Backyard Band

Anwan Glover
Glover at Le Royale nightclub in New York City
Glover at Le Royale nightclub in New York City
Background information
Birth nameRalph Anwan Glover
Also known as
  • Big G
  • Genghis Glover
  • Lil NUTS
  • Big Genghis
  • Genghis
  • The Ghetto Prince
Born (1971-05-05) May 5, 1971 (age 53)
OriginWashington, D.C.
United States
GenresGo-go
Occupation(s)
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
Years active1988–present
Labels
  • Future Records

Ralph Anwan Glover (born May 5, 1971[1][2] in Washington, D.C.) is an American rapper, actor, model, DJ, and founding member of the D.C.-based go-go band "BackYard Band" (also abbreviated as "BYB").[3] Glover is also known for his portrayal of Slim Charles in the HBO crime-drama television series The Wire.[3]

Career

Glover first gained local fame as a teenager in 1992 (some sources say 1988[4]) as one of the founding members of the BackYard Band. He is described as the leader of the band, and credited as its "lead talker." The band got its start, according to its website, "beating on buckets." Glover stated that the band members learned much of their craft from go-go godfather Chuck Brown, who mentored them when they started out. The band still regularly performs in the D.C. area, has toured East Coast locations including New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Miami, and has released five albums; one, Hood Related, debuted at number 69 on the Billboard Magazine R&B albums chart on November 22, 1997. In February and March 2018, the band toured Ghana, bringing D.C.'s go-go music back to Africa. Explaining the band's longevity, Glover said, "Most important, we realized early on that we had a special kind of chemistry — we liked it and our fans like it — and we refused to mess with it. Other bands chose to switch members in and out but that only messed with the sound and the vibe."[5][6][7][8][9]

Glover made his acting debut in late 2003 as Slim Charles in the HBO television series The Wire. He has also appeared in music videos, such as Boyz n da Hood's "Dem Boyz" and Wale's "Chillin", among others. He hosted a nightly radio show on 93.9 WKYS-FM radio in the Washington metropolitan area.[10]

Glover starred in three episodes of the first season of the HBO television series Treme as a convicted killer named Keevon White. He also speaks to youth in the Washington metropolitan region, and has been accepted in the New York Film Academy. He has been working on a film titled Shoedog since 2009.[11] It is written by author and The Wire contributor George Pelecanos.[12]

Personal life

Glover reportedly (in 2016) had six children, and a wife whose name he had not made public.[13]

On August 26, 2007, Glover's brother Tayon was shot to death in Columbia Heights. Glover addressed the press, along with D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty, saying that "we're tired of seeing the yellow [police] tape" and calling for an end to revenge shootings.[14] He also stated that he has been shot 13 times.[14]

On August 3, 2014, Glover was beaten and stabbed at a nightclub in downtown Washington, D.C. The injuries were non-life-threatening.[15][16][17][18][19]

In August 2022, Glover's 29-year-old son Kavon Glover was killed in a shooting in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.[20]

Awards and recognition

Glover received an NAACP Youth Leadership Award in 2004. He received the key to the city for Washington, D.C., on November 20, 2007, which was proclaimed Anwan Glover Day. He was recognized by a "DMV Honors Anwan Glover" event at Washington's Howard Theatre on January 18, 2014. He has been named an outstanding spokesman to youth for HIV/AIDS awareness.[21][22][23]

Discography

Albums

  • We Like it Raw (with the BackYard Band, 1995)
  • Hood Related (with the BackYard Band, 1997)
  • Skillet (with the BackYard Band, 1999)
  • Street Antidote (with the BackYard Band, 2016)
  • Triple Threat

Singles

Filmography

Films

Television

See also

References

  1. ^ Hopkinson, Natalie (April 26, 2003). "The Guru of Go-Go". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ Cauvin, Henri E. (December 23, 2004). "A Day in Court for Actor on 'The Wire'". Washington Post.
  3. ^ a b Glover, Anwan (April 2008). "From the Streets to the Silver Screen: A Story of Redemption". Ebony. Vol. 63, no. 6. p. 45. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Anwan "Big G" Glover". Majic 102.3 - 92.7. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Listen: Rare Essence and Backyard Band Collaborate For The First Time on 'You Can't Run From the Crank'". Washington City Paper. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  6. ^ "About Us". backyard4lifedc.com. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  7. ^ McNeir, D. Kevin (12 September 2018). "BackYard Band Keeps Go-Go Going Strong". The Washington Informer. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Backyard Band Brings Go-Go to West Africa". The Washington Informer. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Top R&B Albums" (PDF). Billboard. 22 November 1997. p. 25. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  10. ^ Lamond, Walker (November 22, 2008). "Q&A (Excerpt): ANWAN GLOVER :: Stop Smiling Magazine". Stopsmilingonline.com. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  11. ^ TSS Crew (September 4, 2009). "TSS Presents Fifteen Minutes With Anwan Glover | The Smoking Section". Smokingsection.uproxx.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  12. ^ "Shoedog". IMDb.
  13. ^ Karki, Ashmita (12 November 2016). "Anwan Glover has is married with 6 kids. One of them got shot. Know All". FamousStardom. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  14. ^ a b Williams, Clarence; Pierre, Robert E. (August 25, 2007). "We're Tired of Seeing the Yellow Tape". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
  15. ^ Swift, Tim (August 3, 2014). "'Wire' actor stabbed inside Washington nightclub". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  16. ^ Staff Writer (August 3, 2014). "Anwan Glover, Actor in "The Wire," Stabbed Beaten Inside DC Nightclub". NBC Washington. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  17. ^ Seemayer, Zach (August 3, 2014). "'The Wire' Actor Anwan Glover Stabbed In D.C. Nightclub". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  18. ^ Duke, Alan (August 4, 2014). "'Wire' actor Anwan Glover: 'My spirit is unbreakable' despite nightclub stabbing". CNN.
  19. ^ Associated Press (August 4, 2014). "Anwan Glover Stabbed at D.C. Nightclub". People Magazine.
  20. ^ "Son of Anwan 'Big G' Glover killed in Prince George's County shooting". FOX 5 DC. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  21. ^ Watkins, Grouchy Greg (13 January 2008). "The Wire Tap: Anwan Glover". AllHipHop. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  22. ^ "ANWAN GLOVER - Resume - Roberson's Artist Management". resumes.breakdownexpress.com. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  23. ^ "DMV Honors Anwan "Big G" Glover (Photo Gallery) | TMOTTGOGO Radio – Internet Radio Station | The #1 Trusted Voice of the Go-Go Community". TMOTTRadio.com. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  24. ^ Knapp, Jackson (January 29, 2016). "How the Go-Go Cover of Adele's "Hello" Got Made". Washingtonian Magazine.
  25. ^ Schweitzer, Ally (January 15, 2016). "BackYard Band's Adele Cover Is Putting Go-Go Back In The Spotlight". WAMU 88.5: Bandwidth.fm.
  26. ^ Cohen, Matt (January 21, 2016). "You Oughta Go-Go: Go-Go Covers of Pop Songs, Ranked". Washington City Paper.
  27. ^ Butler, Adam (January 25, 2016). "10 Go-Go Remakes You Absolutely Must Hear". BuzzFeed.
  28. ^ Richards, Chris (February 4, 2016). "What a viral cover of Adele's 'Hello' means for go-go". The Washington Post.
  29. ^ "Prospect (2018) - IMDb". IMDb.

External links