[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 2 (Friday, January 6, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONGRATULATING CHUCK BROWN, THE ``GODFATHER OF GO-GO''

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                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 6, 2012

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in congratulating one of the Nation's great 
musical innovators, Chuck Brown, the ``Godfather of Go-Go,'' on 
receiving the Executive Director's Lifetime Achievement Award from the 
American Civil Liberties Union of the Nation's Capital (ACLU-NCA). 
Chuck will be presented with the award on January 7, 2012, at the 
historic and elegant Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, 
DC. The ACLU-NCA has long fought for equal congressional representation 
for the citizens of the Nation's capital, the right of District 
residents to make their own laws and spend their own money and, above 
all, statehood. Last summer, Chuck performed at the ACLU-NCA's annual 
DC. Statehood Teach-In on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Despite 
temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, Chuck gave a spirited 
performance of the kind that has earned him legendary status. Chuck 
uplifted the DC statehood movement, and liberty itself.
  Since the mid-1960s, when his musical career began, Chuck Brown has 
been the fundamental force behind ``Go-Go,'' the musical genre he 
invented in Washington, DC. Chuck's early hit ``Bustin' Loose'' has 
been adopted by the Washington Nationals baseball team as the official 
home-run celebration song. In addition to creating original music, 
Chuck has recorded a series of Go-Go covers of early jazz and blues 
songs. Chuck's remarkable music catalogue spans 22 studio albums over 
more than 30 years. Chuck's signature musical style recently proved its 
longevity when the song ``Love,'' from his album entitled We Got This, 
earned Chuck Grammy Award nomination 2010.
  Chuck Brown has also been a devoted and loving father. When his son 
played football at Virginia Tech, Chuck scheduled performances and 
other appearances around the team's home football games, never missing 
a single game his son played at Lane Stadium. Following the Virginia 
Tech massacre in 2007, Chuck dedicated several shows to the memories of 
the victims.
  Mr. Speaker, Chuck Brown has earned iconic status, especially in the 
District of Columbia where Go-Go music was invented and popularized. 
For decades, through his distinctive sound with its iconic beat, Chuck 
has pulled people out of their seats to dance nationwide. Whether in 
the depressing aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre or on a hot 
summer day on Capitol Hill, Chuck has always used his music to uplift 
the human spirit. I, therefore, ask the House of Representatives to 
recognize Chuck Brown for his contributions to music in our country and 
to the District of Columbia, and to join me in commending him on 
receiving the ACLU-NCA's Executive Director's Lifetime Achievement 
Award.

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