Even dead seemed to try to flee Ike's wrath (Gatemouth Brown among those caskets that got unearthed)

AP ^ | Sep 15, 3:44 PM (ET) | By ALLEN G. BREED

[weegee]

ORANGE, Texas (AP) - Hurricane Katrina chased bluesman Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown from his adopted home in New Orleans to his hometown here on the Texas Gulf Coast, where he died in exile. Now, another hurricane has disturbed his rest.

The 1982 Grammy Award winner's casket was one of dozens belched up by the ground when gulf and rain waters from Hurricane Ike flooded Hollywood Cemetery, an all-black burial ground on the west side of this city on the Sabine River.

...

The top of Brown's vault had popped off, and his bronze casket had floated away. But three jars of Bama grape jelly remained by his aluminum marker, no doubt left by a fan of his instrumental classic "Grape Jelly."

Brown, who reportedly got his nickname from a teacher who said he had "a voice like a gate," was born in Vinton, La., but grew up here. He started out as a drummer but switched to guitar, developing a freewheeling blend of blues, swing, bebop, country, jazz and Cajun music that he called "American music, Texas style."

Indefatigable, he once joked, "I started off at 300 (gigs) a year, and then I backed off to 250." He won the Grammy for "Alright Again!", which was considered a comeback album.

The 81-year-old musician was living in the New Orleans suburb of Slidell when Hurricane Katrina inundated that city. Dying of lung cancer, he evacuated to Texas and never got back.

He died on Sept. 10, 2005, not two weeks after the storm.

...

Sparrow said he had talked with city officials and had been assured they were working on restoring the historic graveyard.

"These are somebody's somebodies," he said. "And it needs to be taken care of as quickly as possible."

[weegee]

From what I read at the time of Katrina, Mr. Brown had lost his home in Slidell from the storm. If I recall he went to Orange, Texas but he was SUPPOSED to go to Houston for cancer treatment. He opted out of treating his cancer and died shortly afterwards.

[weegee]

Rock and Roll PING!

[Manic_Episode]

Mmmm Ike is comin'

People are trying to flee

I'm dead in my casket

but I can't even RIP

I got the hurricane bluesssss

[rogue yam]

I saw Gate perform at least thirty times. He was always in top form. A crusty old goat, to be sure, but one hell of a musician!

I hope they get his bones back in repose, and I pray that his soul is with the Lord.

[woollyone]

“These are somebody’s somebodies,...”

...in an article about disturbed graves

[raccoonradio]

I’ve played his stuff before on my long-running blues show
including C-Jam Blues (good for concert report backing music)
and from the same album, the funny Alligator Eating Dog
(”(spoken) Now, ladies, I woulda brought him with me tonight,
but they wouldn’t let the fool on the plane?/He kept
swallowing all the chains/So I left him home with my
granny/She’s the only one ‘could whoop the fanny/Of
an alligator eatin’ dog. (spoken) Look out! Look out,
here he comes!”)

[VRWCmember]

The democrats think their “get-out-the-vote” efforts can help them win in Texas.

[InsensitiveConservative]

That made me laugh.... then feel badly for laughing.. then laugh again.