First off, guitarist Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown isn't a blues player. He's a musician.
"You got part of the question right," Brown said during a phone interview from Davis, Calif. "You asked me what got me into music. Then you goofed and asked what got me into playing the blues."Well, I am into music - music of all styles," he continued. "People try to limit me into blues and jazz, but I'm way beyond that."
Brown will play the Zephyr Club, 301 S. West Temple, Thursday, March 21. Doors open at 7 p.m.
"My first influence was my daddy," said the veteran troubadour. "He played Cajun and country music. That's where my roots are. In that big sound. A lot of people think a black man is only good at playing blues, funk and stuff like that, but I'm different. And not only that, I don't play what you could actually categorize as blues. I'm more positive and upbeat. Most blues players sing about how other people can help them. My songs, hopefully, provide some kind of inspiration and help for others. See the difference? Music can be anything you want it to be. It can kill you - depending on what and how you play, and it can also become medicine and heal you."
Brown has been playing the guitar since he was 5, although he has been "into" music since before he was born.
"My momma told me when my daddy would play when she was pregnant, she swore it felt like I wanted to jump into the world then and there," Brown laughed. "My second influence is the sound of big bands. Count Basie and those types really helped me expand my sound.
"You see, there are musicians out there who are still stuck in the same rut they started out in," Brown continued. "They don't let themselves grow and seem into the business just to make a fast buck. That's when they perish. I had a long vision from the start. I looked way into the future when I first strapped the guitar on myself. I'll be 72 on April 18, and still doing music and progressing."