Orange: Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown’s Hometown

A high school teacher in Orange, Texas gave Clarence Brown his nickname. He said the boy had “a voice like a gate.” But Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown would carry that name far beyond Southeast Texas. He made it to Houston’s nightclubs, Don Robey’s Peacock Records, and a Grammy Award in 1983. Then he came home to Orange.

Brown grew up in a musical household near Orange. His father was a railroad worker and a local musician. He taught young Clarence fiddle by age five. Brown also learned guitar, piano, mandolin, and viola. By his teens, he played drums in swing bands. Orange gave him the foundation. The rest he built himself.

The Long Road Home

After decades of touring, Hurricane Katrina destroyed his Slidell, Louisiana home in August 2005. Brown relocated to Orange — the town that raised him. He died there on September 10, 2005, at 81. Hollywood Cemetery in Orange holds his grave today. A military marker honors his World War II service.

The historical marker Orange placed for Brown says what Southeast Texas often doesn’t say loudly enough. One of the most eclectic musicians in American history came from right here. He played guitar, fiddle, mandolin, viola, and harmonica — sometimes all in the same set. He crossed blues, country, jazz, and rock in ways nobody else managed. And it all started in Orange, Texas, with a father who played fiddle and a teacher who noticed the voice.