Personnel includes: Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (vocals, guitar, violin, harmonica); Nathaniel Douglas (guitar); Johnny Parker (alto saxophone); Bill Harvey (tenor saxophone); Fred Ford, Allen Clarke (baritone saxophone); Henry Boozier (trumpet); Jimmy McCracklin, Paul Monday, Carl Owens (piano); Joe Toussaint, Ray Johnson, Carl Lott (bass); San Frisco Jeff, Jual Curtis, Duke Barker, Emile Russell (drums).
Recorded in Houston, Texas between 1952 & 1959. Includes liner notes by Dick Shurman.
This 1984 Rounder reissue of Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's 1950s Peacock sides is a classic dose of Brown in his prime, and a blueprint for the fiery guitar style that would influence such fellow Texas axe-slingers as Albert Collins and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Even on these early dates, Brown's fluid, irrepressible six-string mastery and his penchant for genre blending--bridging rock & roll, jump blues, swing, and down-home gutbucket wailing--are in ample evidence.
Diverse session musicians provide the driving rhythm back-up, striding piano and punchy horns, but it's Brown's guitar work, throaty, bluesy singing and impressive multi-instrumentalism-he's also featured on harmonica on "Gate's Salty Blues" and violin on "Just Before Dawn"--that takes center stage. Whether on the steamy slow blues of "For Now So Long," the walking groove of "Ain't That Dandy," or the scintillating rock-swing rave-up of "Okie Dokie Stomp," where Brown's guitar weaves wild, intricate webs around a horn-punctuated rhythm, this is no-nonsense, get-up-and-dance good time music of the highest order. THE ORIGINAL PEACOCK RECORDINGS is among the essential discs in this Texas legend's extensive catalogue.
This title is unavailable for purchase as none of our regular suppliers have stock available. If you are the publisher, author or distributor for this item, please visit
this link.
