Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

I received a note from Duncan Bridgeman today to tell me that Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown passed away this morning. What a character...he will be missed.

It was during the first day that I spent with the 1 Giant Leap crew that I met Gate in his home in Sliddell, LA. We had gone there to interview him and to get him to play on a track from the upcoming album. His family and family of friends made me feel instantly at home. I am eternally grateful to his family and friends for entertaining us during that day. What an introduction to the 1 Giant Leap process. If you want to read my diary for that day, you can do so here.

Hurricane Katrina forced Gate to evacuate to Orange, Texas, to the home of his brother. I hear she then proceeded to destroy his home on the bayous of east Louisiana--so much loss from one single hurricane.

You can read his obituary here on CNN.com.

If you wish to learn more about Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, you can check his website here.

On a brighter note, in researching for this post, I found the link to Tipitina's in New Orleans. Apparently, as of 7 September, the nightclub is intact. The Tipitina's Foundation is raising money to help musicians who had to evacuate the New Orleans area. You can read about their efforts at the Tipitina's website.

Categories: Clarence+Gatemouth+Brown obituary Tipitina's+Foundation Hurricane+Katrina