Discover D.C.'s signature sound, Go-Go, a beat that helped the U-Street Corridor overcome the devastation of the '68 riots.
1 hour
Can music actually heal a city? Outside of D.C. few people even know the musical genre named "Go-Go," but in the nation's capitol this style of music is known as the heartbeat of DC. Like the Dixieland Jazz of New Orleans, Go-Go is a regional music that calls DC its home. And according to many, Go-Go is what brought the U-Street corridor back to life after it was nearly abandoned in the wake of the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr in 1968.
Beginning in the 70s with the Godfather of Go-Go, Chuck Brown, Go-Go brought the people of U-Street together to dance, build community, & find positive ways to organize around the issues of the day. And even though the music was seen as controversial - & even threatening - by authorities, it's positive legacy can still be felt.
Kevin "Kato" Hammond knows the story of Go-Go as well as anyone can. First as a fan, then as a member of one of its top acts, Little Benny & the Masters, & more recently as one of the its leading historians. Kato doesn't just credit Go-Go with helping to save U-Street - he credits it with saving him.
Join Kato on a tour down the area once famously known as Black Broadway. You'll visit the oldest black Catholic church in DC, meet the musicians and discover their music, and even grab a bite at Ben's Chili Bowl - one of D.C.'s most famous restaurants.
You'll learn the causes of the riots that devastated the neighborhood, why Go-go music is credited with helping start its recovery, and how the music is as controversial now as it was when Chuck Brown invented it.
Narrator: Kevin “Kato” Hammond
Head of Content: Heather Schuster
Executive Producers: Avi Glijansky , Stacey Book
Producers: Robert Novak, Belinda Eagan
Sound Design Supervisor: Julian Kwasneski
Music Supervisor: Mikael Sandgren
Music Clearance: Elizabeth Pepin Silva
Audio Post Production services by Bay Area Sound (Dylan Peck, Brendan Stock)
Featured Music
• "Roll Call" & "Body Moves" By Rare Essence Courtesy of Rare One Records
• "Southeast Anthem" & "Here We Go" Performed by DJ Flexx and Dirty Rico Courtesy of Baldhead Productions
• Big City Groove Performed by Ivan Goff
Featured Voices: Charles Stephenson, Andre ‘Whiteboy’ Johnson, Virginia Ali
Image Credits: Matt Fuller, Belinda Eagan
Special Thanks: Becky Marcus & Liaison Records, Take Me Out To The Go-Go Media, Ben’s Chili Bowl, Rare Essence, 9:30 Club, Howard Theater, Lincoln Theater, St. Augustine Church
