Go-Go godfather Chuck Brown dies at 75

The widely acknowledged 'godfather' of the Go-Go funk music style that flourished in Washington in the 1980s, died Wednesday in the hospital.

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Agence France-Presse

Wed, May 16 2012 at 6:39 PM

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CHUCK BROWN: The gravel-voiced guitarist behind such floor-fillers as "We Need Some Money," "Go-Go Swing" and "Run Joe" was recently stricken with pneumonia after an operation to remove a blood clot. (Photo: Jason Merritt/AFP)

Chuck Brown, the widely acknowledged "godfather" of the Go-Go funk music style that flourished in Washington in the 1980s, died Wednesday in the hospital, his manager and family said. He was 75.

The gravel-voiced guitarist behind such floor-fillers as "We Need Some Money," "Go-Go Swing" and "Run Joe" was recently stricken with pneumonia after an operation to remove a blood clot, the Washington Post reported.

Brown's 1979 R&B hit "Bustin' Loose" marked the start of the Go-Go era in the U.S. capital, although the genre's impact on the national scene came to be overshadowed by rap music out of New York.

"You know, I could play jazz or R&B or rock and roll or gospel tomorrow if I wanted to, but Go-Go is still what gets (Washington) people to come out," he told National Geographic in a 2010 interview.

"Even in 2010, people still want Go-Go, because it's what they grew up with," said Brown, who picked up the guitar at the relatively late age of 24 and cited blues and Latin music among his musical influences.

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