September 12, 2005 8:18

Legendary blues musician dies

Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown passes away aged 81…

CLARENCE ‘GATEMOUTH’ BROWN, the GRAMMY-award winning guitarist and singer, has died at the age of 81.

Brown passed away in Texas on Saturday (September 10) surrounded by his family at his brother’s home in Orange.

The guitarist had been battling lung cancer and heart disease and was said to be “devastated” after his home in Slidell, Louisiana was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

According to BBC News, his booking agent Rick Cady said: “I'm sure he was heartbroken, both literally and figuratively. He evacuated successfully before the hurricane hit, but I'm sure it weighed heavily on his soul."

During his career – which spanned over half a century - Brown recorded with Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder and [a][/a].

Brown was born in Louisiana, but raised in Texas and gained the ’Gatemouth’ nickname for his deep voice.

He cited his father – a railway worker and fiddle player – as his greatest musical influence, saying, “If I can make my guitar sound like his fiddle, then I know I've got it right."

The guitarist career’s took off in the late 1940’s and he went on to record such tracks as ’Okie Dokie Stomp’ and ’Ain’t That Dandy’ but becoming frustrated by the limits of blues guitar, he started to move into jazz and country.

Colin Waters, who is currently writing Brown’s biography, said; “He is one of the most underrated guitarists, musicians and arrangers I've ever met, an absolute prodigy.”

He added: “He never wanted to be called a bluesman, but I used to tell him that though he may not like the blues, he does the blues better than anyone."