Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Blackjack (1977)

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Gate, the old Texas swing crocodile

If it was just for the incredible "Street Corner", this album would be a must ! But there's a whole lot of other amazing tracks which make of this record a concentrate of "Gate"'s brilliant musical wizardry and jubilating swing. His inimitable jazzy mix of Texas swing, jump blues and swampy country music sounds like nothing else in Southern music, and his agility on any instrument he touches is simply astonishing. Gate could play guitar, violin and harmonica, but also viola, mandolin and mandola ! This guy was a real phenomenon in the post-war musical landscape, a true giant. And a guy full of humor too.

This album starts with "Here Am I", a swinging title carried by horns and showing his typical unusual finger attack on the strings of his fetish 1966 Gibson Firebird guitar. The following "Tippin' In" sees Don Buzard's pedal steel guitar coming in accompanied by an unusual flute (Bobby Campo). On the blues "Song For Renee (Gate's Tune)", Gate demonstrates his skills on violin while Rod Roddy's piano rolls down, along with Campo's flute again.

The Catch-back, vol. 2 : Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Buddy Flett - Snooky Pryor - Johnny Tucker & James Thomas - Doug MacLeod - William Clarke - Fiona Boyes

...some that deserved to be featured here...

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Down South In The Bayou Country (1972-74 / 2006)

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The ex-Deputy Sheriff's country dance

Gatemouth was a surprising character, he always was where you didn't expect him to be  ! Actually, as he explained in the interview mentioned at the end of this review, he didn't appreciate much being categorized as a "bluesman". In this 1974 album for example, he was definitely in a country & western mood. He even left his guitar at home, exclusively playing fiddle, an instrument on which he excelled too (just listen to "Gate's Express" and you'll have a hot demonstration) and perfectly fitting the kind of music he chose to play, blowing his harmonica on some songs, and singing in his inimitable style.

But wait ! when Gatemouth plays country & western, he does it his way, which is not anybody else way : he's cooking a gumbo made of swamp rock, cajun waltz, creole voodoo funk, New Orleans R'n'B, Texas square dance and other Southern music ingredients to come up with his personal Gate's style vision of country & western, from "Breaux Bridge Rag" to "Gate's Express" through "Loup Garou" and "Sheriff's Barbecue"...