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Chuck Brown's Gibson Guitar

Anacostia Community Museum

Object Details

Caption
This Gibson ES-335-DOT guitar belonged to Charles “Chuck” Brown (1936-2012), known as the “Godfather of Go-Go” for fusing rhythm and blues, Latin jazz, and funk into Washington, DC’s syncopated signature sound. The six-string, semi-acoustic guitar has a light brown maple body, while inlaid mother-of-pearl dots its darker rosewood neck. A Custom Shop Edition of Gibson’s Electric Spanish (ES) series, its plastic volume and tone controls complement the golden hued maple in contrast with silvery steel pickups, bridge, and tuning pegs. Brown’s musical start began at Lorton Reformatory in the 1960s, where a counselor taught him to play guitar. Nearly fifty years later, Brown played again at Lorton, which reopened as a public arts center in 2008. Onstage, Brown recognized his mentor in the audience and credited him for both guitar lessons and helping to save his life. From fronting the Soul Searchers to the band that still carries his name, Brown and his guitar remained an iconic duo until his passing in 2012. The District honors his legacy each August on Chuck Brown Day when Chuck Brown Memorial Park is “bustin’ loose” with go-go, which became the city’s official music in 2020.
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Esta guitarra Gibson ES-335-DOT perteneció a Charles "Chuck" Brown (1936-2012), conocido como el "padrino del Go-go" por haber fusionado el rhythm and blues, el jazz latino y el funk en el sonido sincopado característico de Washington, D.C. La guitarra semiacústica de seis cuerdas tiene un cuerpo realizado en madera de arce marrón claro, mientras que incrustaciones de nácar recorren su diapasón oscuro de palisandro. Se trata de una edición personalizada de la serie Electric Spanish (ES) de Gibson. Sus controles de volumen y tono en plástico complementan el arce color dorado y contrastan con las pastillas, el puente y las clavijas en acero plateado. El inicio musical de Brown tuvo lugar en el reformatorio de Lorton, en los años 1960, donde un tutor le enseñó a tocar la guitarra. Casi cincuenta años después, Brown volvió a tocar en Lorton, que reabrió sus puertas como centro de arte público en 2008. En el escenario, Brown distinguió a su mentor entre el público y le agradeció tanto las lecciones de guitarra como el haberle ayudado a salvar su vida. Desde su etapa al frente de los Soul Searchers, pasando por la banda que aún lleva su nombre, Brown y su guitarra siguieron siendo un dúo icónico hasta su fallecimiento en 2012. El Distrito rinde homenaje a su legado cada agosto en el Día de Chuck Brown, cuando el parque conmemorativo que lleva su nombre se anima al ritmo del Go-go, música oficial de la ciudad desde 2020.
Cite As
Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Chuck Brown
1983
Accession Number
2002.0021.0001a
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
guitar
Medium
wood, metal, plastic, mother-of-pearl
Dimensions
41 × 16 × 2 in. (104.1 × 40.6 × 5.1 cm)
See more items in
Anacostia Community Museum Collection
Anacostia Community Museum
Record ID
acm_2002.0021.0001a
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dl8392995fb-3b18-427e-a111-066a1faa3a08

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