Steeler with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown?

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 25 Jul 2010 7:12 am

Who was Gatemouth Brown's steeler years ago? I heard an old swing tune of his on the radio with some wild steelin' goin' on.
Did he have several over the years? The few times I saw him on TV he didn't have a steel player.

Mitch Drumm · Post by **Mitch Drumm** » 25 Jul 2010 7:32 am

He did use several steel players. Don Buzzard for sure and maybe Russ Hicks. Others?

Shorty Rogers · Post by **Shorty Rogers** » 25 Jul 2010 7:46 am

There was a player named Tom Webb who toured with Gate for several years back in the seventies. I believe he played a 14 string Mullen, serial # was very low, like 001 or 002. Pete Grant may know of his whereabouts.

Cal Freeman · Post by **Cal Freeman** » 25 Jul 2010 12:14 pm

Tom Webb played for "Gate" before me. I played steel with him from '78 through '81, and off and on again for short tours between '87 and '92...

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 1 Jan 2011 1:31 am

Him with Cal Freeman and Roy Clark:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoeBEFDrnZs

Btw when i hear this, I think I should pack it in!

Joe Cook · Post by **Joe Cook** » 1 Jan 2011 3:54 am

I've always loved Gatemouth. Got to see him in a little hall in Bellingham WA. in 1987? maybe. There were maybe 50 people there and he was excellent. I met him after the show. A very nice man and his band was first rate. One of my favorite pedal steel solos from his albums is a song called "I Wonder" on the album "The Man". I get chicken skin listening to that solo. He resented being called a bluesman because he was so into country and cajun and jazz and everything else. A true original.

Dave Ristrim · Post by **Dave Ristrim** » 4 Jan 2011 8:20 am

Re: Tom Webb... I remember seeing a D14 that Tom had for sale at a music store in Saratoga, CA back in the early 80's. I think it was a Mullen. I was told he had quit music and moved to Florida to pursue Scientology.

Kevin Mincke · Post by **Kevin Mincke** » 4 Jan 2011 8:51 am

That's a cool old ~Bud

I was watching a DVD of Gatemouth at the Twin Cities Music Cafe during an intermission some years back, and was never able to find it in the stores. He was wearing a cowboy hat (as he did most always I believe) and it had double rattlesnake heads as the hatband.
It was really a great DVD both musically and production, and again in fact I was searching for it the other day.....no luck

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 4 Jan 2011 1:36 pm

Gate was a hoot
what a kooky way of playin' guitbox he had huh ?
i remember asking him (he came many a times to France) how come he played that way & why he'd stick his index finger behind the nut or the capo
" so no one can cop my stuff ! "
i also asked him if he had been influenced by T Bone to which obfuscated he replied : nope !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uV3_R2l2Vs

incidentally, here's a youtube vid of a japanese fellow who's got Gate's chops down purty good :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoF9tqSQcPc

Gate's fiddlin' :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcUB9LJD ... re=related

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 4 Jan 2011 2:29 pm

I never got to see him live, but have seen several PBS, maybe Austin City Limits, Jubilee, etc. Never saw a steel guitar with him, but that's cool. I always enjoyed the recorded performances that I saw and admired his work.

Did a steel guitar regularly tour with him, or was it mainly studio work that he used steel?

Good to learn more about him.

Steve French · Post by **Steve French** » 5 Jan 2011 2:28 pm

I worked a lot of gigs with Tom back in the late 70's. He actually taught me to play the steel guitar. He knew lot about the instrument and was enormously helpful when I was starting out on steel. He did indeed take up Scientology and moved to Florida as a result. I well remember that red Mullen D-14 -- what a beast! Always wondered what happened to that guitar.

Steve