Chuck Brown

Charles Louis "Chuck" Brown (August 22, 1936 – May 16, 2012) was an American guitarist and singer who is affectionately called "the Godfather of Go-go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and around Washington, D.C. in the mid and late 1970s. While its musical classification, influences, and origins are debated, Brown is regarded as the fundamental force behind the creation of go-go music.

Early life: 1936–1963

Charles Louis Brown was born on August 22, 1936 in Gaston, North Carolina. Brown's mother, Lyla Brown, was a housekeeper, and his father, Albert Louis Moody, was a United States Marine. Brown's father, however, was not present in his life, and Brown lived in poverty. When Chuck Brown was six years old, he moved to Washington, DC in 1942, and at 15 he started to live on the streets. He did not graduate high school; Brown quit school and decided to perform odd jobs to make money, including shining shoes.

In the 1950s, Brown was convicted of murder and served eight years in Lorton Correctional Complex. At first, the case was tried as aggravated assault; however, it was moved up to murder once the victim died. Brown stated that his actions were in self-defense. In prison, he traded cigarettes for a guitar, which was how his love for the instrument began. When 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. He also started to perform at parties throughout the area; however, he could not play at venues that served liquor, because his parole officer would not allow it.

Chuck Brown (Minnesota politician)

Charles Peter “Chuck” Brown (April 3, 1951 – August 14, 2003) was a Minnesota politician and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from southwestern Minnesota. Narrowly elected in 1984, he was solidly re-elected in 1986 in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s “firestorm” that swept through the region, giving Democrats unprecedented control of southwestern Minnesota for the next several election cycles. Re-elected again in 1988, 1990, 1992 and 1994, he serving six terms before retiring. He represented the old District 11A and, later, District 13A, which included all or portions of Big Stone, Douglas, Grant, Pope, Stevens, Swift and Traverse counties, changing somewhat through redistricting in 1990.

While in the legislature, Brown was a member of the House Agriculture, Appropriations, Capital Investment, Education, General Legislation & Veterans Affairs, Judiciary, Labor-Management Relations, Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs, Taxes, Transportation, and Ways & Means committees, and of various sub-committees relevant to each area. He chaired the Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Committee during the 1993-94 Session.