The Soundtrack to DC Summers

I have lived in the DC suburbs my entire life and could not imagine living anywhere else. The weather here is perfect because we get to experience four distinct seasons. There is so much history right in our backyard and so many cultures to experience. The first 19 years of my life were spent in Maryland until I moved to Northern Virginia to be with my husband. I grew up Caucasian in a largely African American community and loved everything about it. Our neighbors were very close and the atmosphere was friendly and low key.  I am very proud of my Maryland roots and even now, after eight years in Virginia, I still consider myself a Marylander.

New York, Chicago, L.A. and other large cities have so many things that help define their distinct cultures. Washington DC, on the other hand, doesn't have very many of these cultural hallmarks. This is partly because the area is so transient with government employees and politicians cycling in and out every few years and partly because its culture meshes with that of Maryland and Virginia. One of DC's few distinctive stamps on pop culture is Go Go music. Go Go music was invented in DC in the early 1970's and pioneered by Chuck Brown, who became the unofficial king of DC music and helped introduce Go Go music to clubs across the United States. Chuck Brown died today after a long battle with illness. His passing is a loss for native Washingtonians and a great loss for music but makes me reflect on what his creation meant in my own life.

Growing up in my neighborhood in the summertime meant the sound of Go Go music permeating the hot, humid air. People would drive around with windows open blasting the distinctive drum beats that define Go Go or let the music float around the neighborhood from boom boxes as friends and family enjoyed cookouts. My childhood may have been marked with family strife and personal struggles but I wouldn't trade my hometown for anything! I spent my summers barefoot and enjoying the extended family of my unique neighborhood and often reminisce about those long days. The sound of Chuck Brown's special style of funk brings back amazing memories of my formative years in the neighborhood that will always have the biggest place in my heart. He was the soundtrack to DC area summers and a larger than life personality. RIP Chuck, you will be greatly missed...