Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown
(Born 18th April,1924 in Louisiana)
One of the great guitar players but often underrated and sometimes criminally ignored, 'Gatemouth' was originally influenced by jazz players, which lead to a fluidity of style seldom found in other blues players. He is also a renowned multi-instrumentalist and plays harmonica, banjo, drums and, particularly, the  fiddle.
His music reflects an eclectic upbringing, where he was exposed to country, cajun and jazz as well as the blues. Gatemouth's father was a musician and taughht his son to play both guitar and fiddle and during his early years he heard the music of Tampa Red, Bob Willis and Count Basie amongst others. He toured with a travelling show (as a drummer!) before being drafted and, on his discharge, he worked as a musician in San Antonio, Texas. Gatemouth impressed enough to attract the interest of Don Robey, who offered him a spot in his club and subsequently recorded him on the Aladdin lavel before he set up his own Peacock label.
Brown's early recordings for the Peacock label are available on a number of collections but "The Original Peacock Recordings" (re-released on Rounder Records) is as good an introduction as any (including such Brown favourites as 'Gate's Salty Blues', 'Dirty Work At The Crossroads' and 'Just Before Dawn'). He continued to record for Peacock until 1961, and many of these records are classics of Texas blues, incredibly influential at the time.
 He continued to record throughout the 60's and 70's, with very little success, although albums made in Europe such as "Gate's On The Heat" were of an extremely high standard. In the 60s he also fronted the house band on a variety television show that broadcast from Nashville, as well as spending time playing in Colorado and New Mexico
The 80's were a happier time, recordings on the Rounder label receiving sympathetic arrangements and production. His undoubted vocal and instrumental skill once again received appropriate recognition through the release of such albums as the Grammy award winning "Alright Again" and the follow up and Grammy nominated "One More Mile". "Alright Again" in particular is testimony to the breadth and depth of Gatemouth's approach to the blues, with his great playing backed by big, brassy band. It's an album that sums up his approach to his music, often it seems frustrated by the limits of the blues genre and incorporating country, jazz and cajun into the mix. Indeed, his biographer notes that he never wanted to be called a bluesman, even though he played the blues better than just about anyone else on the planet!
He still recorded well into the 90s and beyond and the album "The Man", released in 1994 on Verve 523 761-2 is a fine example of his skills - straight blues, cajun, jazz, soul and innovative instrumentals (including a remarkable version of 'Unchained Melody') all proved he was still in fine fettle at the ripe old age of 71. "Long Way Home", is also worth hearing and is available on Verve 529465-2.
He deserves to be acknowledged for a lot more than simply being a support act for Eric Clapton at the latter's late 90s London concerts. "American Music Texas Style", released in 1999, is another big band, horn dominated set with Gatemouth's jazzy, distinctive guitar fills well to the fore. His intrumental virtuosity (guitar and fiddle) is as apparent as ever.
Gatemouth was a supremely gifted singer and instrumentalist, no matter what genre of music he chose to play. His final album, "Timeless" is a fitting testament to a criminally undervalued talent.
He was one of many whose home (in Slidell, Louisiana) was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and although he evacuated successfully, many who knew him considered that it understandably weighed heavily on his mind and perhaps broke the spirit that had been fighting illness for so long.
Sadly, Gatemouth passed away on September 10, 2005 after a battle with lung cancer and heart disease.
""If I can make my guitar sound like my father's fiddle, then I know I've got it right" - "Gatemouth" Brown
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Primer Picks |
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Such a long and varied career, a difficult performer to sum up in one entry in any R&B; Primer collection. "Alright Again" and "The Man" would both reward the newcomer to the man's music and are thoroughly recommended
Favourite Album:-
The Man
Favourite Track:-
Unchained Melody
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Buy Now On-Line |
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