Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (blues)

Louisiana-born, Texas-raised multi-instrumentalist Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown has been dishing up his unique blend of blues, R&B, country, jazz, and Cajun music for more than 50 years. A 77-year old virtuoso on guitar, violin, harmonica, mandolin, viola, and even drums, Gatemouth has influenced performers as diverse as Albert Collins, Frank Zappa, Lonnie Brooks, Eric Clapton, and Joe Louis Walker. Gatemouth was born in Vinton, Louisiana, and raised not far from the Gulf Coast in Orange, Texas. He learned guitar and fiddle from his father who played and sang the tunes of the region, including French traditional songs and even German polkas. After a stint in the Army during WWII, Gatemouth made his debut as a guitarist in 1947 by simply walking on stage at the famed Peacock Club in Houston and picking up an electric Gibson guitar that an ailing T-Bone Walker had put down mid-show. Gate so wowed the audience, playing his own "Gatemouth Boogie," that within a few minutes he had been showered with $600 in tips - a large haul in those cash-strapped days. Dozens of hits soon followed, including "Okie Dokie Stomp," "Boogie Rambler," and "Dirty Work at the Crossroads." Later Gatemouth moved to Nashville where he hosted a television show and began adding country music to his repertoire, even recording with Roy Clark and appearing on Hee Haw. In the 70s he grew legions of fans in Europe, East Africa, and the Soviet Union, where Gate toured as a musical ambassador for the U.S. State Department. In recent years, he has been joined on his highly acclaimed cds by Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Maria Muldaur and Leon Russell. In addition to being a Grammy recipient, Gatemouth Brown has been inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and is an eight-time winner of the W.C. Handy Award. He's also received the prestigious Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. This week, welcome bona-fide blues legend (and all round true American character) Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown to Louisiana Jukebox.

http://www.gatemouth.com