"Godfather of Go-Go"
Living in the DMV area and going to school in VA (Go Mighty Rams!) it is hard not to come across Go-Go or hear it on the radio every now and then, so the passing of Chuck Brown was definitely a shocking and sad passing. Known as the "Godfather of Go-Go" music, his musically career had humble beginnings. From starting out as a jazz guitarist for Jerry Butler and the Earls of Rhythm in the 1960's, Brown later broke off and formed his own band named The Soul Seachers in the 1970's. Incorporating sounds from Hip-Hop, jazz, funk, R&B, and dancehall, Brown invented the DC region's go-go music. Although this particular music form hasn't become a staple in parts of the country other than the DMV, Brown found success in early hits like "Bustin' Loose" and "I Need Some Money". "Bustin Loose" has even been adapted by the Washington Nationals baseball team as the home run celebration song and sampled by Nelly in his 2002 hit "Hot in Herre". Brown also went on to record many go-go covers of early jazz and blues hits like "It Don't Mean a Thing if it ain't got that Swing (Go-Go Swing)", "Mood For Love", "Midnight Sun", "Run Joe", and "Stormy Monday".
Well known for his signature blonde Gibson ES-335, Brown was considered a legend in DC and the go-go world. In the mid 1990's, he performed the theme music for Fox's The Sinbad Show appeared in several advertisements for the Washington Post. His 2007 hit "The Party Roll" can be heard in DC's "Rolling Cash 5" lottery campaigns and was on the cover of Washington Post Magazine in 2009. Later that year, the 1900 block of 7th str NWwas renamed "Chuck Brown Way" in his honor and in 2010 he won his first Grammy for his collaboration song "Love" ft Jill Scott and Marus Miller. On September 4, 2011, he was honored-along with Duke Ellington and John Philip Sousa-by the National Symphony Orchestra at the Legends of Washington Music Labor Day concert and later finished the evening with a live performance.
Tragically with all his accomplishments and over 20+ albums, Brown had come down with pneumonia and cancelled many of his concerts and showd. He later died the following year on May 16th, 2012, at Baltimore's John Hopkins Hospital of multiple organ failure including heart complications. He was 75 years old.
"Queen of Disco"
LaDonna Adrian Gaines, also known by her stage name Donna Summer, was the Boston born undisputed Queen of Disco. Her mezzo-soprano range and distinct sound, awarded 5 Grammy's and was the first artist to have over 3 consecutive double albums reach number one on the Billboard charts.
Growing up in a heavily Christian influenced household in Dorcester, MA, Summer first became involved in singing at a young age through her church choir groups before later joining bands that were influenced by the Motown Sound. A product of the liberal and "free love" counterculture of the late 1960's, Summer moved to New York a couple days before graduating and became the lead singer for the blues-rock band Crow. After many failed attempts to get signed to a record label, the group disbanded and Summer went on to star in the lead role of multiple musicals including Hair, GodSpell, Ich Ben Ich, and Snow Boat in Munich, Germany. In just 3 years (1970-73) she moved to Vienna, Austria, released 3 singles in German and later married Austrian actor Helmuth Sommer and had a daughter, Mimi. Her marriage was shortlived due to adultery on her part and Summer later divorced but Anglicized his last name to "Summer".
In 1974, Summer met German-based producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte and began collaborating and recording songs together. Their demo tape later led to a deal with the European-distributed label, Groovy Records and the production of his first overseas hit album Lady of the Night. At the time disco was more nascent and making its way into mainstream music, so Summer pitched an idea to Moroder about a song titled "Love to Love You". Described as a passionate song, Summer had Moroder help her get into the mood by turning off the lights in the studio and sitting with him on the sofa to induce the moans and groans before the actual recording. The finished song was then sent to Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart and, after producing a 17 min long Disco version, the single was released in America in 1975. Although controversial for its moans and groans, "Love to Love You Baby" reached no.2 on the Billboard charts and the album sold over one mllion copies by 1976.
Following the success of her first US hit album record and album, Summer continued to put out a series of hits ("I Feel Love", "Bad Girls", "MacArthur Park", "Hot Stuff", and "No More Tears"). One of the most known hits was the 1978 classic "Last Dance" from her film Thank God it's Friday. The film met moderate success but the song reached number 3 on the Billboard hot 100 charts and won Summer her first Grammy. Her second Grammy was awarded for her single "Hot Stuff" in the mid 1970's. In 1979, she later performed this and many other hits at the world-televised Music for UNICEF Concert and sold out shows at the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles.
By the end of the 70's, Summer was the undisputed "queen of the disco"-club scene with a string of hits and a huge following from the gay community. After her last release of the hits album On the Radio, Summer wanted to cross over into new genres of music which later led to tensions between her and Casablanca Records. Parting ways in 1980, Summer signed with Geffen Records and released her first cross-over album titled The Wanderer. Although the album went Gold, her singles were not so well received and only had one single hit the top ten of the Billboard charts.
Summer later parted ways with Geffen Records after a dispute over production and hired Quincy Jones to produce her follow up album, Donna Summer in 1982. The album took over six months to record but was well received with multiple chart hitting singles including, "Love is in Control (finger on the Trigger)", "State of Independence", and "The Woman in Me".
After discovering that her contract with former label Casablanca held her for one more album, Summer delivered She Works Hard for the Money in 1983 through Polygram records (a subsidiary of Casablanca). The title song became an instant hit reaching number 3 on the Billboard US Hot 100 charts and awarded Summer with a Grammy nomination. The album spawned two more hits and went gold. Her follow up album Cats Without Claws was not as successful and was her first album since 1974 to not reach gold status.
Suffering from long-term drug addiction and depression, Summer eventually became a born-again Christian in the mid 1980s. Her career began to take a downward slope when she was accused of making anti-gay remarks at one of her concerts. At first she denied allegations, then later apologized to fans for the misunderstanding. Although she apologized and claim to work with gay writers and producers most of her music career, the rumors persisted and were later published as fact in New York magazine around the time of her album Mistaken Identity in 1991. Summer filed a lawsuit against the magazine and later settled out of court. Neither side divulge any details of the settlement.
After the controversy, Summer's failed to chart on the US BillBoard but found moderate success in the UK and Europe. She eventually parted ways with Geffen Records in 1988. Signing to Warner Bros. in 1989, she continued to release compilation Cd's and greatest hits albums. By 1994, she resigned with Mercury/Polygram and issued her first Christmas album titled The Christmas Spirit. Summer later reunited with Giorgio Moroder in 1992 and put out the Grammy winning dance hit
"Carry On".
"Carry On".
Witrh a few appearances on popular sitcoms in the late 90's (playing Aunt Oona on Family Matters), appearances on live concerts (VH1 Divas), and continued success on the dance charts, Summer was met with minor tragedy while living in New York during the 9/11 attacks in 2008. Not letting the tragedy stop her, she continued to put out new material and released her critically acclaimed dance album Crayons in 2008. She later performed for President Barack Obama in 2009 during the Nobel Peace Prize concert.
In 2010, she released the no.1 dance single "To Paris With Love" and made several guest appearances on PBS, America's Got Talent, and Bravo's Platinum Hit. Shortly after, Summer shockingly passed away on May 17, 2012 at her home in Englewood, Florida at the age of 63. She had been fighting a long battle with lung cancer unrelated to smoking, considering that she was a non-smoker. She believed to have contracted the illness by inhaling toxic fumes from the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. Although disco and dance were her niche's in music, she not only can be considered the "queen of disco" but one of the first cross-over female vocalists in music. She leaves behind a legacy of classic hits and singles that will live on forever.
Source:Wikipedia
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