Clarence Gatemouth Brown

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was born in Louisiana in 1924, and, later that same year, his family moved to Texas. When Brown was a child, his father tutored him in piano and guitar and, as they were blessed with both a Victrola and a crystal radio, the young Clarence was inspired by the sounds of T-Bone Walker, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. At 16, Brown was proficient enough to join his first professional band so before joining the army, he toured Texas as a member of W.M. Bimbo & His Brownskin Models.

From 1949 to 1960, Brown recorded numerous sides for Peacock Records. Although the next two decades brought ups and downs, his musicianship never suffered. During the '80s, things turned around for Brown, and he had several releases on the Rounder, MCA and Alligator labels. Though he took his share of licks at the whims of the recording industry, Gatemouth-as noted by Blues Revue-has "maintained one of the highest quality standards in recorded blues," both as a guitarist and a vocalist. Proof in point, this Grammy winner and six-time Grammy nominee is unrivaled in his ability to seamlessly combine blues, country, soul and jazzy R&B.

His new recording, Long Way Home, features an incredible lineup of special guests. Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Ry Cooder, Amos Garrett, Jim Keltner and John Loudermilk join forces with Brown to make the recording a veritable '70s super session revisited. Although he's best known for his uncomplicated Texas blues playing, when he pulls out his violin and his seasoned band, Gate's Express, and launches into a Cajun or straight country number, you realize that "this man is U.S. roots music personified."

Members of Gate's Express: Joseph Krown on keyboards, Harold Floyd on bass, David Peters on drums, and Eric Demmer on saxophone.