Friends of the Oxon Hill Branch Library sponsored the 3rd stop of the TMOTTGoGo Regional Tour of Go-Go History on November 16th.
Go-Go cultural historian Kato Hammond and community psychologist Dr. Tahira Mahdi invited musicians and go-go fans of Oxon Hill to record their oral histories as part of a lecture and discussion.
L to R: Dr. Tahira Mahdi, Friends of the Oxon Hill Branch Library members, Kato Hammond
Dr. Mahdi is a 1994 graduate of Oxon Hill High School and longtime TMOTTGoGo staffer. She earned her doctorate through research on the Go-Go music-cultural community. Kato Hammond created Take Me Out to the Go-Go Magazine and website in 1996 and released his acclaimed autobiography in 2015.
Kato Hammond stressed the importance of collecting oral histories about go-go bands and musicians besides the few who get the most recognition. “It’s a whole history of stuff. It’s important to know that history… If you were a part of that history and you’re not noticed, it’s almost like you didn’t exist. It’s almost like you invisible.”
Members of the go-go band Black Nation recounted their experiences performing in the Oxon Hill area and other parts of Maryland and Virginia.
Lead talker for Black Nation, Chris Evans, talked about their very interesting route to popularity in Maryland and Virginia. “I like to say we started the Chuck E. Cheese movement. It’s a kid friendly place, but at night, they turned it into a go-go spot.”
A major theme of these oral histories was the importance of go-go music to individual development–and staying out of trouble.
“Get the kids back involved into what we grew up on,” said musician Slim Jim, “Because this saved my life.”
“It saved a lot of our lives,” added Kato.
Members of the TMOTTGoGo Crew: Maiah Coles, Tahira Mahdi, Mark Ward, Kato Hammond, and DeLano McRavin.
Take Me Out to the Go-Go Magazine at TMOTTGoGo.com is the community’s most trusted source of information on go-go music and culture. To date, the Regional Tour of Go-Go History has been sponsored at Sandy Spring Museum and at the historic Arch Social Club for Free Fall Baltimore. Kato Hammond produced his own documentary of the history of TMOTTGoGo, now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Museums, libraries, and cultural centers are invited to sponsor a stop on the Regional Tour of Go-Go History. Learn more at TMOTTGoGo.com/regional tour.
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