Clarence Gatemouth Brown: 1924-2005

Sing Out! The Folk Song Magazine, Winter, 2006 by Joe Krown

Clarence Gatemouth Brown passed away on September 10 at the age of 81. His band mate and friend Joe Krown gives us these words:

Gatemouth's career got started in 1947. He performed as a drummer during a year of Army service, then began taking his guitar playing more seriously after filling in one night for T-Bone Walker in Houston in 1947. Walker, one of the few guitarists he admitted liking, was ill and left the stage mid set. Gatemouth walked onstage, picked up Walker's guitar and made up a song on the spot he called "Gatemouth Boogie." He claimed that he earned $600 in tips in 15 minutes.

His first recordings were two 78s on the Alladin label. He moved over to Robey's Peacock label where he recorded a score of 78s including his signature song, "Okie Dokie Stomp." In the '60s, Gate and his group were the house band for a musical variety show out of Dallas called The Beat. In the 1970s, Gate began a long run of recordings starting in Europe and leading over to U.S. labels. Gatemouth led a very strong performance/road and recording schedule, some years clocking in 250 dates, and a new record every other year.

My work with Gatemouth started in the summer of 1991, and I joined the Gate's Express full time in 1992. One of many highlights was opening 62 dates in 1995 for Eric Clapton. From 1992 to 2003 we worked 150 to 200 dates worldwide. The big band years of 1997-2001 had us performing select concerts with a 16 piece band and producing two discs. We performed with many superstars like Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, and Nile Rodgers and many more musical celebrities from all genres came out to hear Gatemouth.

Gate was an original, and his place in music history will be noted. He was in the first group of guitarists to front a band playing electric guitar. Before people like Gatemouth and T-Bone, the guitar was strictly a rhythm instrument. His music was born of the swing era and he became an architect of modern guitar playing and rock 'n' roll by bridging the two eras.

He was a consummate musician and a true road warrior. If I had to describe him in two words: no compromise. He never compromised his music or his tastes. He was a regional gulf coast musician and that was his style; swing, Cajun/zydeco, Texas country, blues and funk. He may have been more successful if he rode the popular wave more. He insisted on staying true to himself. He was not a fan of modern blues guitarists. He always felt they were trying to copy T-Bone Walker, B.B. King or Albert King. He always tried to encourage me to express myself in an original way and not to try to copy other piano players. He believed in spiritualism, but was not a very religious man. He was very conservative about his views on women and marriage, criticizing men who mistreated women or their relationships. He was strongly against drinking alcohol, seeing his brother and many peers (including Lightning Hopkins) die of alcohol abuse.

After being diagnosed with lung cancer in summer of 2004, he still made all of his concerts including a one day trip to Switzerland for the Montreaux Jazz Fest. In the beginning of 2005, the road starting getting too difficult for Gate and he stopped working in February, 2005. On April 28 of that year, despite his illness, he insisted on making one last appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He was a little slower getting out there, but he rose to the occasion and performed an emotionally charged, high energy set.

His remaining days were spent living in Slidell, Louisiana until Hurricane Katrina hit. He evacuated to Orange, Texas while the storm stole his house and everything in it. After that, we feel he just lost his will to continue. In his remaining months, he would call me just about everyday looking to come out and hear me play. Sometimes he would just sit outside the club and listen and more times than not, he would sit in with my swing band at the Rock and Bowl. As sick as he was, he just needed to be around music and refused to lay in bed just waiting to die. I did everything I could to keep him playing for as long as he was able to get on stage and strap on his guitar. His last live performance was Friday July 29 with us at the Rock and Bowl. The last time I saw him was on August 21, the week before Katrina. The Joe Krown Organ Combo was playing at the Maple Leaf. He insisted that his caretaker bring him out to hear us play one more time. Music was everything to Gate and he refused to let go of it to the very end.

Gate ran his band like a family. He was the father and we were his children. We took care of each other on the road. We watched our children be born, and marriages and relationships come and go. After nearly 15 years of friendship and work, the guys in Gate's Express--David Peters, Harold Floyd, Eric Demmer and myself--will miss him and each other dearly.