13 Facts About Chuck Brown

Charles Louis Brown was an American guitarist, bandleader, and singer known as "The Godfather of Go-Go".

Chuck Brown was born on August 22,1936, in Gaston, North Carolina.

Chuck Brown's father, Albert Louis Moody, was a United States Marine.

Chuck Brown's father was not present in his life, and Chuck Brown lived in poverty.

When Chuck Brown was six years old, he moved to Washington, DC, and at 15 he started living on the streets.

Chuck Brown did not graduate high school; after quitting school he decided to perform odd jobs to make money, including shining shoes.

When Chuck Brown completed his sentence, he moved back to Washington, DC, and worked as a truck driver, a bricklayer, and a sparring partner at multiple boxing gyms.

Chuck Brown started to perform at parties throughout the area; however, he could not play at venues that served liquor because his probation officer would not allow it.

Chuck Brown died on May 16,2012, at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital of multiple organ failure, including heart failure, at the age of 75.

Chuck Brown's interment was at Trinity Memorial Gardens in Waldorf, Maryland.

Chuck Brown just spoke from a perspective that black men could understand.

Chuck Brown was a recipient of a 2005 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

On September 4,2011, Chuck Brown was honored by the National Symphony Orchestra, as the NSO paid tribute to Legends of Washington Music Labor Day concert - honoring Chuck Brown's music, as well as Duke Ellington and John Philip Sousa - with a free concert on the West Lawn of the Capitol.