Sad news

Clarence Gatemouth Brown died Saturday at the age of 81. He had suffered from lung cancer and heart disease. Not helping those two circumstances, he had to flee his home in Slidell, La., just hours before Hurricane Katrina hit, staying with a relative in his hometown of Orange, Texas. His house and belongings left in Slidell were destroyed.

According to his manager: "I'm sure he was heartbroken, both literally and figuratively. He evacuated successfully before the hurricane hit, but I'm sure it weighed heavily on his soul." (AP)

Some writeups in today's newspapers:

The Washington Post
The New York Times

I sure hope heaven's ready for a good dose of "American music, Texas style," which is how CGB himself described his style, shunning any categorization more specific than that.