If you grew up in the DMV, the sound of a "crank" isn't just noise. It's a heartbeat. And for over four decades, that heartbeat has been sustained, modulated, and pushed to its absolute limit by the rotating cast of Rare Essence band members. People call them "The Wickedest Band Alive." That isn't just marketing hype or a cool nickname they threw on a flyer in 1985. It’s a reputation earned in sweat-soaked community centers, the legendary Howard Theatre, and countless PA tapes that circulated like underground currency before the internet existed.
Rare Essence isn't just a group. It is an institution.
To understand the band, you have to understand the chair. In the world of Go-Go, a seat in Rare Essence is basically the equivalent of a PhD in pocket and percussion. When a new musician joins, they aren't just playing notes; they are stepping into a lineage that traces back to the 1970s when Quentin "Footz" Davidson and his friends started playing as the "Young Dynamos."
The Foundation: James "Funk" Thomas and the Early Architects
You can't talk about Rare Essence band members without starting with the "Godfather of Go-Go" himself, Chuck Brown—wait, no, that's the wider genre. Within the RE universe, the sun revolves around James "Funk" Thomas.
James Funk is the quintessential front man. His gravelly voice and "talker" style defined the band's identity. He wasn't just singing; he was conducting a chaotic, rhythmic symphony. If you listen to the early hits like "Body Moves" or "Lock It," Funk is the one keeping the energy at a fever pitch. He understood something fundamental about DC music: the crowd is the extra instrument.
Then there was the late, great Quentin "Footz" Davidson. Ask any drummer in the city who their influence is. Nine times out of ten, they’ll say Footz. His drumming wasn't just about keeping time. It was about the "pocket." That specific, syncopated delay between the snare and the kick that makes Go-Go feel like it’s leaning forward without ever falling over. His passing in 1994 was a tectonic shift for the band, but his style is still baked into every beat they play today.
The 90s Era: When the Lineup Became Iconic
The 1990s were arguably the "Golden Era" for the group. This is when the roster of Rare Essence band members solidified into a powerhouse that could out-play any touring R&B act in the country.
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Andre "Whiteboy" Johnson is the glue. He’s been there since the beginning, and as the guitarist and band leader, he’s the one who navigated the group through the changing tides of the music industry. While other bands folded, Whiteboy kept the engine running. His guitar work isn't flashy in a "hair metal" way, but his rhythmic scratching and melodic fills are the secret sauce of the RE sound.
And then there’s the vocal frontline. You had guys like:
- Charles "Shorty Corleone" Garris: A powerhouse vocalist who brought a melodic sensibility that allowed the band to cover Top 40 hits and make them sound like they were written in Southeast DC.
- Derek "Bootsy" Hubbard: The man on the bass. In Go-Go, the bass isn't a background instrument. It’s a lead instrument. Bootsy’s lines were melodic, heavy, and impossible not to dance to.
- Michael "Go-Go Mickey" Freeman: If Footz was the heart, Mickey was the nervous system. As the conga player, Mickey redefined what percussion meant in a modern band setting. His "hand-to-hand" speed is legendary. If you watch old videos of him, his hands move so fast they become a literal blur. He turned the congas into a lead instrument.
Why the "Rotating Door" Actually Works
People often get confused because the list of Rare Essence band members is long. Like, really long.
Honestly, it’s kinda like Saturday Night Live or the Miles Davis Quintet. Musicians come in, they "graduate," and then they go off to start their own bands or become high-level session players. This isn't a sign of instability. It's a sign of a healthy ecosystem.
Think about Anthony "Lil Benny" Harley. He brought the trumpet to the forefront and eventually became a star in his own right. Or Byron "BJ" Jackson on keyboards, who helped modernize the band’s sound with synthesizers that could mimic entire horn sections. When a member leaves, the "RE Sound" stays because the structure is so disciplined. It's a school of music. You learn how to watch the crowd, how to break the beat down, and how to "crank" until 3:00 AM without losing a step.
The Modern Lineup and the Preservation of the Crank
In the 2020s, the band looks different, but the mission is the same. Whiteboy is still at the helm. You’ve got younger players who grew up idolizing the original members now taking those seats.
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The current Rare Essence band members have to do something the original guys didn't: they have to compete with a digital world. Back in the day, you had to go to the shop to buy a "PA Tape" to hear the latest show. Now, everything is on YouTube and Instagram. But the live show remains the primary reason they exist.
Musicians like Darrell "Blue Eye" Marshall and Kacey Williams have carried the torch, ensuring that the transition from the old-school "heavy metal" style of Go-Go into the more polished, modern era didn't lose the grit. It’s a delicate balance. If you make it too clean, the streets don't want it. If it's too raw, you can't play the big festivals. Rare Essence stays right in the middle.
The Impact of Loss
We can't talk about the members without acknowledging the ones who aren't here. Go-Go history is unfortunately marred by tragedy, and Rare Essence has felt that deeply.
The loss of Footz was huge. The loss of Byron "BJ" Jackson later on was another blow. But in DC culture, these members are treated like folk heroes. You'll see their names on murals and hear their riffs sampled in new tracks. When we talk about Rare Essence band members, we aren't just talking about people on a payroll. We’re talking about the architects of Washington DC's cultural identity.
Common Misconceptions About the Band
You’ll hear people say that Go-Go is just "repetitive drumming." Honestly, if you think that, you aren't listening to the musicianship.
Rare Essence band members are often jazz-trained or classically influenced. The complexity of the horn arrangements and the polyrhythms happening between the kit, the congas, and the cowbell are staggering. Most pop drummers can't hold a Go-Go pocket for five minutes, let alone a four-hour set.
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Another myth is that the band is "stuck in the past." While they definitely honor their roots, RE was one of the first Go-Go bands to embrace hip-hop. They collaborated with Doug E. Fresh. They understood that the music had to evolve to survive. That’s why you’ll see different generations of Rare Essence band members—some who remember the 70s and some who were born in the 2000s—all sharing the stage.
How to Truly Experience the Band Today
If you really want to understand the genius of these musicians, you can't just stream a studio album. Studio Go-Go is notoriously difficult to capture. It feels sterile.
Instead, search for "Rare Essence live at the Capital Centre" or find recordings from the 90s at the PA Palace. Listen to how the band reacts to James Funk’s calls. When he says "drop it," listen to how the entire band vanishes except for the kick drum and the cowbell. That level of telepathy between band members only comes from playing together every single night in high-pressure environments.
Actionable Steps for New Listeners and Aspiring Musicians
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of Rare Essence or if you're a musician trying to learn their style, here is how you actually do it:
- Isolate the Percussion: Stop listening to the vocals for a second. Focus entirely on the dialogue between the conga and the snare. That "chatter" is the essence of the band.
- Study the "Break": Look for live recordings where the band does a "breakdown." This is where you see the individual skill of the Rare Essence band members as they build the energy back up from zero.
- Trace the Lineage: Look up the "Back to the Go-Go" documentary or read "The Beat" by Kip Lornell and Charles C. Stephenson Jr. It gives the necessary context for why these specific musicians matter so much to the city's history.
- Support the Live Scene: Go-Go is a fragile ecosystem. If you're in the DC area, go see the current iteration of the band. The lineup might change, but the "Wickedest Band Alive" energy is something that has to be felt in person to be understood.
Rare Essence is more than a group of people playing instruments. It’s a rolling university of funk. Every person who has ever held a mic, a drumstick, or a bass guitar in this band has contributed to a wall of sound that defined a city. From James Funk to Whiteboy to the newest percussionist, they are the keepers of the crank.