The definitive history of go-go music and culture
Go-go is the heart and soul of Washington, DC’s African American culture–a source of resilience for the community and a way to celebrate Black lives. As the soundtrack of the District since the mid-1970s, go-go was designated the official music of Washington in 2020, and it has been incorporated into music genres such as hip-hop and R&B for decades.
Crankin offers a rich narrative packed with photos that highlight go-go’s key figures, bands, and moments–spanning fifty years from its beginnings all the way to its central role in the #BLM protests in 2020 and the #DontMuteDC and Moechella movements. This sweeping history of go-go music culture details the life of Chuck Brown, the “godfather of go-go,” and documents the history of the genre’s early pioneers, Trouble Funk, Rare Essence, and Experience Unlimited (EU). The book also covers EU’s 1988 number one hit, “Da Butt,” go-go’s gospel and grown ‘n’ sexy subgenres, go-go’s international impact, the bouncebeat sound, go-go lifestyles, activism, and, finally, the homecoming as go-go artists brought Chuck Brown’s African-inspired beat to Africa.
Crankin will entertain and inform fans of go-go as well as African American and American-created music; musicologists; scholars of American culture and subcultures; and readers interested in DC history.
Alona Wartofsky is a former culture editor and reporter for The Washington Post. She has been reporting about go-go since the mid-’80s, and her stories about go-go culture have appeared in The Washington Post, Washington City Paper, the Village Voice, Spin magazine, and LA Weekly.
Charles C. Stephenson Jr. is the coauthor of The Beat: Go-Go Music from Washington, DC, the original manager for Experience Unlimited, and former chairman of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Kato Hammond is a go-go musician, author, publisher, and journalist. He is the owner and creator of Take Me Out To The Go-Go, Inc. (TMOTTGoGo)–the first website, magazine, and online radio station covering the go-go music culture.