Clarence Brown的音乐生涯从上世纪40年代就开始了，凭借两首布鲁斯歌曲Okie Dokie Stomp和 Ain't That Dandy打响名声。Clarence除了玩布鲁斯音乐外，还玩爵士、乡村，甚至柴迪科舞曲(美国一种黑人舞曲)也难不倒他，可以说 Clarence是音乐的万事通。 　　In September 2004, Brown was diagnosed with lung cancer. Already suffering from emphysema and heart disease, he and his doctors decided to forgo treatment. This greatly affected his musical career. Later his home in Slidell, Louisiana was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and he was evacuated to his childhood home town of Orange, Texas, where he died on September 10, 2005 at the apartment of a niece, at the age of 81. Brown is buried in the Hollywood Cemetery in Orange, Texas. However, flooding caused by Hurricane Ike in September 2008 damaged his grave. His casket was one of dozens that floated out of their burial sites. His grave has since been refurbished and through the estate funds, a very impressive headstone has been erected in his honor. A Texas Historical Commission marker honoring Brown is located next to the flagpole at Hollywood Cemetery. 　　Rock composer Frank Zappa credits Gatemouth, along with Guitar Slim and Johnny Guitar Watson, as important influences on his guitar playing (as written by Zappa in his autobiography, The Real Frank Zappa Book, 1989).