Clarksdale Moan

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"Clarksdale Moan" and its B-side "Mississippi Country Farm Blues" are two songs by legendary blues musician Son House.

Son House recorded six songs for Paramount in Grafton, Wisconsin in 1930, released on 78 rpm. These recordings were highly sought by blues historians of later generations, as House was a seminal influence on later blues greats, particularly Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. While four of these recordings were rediscovered (see below), the "Clarksdale Moan" record continued to elude collectors and was dubbed the "Holy Grail" of lost blues recordings.

In September 2005, a collector announced he had obtained the lost "Clarksdale Moan" 78 in reasonably decent condition. The details of this discovery are not known to the public as the collector has chosen to remain anonymous. On April 4, 2006, both "Clarksdale Moan" and "Mississippi Country Farm Blues" were released on the collection The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of from Yazoo Records.

Recorded at the same session as "Clarksdale Moan":

• "My Black Mama" parts 1 and 2 (see "Death Letter")
• "Dry Spell Blues" parts 1 and 2
• "Preachin' Blues" parts 1 and 2
• "Walking Blues" (discovered in 1985)

[edit] References

• Living Blues Magazine Vol. 36, Issue #181. "Long Lost Son House 78rpm Record Found." November/December, 2005.