Rocks 1947-1960

Description

One evening in 1947, T-Bone Walker and his band were headlining the popular and massive Bronze Peacock Club in Houston. Walker had to interrupt his performance for health reasons—an opportunity the 23-year-old did not miss. At the club owner's instructions, he took T-Bone Walker's guitar and stepped onto the stage. "That was the first time I played guitar in public. There were about 800 people in that crowd, and it was an entirely Black audience. I went up there and immediately invented the 'Gatemouth Boogie'. I earned about 600 dollars in tips in 15 minutes. That was a lot of money back then." Don Robey, the club owner, became his patron and producer. Dissatisfied with the early recordings produced for Aladdin Records in Los Angeles in 1947, he founded his first record label, Peacock Records, for which Gatemouth produced exclusively until the early 1960s. Music historian and Chicago blues expert Bill Dahl has created a luxurious CD album for Bear Family Records®, featuring the most exciting and innovative guitar recordings by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. This is the most complete and authoritative story of a chapter in Texas blues guitar history that became so important for the future development of modern blues. The extensive booklet contains the compellingly told biography, along with numerous photos, illustrations, and a discography of the recordings on this album.