R.I.P. Clarence Gatemouth Brown

American roots legend Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown died Saturday in Orange, Texas, after evacuating his Louisiana home to escape Hurricane Katrina.

Brown had been suffering from lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease. He was 81.

Funeral services have been scheduled for Saturday, Sep. 17 at 11 a.m. at the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church (612 N. 3rd Street, Orange, Texas). Visitation has been scheduled for 9-11 a.m. the same morning.

Several friends expressed sadness at Mr. Brown's passing:

"Gatemouth was the only true guitar player, violia player, violin player that constantly re-invented the music of jazz and blues specifically for those instruments." —Dr. John

"It all comes down to this: There's really nothing I can say. If you knew him, you knew what an unique guy he was and no words could describe him. If you didn't know him, no words could make you understand him.

"He would come out to see us play nearly every time we were in New Orleans. One night, I asked him if he wanted to sit in and he said 'I didn't come out here to save your ass."—Delbert McClinton

"Gatemouth was a wonderful, wonderful musician. He was kind enough to come and play at Barbara's birthday, and I'd just like to say God Bless you Gatemouth Brown."—Ringo Starr

"I would like to take this opportunity to express from the bottom of my heart the sorrow I feel learning of Gate's imminent demise. This is an irreplacable loss. There is no one like him alive today. He is a vast treasure trove and storehouse of musical and cultural knowledge and the richness that he has brought into all of our lives is immeasurable. He is a generous spirit, overlooking faults in order to see the common humanity that we all share and this is the quality that I will miss the most. For a man who has seen some of the most repulsive and ugly aspects of human nature to transform that knowledge into the beauty and grace that he does is an uplift and hope for citizens of the world. I realize that he has recieved much recognition and accolades for his gifts in this lifetime, but frankly, it's not enough, and he deserves to know how much his courage and wisdom is appreciated! My collaborations with him have always yielded more insight into the spirit of the living blues."—Michelle Shocked

"Spread over the years I was lucky to see Gatemouth about four times between 1974 and 2003. Each time the years between seemed like about a week in 'Gate" time, as seeing him was like a time travel journey back to where a niche American music came from, and a mirror on how it developed. He always seemed the same as the last time, as if he was coming out for a second set, and that it was somewhere between 1935 and 1960.

"Gate's music was his own, whether he wrote it or not. He just made it that way. His approach to a variety of styles always had his signature sound; watching him I felt like I was witnessing a look in to the musical past of the blues, country, and a troubled legend. Even in the early '70s Gate had the aura of always being 'an old guy' in the sense of a blues sage, one who might have seen a few too many things he didn't want to see, and wanted to sing about it, telling it like he saw it.

"I wish for those of you who had not seen him I could say 'catch someone else who is like him', but Gatemouth Brown was one of a kind.—John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.