The legacy of Go-Go music pioneer Benny "Little Benny" Harley

It has been one month since the Washington, DC music scene lost iconic figure, Benny "Little Benny" Anthony Harley on May 30, 2010 at the age of 46. Affectionately known as "The Helicopter" for his ability to perform with multiple bands in one night, the absence of the energy, style and charisma that Harley brought to the stage is sorely noticeable. In the month since his passing, the Go-Go community has had a moment to reflect on the true impact that Little Benny's contributions had in the growth and progression of DC's own Go-Go music genre.

For those not familiar with Go-Go, this style of music was created in Washington, DC in the mid 70's by the legendary Chuck Brown allowing for the band to keep the beat going in an effort to keep party-goers dancing between the actual songs. Heavily percussive in nature, utilizing congas, cow bells, roto toms, tambourines and timbales, mixed with keyboards, an extensive horn section and bass, it is the call and response dialogue between the lead talker and the audience that gets the crowd hyped and Little Benny was the perfect hype-man. 

Harley's unique voice and ability to connect on a personal level with his fans from the stage or anywhere he happened to be, mixed with a genuine respect and fondness by everyone he performed with, many of the up and coming bands should take note and learn from the legacy that Harley has left behind. 

In addition to being a phenomenal trumpet player, so talented, in fact, that he could play two trumpets at a time, Little Benny also lead the way for the lead talkers in the younger bands serving as a role model with a style many tried to emulate.  Bringing up a generation of "lead talkers" such as Steven "Buggs" Herrion of Junkyard Band and Donnell "D. Floyd" Floyd of Familiar Faces, Floyd recalls, "Most talkers either adopted (James) Funk's style or Benny's style. Funk was more chit chat, while Benny was call and response and he had the sayings" referring to some of Harley's catch phrases.

As a fixture on stage with the aging Chuck Brown who is currently in his mid 70's, Harley had just finished playing a show with Brown the night he died. This was a marriage made for the stage as both personalities draw huge crowds and Little Benny was able to keep the crowd hyped while Brown turned the mic over to him saying "Are you ready for Benny? Are y'all ready for Little Benny?" with a resounding "Hell Yeah!" from the crowd. 

"Benny's death will have a big affect on Chuck (Brown) because whenever he got off the mic, Benny would get on", Floyd says. "To add Benny's name to a bill had 75 to 100 people added who wouldn't ordinarily have come out." 

While Harley was clearly a star, he was not afraid to share the spotlight. Greg Boyer, who has played with Parliament Funkadelic, Maceo Parker, Prince and most recently The Greg Boyer Peloton, recalls "he gave me my first Go-Go gig back in '88 when I moved back to DC from LA". Boyer adds, "He was a part of my life - musically and as a friend and there's a lot of folks that can lay claim to that. That's the joy of knowing someone like Benny." This does not seem to be the exception, but the rule, as many musicians involved in Go-Go over the past 25 years recount stories of Benny giving them their "first gig". 

Boyer sums up the loss that is felt by all using the analogy, "if Go-Go were a smile, there's now a front tooth missing. It's still a smile, complete with the happiness and emotion that makes it happen, but it's not as pretty as it was. A "Lil Benny" won't grow back as it was and replace it. He was one of a kind."