Artist:Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
Song:Stranded
Album:Texas Swing
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown is yet another legendary bluesman who was forgotten in the 60s and then returned with a vengence as a senior mostly because of his European following. He was renowned for his versatility. He was born Apr. 18, 1924 in Vinton, LA and grew up in Orange, TX. His dad was a popular local bluegrass musician. While growing up, Brown was heavily influenced by the big band sound of Duke Ellington & Count Basie and that was always an integral part of his music. A high school teacher thought his voice sounded like a gate and that's how he became Gatemouth. In 1947, he filled in for an ailing T-Bone Walker at a Houston nightclub and got the attention of nighclub owner Don Robey. Robey became his manager and then started Peacock Records. He recorded for Peacock through the 50s and got a lot of respect with his guitar skills but not much mainstream success. He moved to Nashville in the 60s and became friends with Roy Clark and appeared on Hee Haw. Brown became a deputy sherriff in New Mexico but he started doing tours in Europe and that's really what revived his music career. His fabulous 1979 album with Roy Clark called Makin' Music also got him a lot of attention. He signed with Rounder and his highly acclaimed 1981 album Alright Again! reestablished him for good. This 1987 comp is a sampler of his Rounder recordings. Stranded is a fine blues song from the 1982 album One More Time. He also recorded for Alligator & Verve and continued to tour until he was diagnosed with cancer in 2004. His home in Slidell, LA was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and he was moved to his brother's home in Orange and died on Sept. 10, 2005 at age 81. I've always found Brown to be a very entertaining musician. Here's Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown performing Dollar Got The Blues in Germany 1983.
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