Boogie Uproar: Texas Blues and R&B 1947-1954 [Box]

Performer: Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Personnel: Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (vocals, guitar); James Wide Mouth Brown , Nelson Carson, Lester Williams, Zuzu Bollin, Goree Carter (vocals, guitar); R.B. Thibadeaux (vocals); Wilmer Shakesnider (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Conrad Johnson, Henry Hayes, Ike Smalley, Blankey Brodis, Jack McVea (alto saxophone); Ed Wiley, Jr., David "Fathead" Newman , Joseph H. Calloway, Verdun Kellogg Banks, Ferdinand Banks, Johnny Board, Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis , Sam Williams, Bill Harvey (tenor saxophone); Fred Ford, Bob Little, Leroy Cooper (baritone saxophone); Joe Scott , Frank Mims, Jr., George Alexander , Nelson Mills, Nathan Irvine, Bobby Simon (trumpet); Al Grey, Pluma Davis (trombone); Paul Monday (piano, organ); Clarence Green, Lonnie Lyons, James Hurdle, Elmore Nixon, Willie Connell Johnson, Johnnie Mae Brown, Jimmy McCracklin (piano); L.D. MacKintosh, Allison Tucker, Ellis Bartee, Harold Easton, Jules Curtis, Duke Barker, San Frisco Jeff, Luther Taylor, Sylvester Morton, Ben Turner (drums). Liner Note Author: Neil Slaven. Recording information: Dallas, TX (08/21/1947-??/??/1954); Houston (08/21/1947-??/??/1954); Los Angeles, CA (08/21/1947-??/??/1954). Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown has had such a long, varied, and prolific career that it's hard to remember how far back his discography actually stretches. BOOGIE UPROAR, a box set that includes the earliest recordings by the Texas blues legend, reaches back to the late 1940s and early '50s, and serves to remind listeners that Brown was ripping through edgy, electric roots music long before the official advent of rock & roll. These vintage sides are a virtual textbook of Brown's startling six-string antics, many of which went on to become stock in trade for up-and-coming blues guitarists from Texas and beyond. Of the four discs in the BOOGIE UPROAR box, one and a half are devoted to Brown's early sides. The rest of the set showcases recordings by other Texas axe-slingers from the period. Goree Carter, for example, who dominates disc three, combines T-Bone Walker-inspired jump blues with a proto-rock-&-roll sound, and gives Brown's fiery style a run for its money. Lester Williams, another Houston musician heavily influenced by Walker, is also amply represented here. The entire package amounts to a treasure trove of early Texas blues recordings, one that is essential to fans of the sound.

The multifaceted Louisiana roots guitarist Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown had a Hollywood start, filling in for the absent T-Bone Walker at a 1947 gig and winning over both the audience and the club's owner, impresario Don Robey. Robey went on to record Brown's Cajun-flavored, bluesy guitar instrumentals and R&B songs, whose fiery intensity presaged rock-&-roll. Not content to stick to one style, Brown also experimented with country and even calypso music, and mastered a wide range of instruments. He was popular overseas and went on many tours sponsored by the U.S. State Department, and even in his later years--his career boosted by some critically acclaimed albums on Rounder Records--he enjoyed a full touring and gigging schedule. The legendary musician died in 2005 of a combination of cancer, emphysema, and heart ailments.

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.9

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