New Feature - Check the side bar - Great streaming album - This week's Artist Clarence Gatemouth Brown

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Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown


Born: Vinton, Louisiana

April 18, 1924 - September 10, 1924

Genre Style: Blues, swing country

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was a legendary, multi-talented American musician whose career spanned over half a century. Born in Vinton, Louisiana, in 1924 and raised in Orange, Texas, he was a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist who mastered the guitar, fiddle, mandolin, viola, drums, and harmonica. He earned his famous nickname "Gatemouth" during his teenage years due to his deep, resonant singing voice. Although frequently classified as a Texas blues performer, Brown famously rejected strict genre labels, preferring to describe his style as "American music, Texas-style". He spent his entire career intentionally breaking musical boundaries by seamlessly synthesizing elements of big band swing, country, jazz, Cajun, bluegrass, and rhythm and blues.
Brown’s big break occurred in 1947 at Houston’s Bronze Peacock nightclub, where he stepped in for an ailing T-Bone Walker and thrilled the crowd by improvising the "Gatemouth Boogie" on the spot. This iconic performance led to a contract with Peacock Records, where he recorded seminal tracks like "Okie Dokie Stomp" and "Dirty Work at the Crossroads". His innovative fingerpicking technique and fierce, horn-like guitar phrasing heavily influenced generations of rock and blues guitarists, including Frank Zappa. He continued to tour the world and record extensively late into his life, earning a Grammy Award in 1983 for his album Alright Again!. After a lifetime dedicated to musical innovation, Brown passed away in September 2005 at the age of 81.
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