Go-Go Museum and Café to Honor 50 Years of Go-Go Music

By D. Kevin McNeirSpecial to the AFRO

The Go-Go Museum and Café will have a good time 50 years of go-go music on the 2026 Go-Go Awards, on Tuesday, Jan. 6. The awards can be hosted on the Lincoln Theatre in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood, traditionally often called town’s ”Black Broadway.” 

This yr’s theme, “Returning to Our Roots and Embracing the Diaspora,” guarantees to be an unforgettable night honoring the tradition and legacy of Washington, D.C.’s official music.   

“Go-go is greater than music –it’s the heartbeat of our metropolis. As we honor these trailblazers, we additionally elevate a tradition that speaks louder than phrases and strikes deeper than sound,” mentioned Ron Moten, Go-Go Museum and Cafe founder and CEO. “The soul of D.C. lives on by way of go-go, and it’s our nice honor to have a good time the individuals who preserve that rhythm alive.” 

Co-hosted by D.C. natives and comedians Joe Clair and Jay Cole, the evening will function star-studded performances from the Chuck Brown Band; Kurtis Blow, hip-hop pioneer and the primary artist to report a go-go/hip-hop collaboration; Doug E. Recent and the Go-Go Allstars, a lineup of the style’s most revered musicians performing iconic go-go hits from the final 5 a long time.

Moten mentioned will probably be an illuminating blast from the previous in addition to a program that options rising youth bands.

“Youth are additionally being featured with one band enjoying on buckets like they did up to now in a tribute to the Junkyard Band,” he mentioned. “They are going to carry out the hit music, ‘Sardines.’”

He added that the mayor’s workplace may also give a memento coin marking the fiftieth anniversary of go-go to everybody who attends the occasion. 

Darryll Brooks, a part of the duo whose enterprise, CD Enterprises, Inc., opened the door for lots of the legends in hip-hop and go-go will function an award presenter. CD Enterprises grew to become recognized for selling the skills of go-go artists on stage through concert events. 

“Go-go provides to the consciousness and cultural consciousness that has lengthy been the muse of the musical style,” he mentioned. “And it has a singular relationship with the neighborhood. D.C. is the house of Marvin Gaye, Duke Ellington and Roberta Flack. However it’s additionally the house Chuck Brown, Junkyard Band and so many different legends. 

“It began with youth studying to play devices of their college bands or of their church buildings. That’s what we’ve received to get again to if we wish our youth to have optimistic retailers as we proceed to pave the way in which for the subsequent era of musicians. Youth should be uncovered the way in which they have been 50 years in the past. Then, they’ll take the music to even better heights.”

Go-go icon Sugar Bear, reflecting on the impression that Chuck Brown had on the style, shared the next views. 

“Throughout final summer season’s annual birthday celebration in August, which honored the ‘Godfather of Go-Go,’ the gang confirmed that Chuck Brown’s legacy lives on and that individuals are persevering with to include his musical genius into new types of music,” Sugar Bear mentioned. “Personally, he was each a mentor and buddy who taught me loads concerning the enterprise and the significance of surrounding myself with the precise folks, the precise band – these with the precise self-discipline for this musical journey.”

Sugar Bear continued, including that “as for the state of go-go music, whereas we’re not the place we should be, we’re getting increasingly recognition from throughout the U.S. Individuals are embracing our music and for that I’m grateful. However we all know it’s going to develop even bigger and higher within the very close to future.” 

For extra data, go to https://www.gogomuseumcafe.com/. Tickets are now on sale and will be bought on-line at Ticketmaster.com.