500 17th Street Northwest
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC 20006
USA
Go-Go Music: The History and Evolution of DC’s Legendary Beat
Monday, March 18, 7 p.m.
$8 members; $10 public
Join Kip Lornell, Adjunct Professor of American Music and Ethnomusicology at George Washington University and co-author of The Beat: Go-Go Music from Washington, DC, as he chronicles the development and ongoing popularity of go-go music, the only musical form indigenous to Washington, D.C. In the mid-1970s, Chuck Brown pioneered the iconic go-go sound, influenced by local Latin percussion ensembles, disco, Grover Washington’s hit single “Mr. Magic,” and funk. By the mid-1980s, bands such as Rare Essence (RE), Trouble Funk, and Junk Yard Band had emerged. Today we are in our third generation of go-go, and the music tradition continues to evolve and thrive in the district, with most recent bands playing what’s known as “bounce beat” go-go. Dr. Lornell’s talk will highlight this nearly 40-year history with musical excerpts and video clips.
