. "Take Me Out to the Go-Go". Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
- ^ a b Duffy, Conor; Olson, Emily (May 5, 2019). "Washington DC noise complaint triggered a debate about rich hipsters gentrifying black areas". Australian Broadcasting Corporation News. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ "Black Heat | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Terry Huff | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-60473-241-2. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
- ^ OCLC 1111699686. Archivedfrom the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021 – via Open WorldCat.
- ^ "Showtime! The 10 Greatest Rock Venues of All Time". April 14, 2012. Archived from the original on April 14, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
- ^ "The People v Lenny Bruce: Excerpts from the Cafe Au Go Go Trial". Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
- ^ Young Senators Jungle Retrieved=28 March 2023
- ^ The Young Senators (artist). "'Jungle' (multimedia)". Archived from the original on April 10, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
Proclamation issued in Washington DC proclaiming June 11th as The Young Senators Day
- ^ Chang, Jeff (June 2001). "Wind me up, Chuck!". San Francisco Bay Guardian. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2007.
- ^ Baily, Nick (August 2007). "Chuck Brown". Global Rhythm. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
- ISBN 0-8230-7727-6.
- ^
Lornell, Kip; Charles C. Stephenson Jr. (2001). The Beat: Go-Go's Fusion of Funk and Hip-Hop. ISBN 0-8230-7727-6.
- ^ Good to Go on British Film Institute Web site, retrieved June 19, 2007
- ^ Trouble Funk, Redds & the Boys, Sly & Robbie, Ini Kamoze and other musicians performed.
- ^ Headlines All music. Retrieved 28 March 2023
- ^
Lornell, Kip; Charles C. Stephenson Jr. (2001). The Beat: Go-Go's Fusion of Funk and Hip-Hop. ISBN 0-8230-7727-6.
- ^ "Hot Rap Songs Chart". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Smith-Barrow, Delece (November 30, 2006). "Awards Celebrate Go-Go's Funk". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ^ "Blog: Going Out Gurus". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2021. [not specific enough to verify]
- ^ "WAMADC.com :: View topic - WAMA News Jan 17, 2008". Archived from the original on January 29, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
- ^ "Home". Gogosymphony.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Brookes, Stephen (February 23, 2014). "'Go-Go Symphony,' at Atlas Performing Arts Center, is well worth a listen". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ "P.G. cracks down on clubs beset by violence". The Washington Times. December 18, 2011. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ Lang, Marissa J. "Go-go is signed into law as the official music of D.C." The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ a b "One year later, #DontMuteDC advocates for financial support of go-go music". WTOP. April 10, 2020. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ Lornell, Kip (September 25, 2022). "Kip Lornell - Review of Ross Cole, The Folk: Music, Modernism, and the Political Imagination". Journal of Folklore Research Reviews. Retrieved March 11, 2023 – via scholarworks.iu.edu.
- ^ "A New Photo Collection Adds Nearly 2,000 Images To The D.C. Public Library's Go-Go Archive". Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ "DC Go-Go: Ten Years Backstage by Chip Py, Foreword by Greg Boyer | The History Press Books". Retrieved March 11, 2023.
Further reading
- Matt Miller, "Cultural Life in a 'Chocolate City': A Review of Natalie Hopkinson's Go-Go Live, Southern Spaces, October 4, 2012.