District of Columbia Code Division I. Government of District. § 1-167.01. History of Go-Go Music.

(a) Go-go music originated in the District of Columbia during the mid-1960s to late 1970s.

(b) Initially, “go-go” was a term used to identify a music club where young people gathered and where, between songs, the percussion section of the band would continue to play while the band leader engaged the audience through melodic call-and-response sessions.

(c) Go-go is a fusion of musical forms, drawing inspiration from funk, blues, soul, and salsa, and blending them seamlessly, with its syncopated polyrhythms and multiple percussion instruments.

(d) During the 1980s, the Department of Parks and Recreation “Munch for Lunch” program used its Showmobile, a stage on wheels, to provide free go-go concerts in various locations several times a week for lunchtime crowds to enjoy.

(e) The 1987 hit “Da Butt” by Chuck Brown and the group Experience Unlimited, also known as E.U., was performed for the soundtrack for Spike Lee's film School Daze, giving Go-Go a national stage.

(f) Many local residents who went on to join groups such as Rare Essence, Trouble Funk, Junkyard Band, Backyard Band, TCB, TOB, and Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers, gained their musical experience in District public-school marching bands.

(g) Chuck Brown has been repeatedly and officially honored as the “Godfather of Go-Go.”

(h) Go-go music encapsulates the range of personal experiences in local communities around the District and expresses them in a unifying force.

(i) Go-go music is a multifaceted art form that fully captures the cultural and artistic expressions of the District.

(j) Go-go music is hereby designated the official music of the District of Columbia.