A tough few weeks for the blues

Cafe Society
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Of course there have been the ravages on the Delta and the flooding of New Orleans. But I’d just like to mention here (I may have missed the threads) that two blues legends have died in the past week.

On Friday 9/2, RL Burnside passed away at age 78. He was kind of an aberration in many respects, gaining fame only in 1991, in his 60s. Besides continuing the raw, dirty style of John Lee Hooker, he served as an inspiration and collaborated with many new artists, including the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the Beastie Boys.

Yesterday, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown passed away. I got to see him opening for Eric Clapton once, put on a helluva show. Blues/country violinist/guitarist. His home in Slidell was destroyed by Katrina and he died in his hometown of Orange, TX, close to the Louisiana border.

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Hey, edwino,
OK that you didn’t see this post: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=332933 about RL Burnside…you were quite busy with important medical work in the Astrodome, or tired thereof.

RL’s funeral was this past Saturday, in Mississippi. It was as best a funeral as one could have. Lots of stories and strenghth tales about Rule, by a good preacher who knew and understood him. He often was portrayed by press as a wild ass, but that’s not the man I knew well. For perpetuity, I’d like to post what his family chose as best in the memorial publication:

"A haunting voice, echoing into the nite,
A man sitting straight and proud,
playing his guitar doing it just right.

A Father, Husband, Grandpa all wrapped in one.
he is at rest now, his job is done.
“Well, well, well”, was his favorite line,
he had a big smile and plenty of
jokes for you, all the time.

His voice and guitar took him around this world…
Still, he had time for his grandchildren
and the little boys and girls.
A kind and gentle man, with a giving heart,
God called him home, he did his part.

That’s half of that tribute in his memorial program, the way his family remembers him. I bring it up because RL has been portrayed as a hard life, rough character by the media, and that is not at all the person I knew. I don’t want him to be remembered that contrived way, and, as above, neither does his family. Rule was a wonderful, warm man. Godspeed to him.

Gatemouth Brown: been worrying about him since Katrina. Slidell was hit hard. he was a deputy sheriff there…damn …don’t know what to say…except he was an amazing force of Nature in his own right…, very sad… he didn’t kowtow to no-one, a very strong man.

Some damn hard Winds Blowin’, lately

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dang, gatehouth has gone to the juke joint in the sky? he did a great interview at kdvs in 1984. great show too!

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The Yahoo obituary had a line about how the “quick-witted” Brown was often described as a “codger”.

I saw him just once, at a small club in Seattle in the 80’s. He didn’t play nearly enough fiddle to suit the audience, and I got the impression that the man would play what he wanted to play. :slight_smile:

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From the Washington Post obituary, emphasis mine: Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, 81, a Grammy-winning singer and guitarist of gritty versatility who was, to his frustration, often identified as a blues master, died Sept. 10. . . .“I’m a musician, not some dirty, lowdown bluesman,” Mr. Brown once said. . . .

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He was blues. I don’t know why he’d say that. Guess he really was a codger.

The Yahoo obit also quoted him as saying B. B. King was “one-dimensional”.

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Yeah I missed that thread, elelle, as you say that weekend was kind of busy.

I didn’t realize that you were friendly with him. He must have been quite a character, which certainly comes through in his music. My condolences to you and his family.