PEACOCK 1500, DECEMBER, 1949

 

As song titles go this one couldn’t have been more accurate when looking back at the events, or non-events as it were, of the past 27 months in the life and career of Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown whose goals had yet to reach fruition.

In September 1947 rock ‘n’ roll was just beginning and so too was Brown’s career as he released his first two singles in the span of just a few weeks on Aladdin Records that fall. What should’ve been a case of perfect timing turned into a missed opportunity for all involved as Brown’s records – perhaps because they competing with one another, or maybe because they hadn’t been promoted well, or possibly the fact that they were just not quite distinctive enough to stand out in the public’s mind – slipped through the cracks and rock ‘n’ roll found its footing without him.

Now more than two years later Brown returns to action. But was he looking to catch up in a field that had advanced in leaps and bounds during that time, or did he not really give a damn which fan base embraced him as he defiantly set his own course, prevailing styles be damned?

With Gatemouth Brown the answer to these questions are never entirely certain.
 
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