Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown is probably best known as a singer and guitarist who built a 50-year career playing blues, country, jazz and Cajun music.



However, Brown started his career as a drummer. In his teens, Brown toured as a drummer with swing bands and with blues guitarist T-Bone Walker.



Brown's career took off in 1947 when Walker became ill and had to leave the stage at a Houston nightclub. The club owner invited Brown to sing, but Brown grabbed Walker's guitar and thrilled the crowd by tearing through "Gatemouth Boogie" - a song he claimed to have made up on the spot.



Brown recorded with Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Frank Zappa and Stevie Ray Vaughan among others, but he took a dim view of most musicians - and blues guitarists in particular.



By the end of his career, Brown had more than 30 recordings and won a Grammy award in 1982.



Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, who had been battling lung cancer and heart disease, was in ill health for the past year. He died Saturday, September 10, 2005 in his hometown of Orange, Texas. He was 81 years old.