Congo Square 2005

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown
By George Hunt

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was a musical gumbo: A tasty melange of blues, R&B, country, swing, bebop and Cajun ingredients simmered to perfection for more than eighty years. Born in Vinton, Louisiana, Gate played guitar, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica and drums publicly for well over half a century. In 1982 at 57, 30 years after he began recording, Gate won a Grammy and was to be nominated for five more. At a time when most people turn to golf and grandchildren, Gate's " retirement" consisted of playing "only" 100 dates a year. We're sorry to report that he passed away on September 12th, 2005 in Orange, TX after losing his home to Katrina. He carried a great tradition forward with verve and will be sorely missed.

Artist George Hunt has lived on a parallel, albeit visual, blues track. Hunt was born outside Lake Charles, less then a 30 minute drive from Gate's birthplace. Like his subject - the first Congo Square poster to pay tribute to a particular musician - Hunt was raised just over the Louisiana border in Texas. Hunt is considered America's foremost blues artist, but his work goes well beyond making music-inspired pictures: It covers the full range of the Southern African-American experience from the civil rights movement to the mythic heroism of those who came before.  In addition to the signed and unsigned editions, a special edition (double-signed by both Gatemouth Brown and George Hunt) was offered for the first time in the series.

Editions:

Poster originally sold for $59 (Unsigned), $239 (Signed), $399 (Double-Signed)

Poster and specifications may vary slightly.
Image © 2005 art4now, Inc. / Text © 2005-2006 ProCreations Publishing Company