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Chuck Brown hasn't changed. At 73, he still dresses like a character from "Superfly," and responds to questions in his trademark earth-moving growl. Age is just a number, and Brown can still pump out hits like "Bustin' Loose" and "We Need Some Money" for two hours straight.

"That's something that amazes me sometimes," Brown admits. "But I'll tell you what really motivates me. When I walk out on that stage and the people be hollering, ‘Wind me up, Chuck!' And as soon as I hit the first note, everybody's dancing."

On Friday night at Silver Spring's Blair Mansion, audiences will get a taste of the go-go godfather's endless grooves. Brown is used to playing to crowds of thousands, a sharp contrast to the intimate setting of the Mansion's Terrace Room. But a big part of his show involves interacting with the audience. With everyone so close, that becomes even easier.

"I don't need security or bodyguards or any of that kind of stuff. It's a beautiful club. I feel very comfortable there," Brown says.

Backing Brown up will be the WPG Trio, a band that includes bassist Gary Grainger, keyboard player Benjie Porecki and drummer Blues Webb. Rooted in jazz, the combo touches on blues and R&B.

"We're all good friends, so that's where [our chemistry] comes from," Webb points out. "I really consider those guys my brothers. My kids call them Uncle Gary and Uncle Benjie. When we get on stage, it doesn't matter if we didn't have a good week. All that goes out the window."

The trio formed in 1998, after Porecki and Webb played the same side gig. They talked for a couple of hours and became close friends. Grainger's brother Greg introduced him to Webb soon after, and the trio was complete.

"Everything seemed to fit," Grainger says. "It's a blast working together."

The band has backed Brown up a few times, and by the way the go-go master talks, the partnership will continue for a long time.

"Those guys are some of the greatest musicians I've ever had the pleasure of playing with," Brown says.

If anyone would know a good musician, it's Brown. Online biographies on sites like www.allmusic.com explain that he has been active since the rise of his band the Soul Searchers in the early 1970s. Brown says he has been revving up sweaty concertgoers for much longer.

Lyrically, go-go is grounded in shouts, rhymes and call and response. In that way, the funk subgenre is a precursor to rap. It threatened to become as popular as hip-hop in the early '80s, but only a few songs, including the Brown standard "Bustin' Loose," climbed the charts. Brown doesn't mind that go-go never took off.

"It wouldn't have made any difference to me if go-go hadn't gone outside this city," he says. "It's our music. It's an inner-city thing. It's not as big as rap and all that kind of stuff. The rappers used to come and see us before rap even came out, so they got some inspiration from us."

To mainstream America, Brown is the guy who scored a No. 1 R&B hit with "Bustin' Loose" in 1979. The song is now Brown's signature tune, and he never tires of playing it.

"The only way I get tired of it is if the band ain't playing it right," he explains. "It's a funky tune, and it's the biggest hit I ever had. And I thank God for that. I love "Bustin' Loose" because I felt like bustin' loose when I wrote the thing."

Like his fellow funk pioneers, Brown found a new generation digging his music when rap took off in the 1980s and '90s. He appreciated the recognition, but artists began sampling his songs and not paying royalties. Brown now gets monetary compensation. In 2002, St. Louis emcee Nelly included snippets of "Bustin' Loose" in the smash single "Hot in Herre."

"James Brown is the one who opened my eyes to getting paid. [Sampling] is the greatest thing ever, now that I'm getting paid," he notes.

Five decades in, Brown has experienced a renewed interest in his work. Since the release of "We're About the Business" in 2007, Brown has popped up on TV, in newspapers, and even on National Public Radio. The devoted fans who chant "Wind me up, Chuck!" have responded with a campaign to get him elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Brown credits savvy management for a sudden rise in exposure.

"Those other managers I had did nothing but rich off of me. They didn't get the props that I needed or get me to the places I should have gone," Brown explains.

Brown just completed an as-yet unnamed album that he hopes to release this summer. Expect heavy doses of go-go and a rousing production.

"The whole thing is about partying," Brown promises. "That's what I like — happy songs. The songs that make people want to get on the floor and dance."

For now, Brown is focused on Friday's Blair Mansion show. Grainger says the show will be a more jazz-inspired set. That doesn't mean it won't be a party.

Chuck Brown and the WPG Trio perform Friday at 9 p.m. at Blair Mansion, 7711 Eastern Ave., Silver Spring. Tickets are $30. Call 301-588-1688 or visit

www.blairmansion.com.