RIP Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown

Play it: Clarence Gatemouth Brown's Louisiana Cookin'

Multi-instrumentalist eclectic blues legend Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown died Saturday, following the wake of Hurricane Katrina's destruction. Brown, who was raised in Texas, has called Louisiana his home since the late 70's. Katrina destroyed his house (in Slidell,) and while he was evacuated to his old hometown of Orange, Texas, his deteriorating health couldn't handle the strain of the move and the heartbreak of what he saw happen in the aftermath.

Never one to stick to one style (he bristled whenever someone categorized him as blues,) Brown played straight blues, jazz, calypso, country, bluegrass and cajun. The playlist above is a collection of his best Louisiana-style work, which, in the wake of the destruction of New Orleans, I think he would've greatly apprectiated.

tags: playlist, music, clarence gatemouth brown, louisiana, blues