Chuck Brown, the 'Godfather of Go-Go,' may soon have a post-office in his name

Go-Go: The Heartbeat of the DMV

FOX 5 celebrates the unique local streets to national stage musical journey of go-go with "Go-Go Music: The Heartbeat of the DMV". From the Godfather of Go-Go, Chuck Brown, to the bands he influenced and the new generation of go-go musicians, "Go-Go: The Heartbeat of the DMV", tells the story of go-go music, with many of the musicians who’ve contributed to its success.

WASHINGTON - Congressional representative Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced legislation this week to rename a D.C. post office in honor of the late Chuck Brown, the godfather of go-go.

What we know:

Chuck Brown is the iconic musician credited with creating go-go, the District’s official music. 

If passed, the bill would rename the United States Postal Service facility located at 3401 12th Street NE as the Chuck Brown Post Office. 

"Go-go is the beat of D.C., giving D.C. its own musical identity," Norton said in a statement. "Chuck Brown gave our city a sound that was distinctly our own. Naming a post office after him is one way D.C. can honor him in return." 

Local perspective:

Chuck Brown was a longtime D.C. resident, self-taught guitarist, and bandleader whose fusion of funk, R&B, hip-hop, and Afro-Latin rhythms became known as go-go music. He released 22 albums during his career, earned a Grammy nomination for his 2010 song "Love," and was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 2005. 

The proposed post office renaming joins a growing list of tributes to Brown, including Chuck Brown Memorial Park at 2901 20th Street NE and a street named after him near the historic Howard Theater. In 2020, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed DC law 23-71, officially designating go-go as the D.C.’s official music, a move Brown has long advocated for. 

In 2010, he performed a free concert outside the U.S. Capitol in support of D.C. statehood and voting rights. 

The Go-Go Museum & Café, located in the historic Anacostia neighborhood, describes Brown as the driving force behind a sound rooted in West African polyrhythms and community call-and-response. The museum continues to preserve and celebrate the cultural legacy of go-go through exhibitions, performances, and public programming.