Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, born in Vinton, Louisiana, built a recording career that spanned more than 50 years and became known for his guitar expertise, multi-genre music, fiddle playing, deep singing voice, and skill on drums, violin, mandolin, and harmonica. After moving as an infant with his family to Orange, he was shaped there by a mix of Texan and Cajun cultures, learned from his musician father, and developed music that reflected African-American folk traditions of the Southwest. After returning from World War II, he settled in Houston as a professional musician and recorded with Peacock Records, where he had his first hit, "Mary is Fine." In the 1960s his career slumped and he shifted to country music, but by the 1970s he had gained a larger fanbase, touring in Europe, Africa, and the U.S.S.R., appearing on Hee Haw and Austin City Limits, and beginning a series of recordings in Bogalousa, Louisiana, that showed his range across Blues, Western Swing, Rhythm and Blues, Country, and Cajun. In 1982 he won the Grammy Award for best traditional recording for the Bogalousa recording "Alright Again," later received eight W.C. Handy Awards, and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 2005, after evacuating from Slidell, Louisiana, to Orange because of Hurricane Katrina, he died there two weeks later and was interred in Hollywood Cemetery, while his recordings and influence endured across generations of guitarists and other musicians.