Sunday Texas Boogie Blues at the 2023 Birthday of the Amazing Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown

by Robert Wilkinson

We kick up our heels today into the night and boogie to the sound of a Texas original! If you don't know who this musical legend was, you're in for a real treat. He’s so good, we’re starting early!

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown (April 18, 1924 - September 10, 2005) was a pioneering blues musician. His unique style synthesized “old blues, country, jazz, Cajun music and R&B," and what came out was pioneering rock and roll and electric Texas blues.

From wiki: “He was an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, who played an array of musical instruments such as guitar, fiddle, mandolin, viola as well as harmonica and drums. He won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1983 for his album, Alright Again! He is regarded as one of the most influential exponents of blues fiddle and has had enormous influence in American fiddle circles.”

Frank Zappa said Gatemouth was one of his three main influences in learning guitar. He won 8 W.C. Handy awards, and is in the Blues Hall of Fame. So without further ado, for your dancing pleasure, the unique Texas swing, jazz, and blues sound of Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown!

We begin with a great performance from 2000 at Montreux with Gatemouth live swinging hot with the standard “Caledonia”

We’ll now jump back to the earliest video performance I could find! Live on The Beat television show in 1966, here’s Gatemouth cranking out a great lead on his 1954 hit, “Okie Dokie Stomp”

From Montreux in 1973, here’s Gatemouth with Canned Heat cranking out “Please Mister Nixon.” Last year I had the entire 1 hour 13 show on one clip but it’s disappeared. Instead, go to his link and you’ll get almost the whole thing! Canned Heat and Gatemouth Brown Live at Montreux - 1973

Naturally, their 58 minute audio-only show with Canned Heat is also gone. Better luck next year.

From Nice, France in July 1977, smooth jazz! “Let’s Groove” and “If You’ve Ever Been Mistreated.”

Last year from Montreux 1979 I had “Frosty” featuring Gatemouth, Albert Collins, and AC Reed but it’s gone. Instead, from that Montreux Jazz Festival, here’s Gatemouth cranking out "Chickenshift”

From Hee Haw in 1979, Gatemouth and Roy Clark got together and did a few great tunes! We have the the classics, which begin with “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad,” and then “Frankie and Johnny” (Their duet on “Dark End of the Hallway” has disappeared this year.)

From Austin City Limits in 1981, Gatemouth Brown and Roy Clark doing some fancy pickin’ on ”Under The Double Eagle”

From 1983 in Hamburg, Germany “Dollar Got the Blues.” And from the same gig, this time with Katie Webster, “Every Day I Have The Blues”

Live in New Orleans in 1984, here he is with horns and all! From the backstretch of the show, “Frosty” which was followed by “One More Mile” leading into an amazing jazz number “Pressure Cooker.” (which really cooks!)

From the 1986 Philadelphia Folk Festival, “What Am I Livin’ For”

From sometime in the 1990s, Gatemouth showing off his fiddling skills in a medley! “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You,” “The William Tell Overture,” “The Orange Blossom Special,” and more

Here’s 2+ minutes of three incredible fiddle players! Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Vassar Clements, and Keith Nelson cranking out “Six Levels Below Plant Life”

We have some smooth blues live in my hometown of Austin Texas! From a 1996 Austin City Limits broadcast, “Born in Louisiana” And from what looks to be the same show, Gatemouth giving us some fiddle magic playing “Up Jumped the Devil.” I also think this is from that gig! “Dark End of the Hallway.”

From Maryland in 1997, 11+ minutes of “Unchained Melody" and "Dollar Got The Blues"

Looking classy cranking out “I Hate These Doggone Blues”

From 2002 at the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival, “Strange Things Happen”

From Blues at Montreux 2004, Gatemouth live with Carlos Santana in a duet of “The Drifter.” At the same gig, he was joined by Roy Clark for “I Got My Mojo Working”

I found it again! Here’s a full 1 hour 11 minute set of Carlos Santana Presents Blues At Montreux 2004 - Clarence Gatemouth Brown

Here’s 19 minutes of live performance at the Ogden Museum in N.O. Gatemouth Brown live in New Orleans

Here’s a fascinating one hour video program from Loyola where the Master takes us all to class! “A Master Class with Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown Pt.1 - The Concert.”

Last year I had Gatemouth Brown – Dirty Work at the Crossroads 1947-53, but this year it’s nowhere to be found. Here’s the monster title track instead! “Dirty Work at the Crossroads.”

Here are a few studio cuts of his early best!

The Original Peacock Recordings 1949-59

Last year’s 40 minute clip of Vintage Texas Blues and Boogie has disappeared.

Here’s his first album from 1972. The Blues Ain’t Nothing

Some great singles!

“Just Got Lucky””“Baby Take It Easy”“Gates Salty Blues”

From 1950, “Boogie Rambler”

From 1951, “Pale Dry Boogie Pt. 1”

From 1953, “Boogie Uproar”

From 1954, “Okie Dokie Stomp”

From 1959, the original 45 studio version of “Depression Blues”

From the album Paint it Blue – Songs of the Rolling Stones, “Ventilator Blues”

And from the album Whole Lotta blues – songs of Led Zeppelin, “Rock and Roll”

We’ll close this celebration with what looks to be his live appearance in the 2004 “Lightning in a Bottle” blues tribute cranking out one of my favorites! “Okie Dokie Stomp”

For our encore, the entire 1 hour set at New Orleans in 1984! Gatemouth Brown Life in New Orleans - 1984

© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson

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