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.
Brown's two biggest musical influences were Louis Jordan and T-Bone Walker.
His professional musical career began in 1945, playing drums in San Antonio, Texas. He was tagged with the "Gatemouth" handle by a high school instructor who accused Brown of having a "voice like a gate". Brown used it to his advantage throughout his career. His career was boosted while attending a 1947 concert by T-Bone Walker in Don Robey's Bronze Peacock Houston nightclub. When Walker became ill, Brown took up his guitar and quickly wrote and played "Gatemouth Boogie," to the delight of the audience right on the spot.
In 1949 Robey founded Peacock Records in order to showcase Brown's virtuoso guitar work. Brown's "Mary Is Fine"/"My Time Is Expensive" was a hit for Peacock in 1949. A string of Peacock releases in the 1950s were less successful commercially, but were nonetheless pioneering musically. Particularly notable was the 1951 instrumental "Okie Dokie Stomp", in which Brown solos continuously over a punchy horn section (other instrumentals from this period include "Boogie Uproar" and "Gate Walks to Board"). Okie Dokie Stomp was also recorded by Cornell Dupree in the 1970s and he had success with it as well. As for his gutsy violin playing, Robey allowed him to record "Just Before Dawn" as his final Peacock release in 1959.
In the 1960s Brown moved to Nashville, Tennessee to participate in a syndicated R&B television show, and while he was there recorded several country singles. He struck up a friendship with Roy Clark and made several appearances on the television show Hee Haw. In 1966, Brown was the musical director for the house band on the short-lived television program, The !!!! Beat.
However, in the early 1970s several countries in Europe had developed an appreciation for American roots music, especially the blues, and Brown was a popular and well-respected artist there. He toured Europe twelve times, beginning in 1971 and continuing throughout the 1970s. He also became an official ambassador for American music, and participated in several tours sponsored by the U.S. State Department, including an extensive tour of Eastern Africa. Brown appeared at the 1973 Montreux Jazz Festival, where he jammed with American blues rock band Canned Heat. In 1974, he recorded as a sideman with the New Orleans pianist Professor Longhair on his album, Rock 'N' Roll Gumbo (originally a Blue Star Records release). He moved to New Orleans in the late 1970s. In 1979, through his manager at the time, Jim Halsey, Brown embarked on a 6 week, 44 concert tour of the Soviet Union. This was an historic event as it marked the first time the Soviet Union made a contract with a U.S. private citizen (Jim Halsey) as regards a musical tour. All previous tours were under the auspices of the U.S. State Department. To date, this was by far the most extensive tour an American band had taken in the USSR.
In the 1980s, a series of releases on Rounder Records and Alligator Records revitalized his U.S. career, and he toured extensively and internationally, usually playing between 250 and 300 shows a year. He won a Grammy in 1983 for the album Alright Again! and was nominated for five more. "Alright Again!" is credited with putting Brown back on the musical map. He also won 8 WC Handy Awards. In 1999 Brown was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
In his last few years, he maintained a full touring schedule, including Australia, New Zealand, and countries with political conflicts in Central America, Africa, and the former Soviet Union. His final record "Timeless" was released in 2004.
In September 2004, Brown was diagnosed with lung cancer. Already suffering from emphysema and heart disease, he and his doctors decided to forgo treatment. This greatly affected his musical career. Later his home in Slidell, Louisiana was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and he was evacuated to his childhood home town of Orange, Texas, where he died on September 10, 2005 at the apartment of a niece, at the age of 81. Brown is buried in the Hollywood Cemetery in Orange, Texas. However, flooding caused by Hurricane Ike in September 2008 damaged his grave. His grave has since been refurbished and through donations a very impressive headstone has been erected in his honor.
Better Off With the Blues
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Haven't even tried to find somebody else
When you told me you were leavin' it almost came as good news
It may sound funny but it's true
I think I'm better off with the blues
Now I must admit that I miss you sometimes
Not a day goes by that you don't cross my mind
Yeah, it's the lesser of two evils
I think I'm better off with the blues
I know some day I'll wake up and this blues will be gone
I'll forget about you and how everything went wrong
But if you hadda stayed I'd be dead in my tracks
Now, I still love you, baby, but I don't want you back
Tonight I'm gonna go down to the sad side of town
Listen to 'em play the blues when the sun goes down
And I know just what to say when someone asks about you
I'll say, yeah, we had our good times
But I think I'm better off with the blues
Yeah, if I had to say
I say I'm better off with the blues
The song "Better Off With The Blues" by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown is a classic blues song that talks about a man who has come to the realization that he is better off alone than being with someone who hurt him. The lyrics suggest that the man's former lover has left him and he has had time to contemplate what happened. The man admits that he misses his former lover but he also thinks about all the pain and suffering she put him through, and comes to the conclusion that he is better off now that she is gone.
The man's decision may appear odd, but it becomes clearer as he highlights the positive aspects of being alone. He acknowledges that if his former lover hadn't left him, he would still be stuck in a miserable situation that was not good for him. Therefore, he is better off dealing with the sadness of being alone with the blues than being in an unhappy relationship.
The song delivers its message with a sense of realistic melancholy. The lyrics and slow tempo of the piece perfectly portray the man's emotional turmoil, and the use of blues instrumentation, such as a soulful saxophone solo matches the mood of the song. Overall, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's song "Better Off With The Blues" is a classic blues tune that speaks to the heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Since you been gone I've had time to myself
I have been spending time alone since you left.
Haven't even tried to find somebody else
I have not made an effort to find another partner.
When you told me you were leavin' it almost came as good news
I actually felt relieved when you told me you were leaving.
It may sound funny but it's true
As strange as it may seem, that is the reality.
I think I'm better off with the blues
I believe that being alone and feeling sad is better than being with you.
Now I must admit that I miss you sometimes
Honestly, I do feel your absence at times.
Not a day goes by that you don't cross my mind
I think of you every single day.
But at the same time I think of all the hell you put me through
However, I also remember all the difficulties and pain you caused me.
Yeah, it's the lesser of two evils
It is like choosing the lesser of two evils.
I think I'm better off with the blues
I believe that being alone and feeling sad is better than being with you.
I know some day I'll wake up and this blues will be gone
I acknowledge that eventually, I will feel better and move on from this feeling of sadness.
I'll forget about you and how everything went wrong
I will forget about you and all the mistakes that were made.
But if you hadda stayed I'd be dead in my tracks
If you had stayed in my life, it would have had a detrimental effect on me.
Now, I still love you, baby, but I don't want you back
I do still have feelings for you, but I do not want us to be together.
Tonight I'm gonna go down to the sad side of town
Tonight, I plan to visit the part of town where they play melancholic music.
Listen to 'em play the blues when the sun goes down
I will listen to the blues music being played at nighttime.
And I know just what to say when someone asks about you
I have a response ready in case someone asks about you.
I'll say, yeah, we had our good times
I will say that we had some happy memories together.
But I think I'm better off with the blues
Despite the good moments, I still believe that being alone and sad is better than being with you.
Yeah, if I had to say
If I had to choose between the two, I would opt for the blues.
I say I'm better off with the blues
I firmly believe that this sadness and loneliness is preferable to being with you.
Contributed by Molly N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.