Clarksdale Moan

"Clarksdale Moan" is a blues song recorded by Delta blues musician Son House. First released on a 78 RPM single in 1930, the equally sought-after recording "Mississippi County Farm Blues" was the A-side. The song remained unheard until 2005, when an anonymous record collector discovered an original 78 RPM disc in decent condition. It was then released in 2006 on Yazoo Records' The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of, which contained many other rare blues recordings from that era.

Background

Son House recorded nine songs for Paramount in Grafton, Wisconsin in 1930, released on 78 RPM records. 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 seven of these recordings were rediscovered (see below), the "Clarksdale Moan" 78 continued to elude collectors and was dubbed the "holy grail" of lost blues recordings.

Discovery

In September 2005, a collector announced he had obtained the lost "Clarksdale Moan" 78 in reasonably decent condition. On April 4, 2006, both "Clarksdale Moan" and "Mississippi County Farm Blues" were released on the collection The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of from Yazoo Records. While "Clarksdale Moan" was a previously unknown song, "Mississippi County Farm Blues" is an earlier (and faster) version of a song Son House later recorded at a Library of Congress recording session in 1942, entitled "County Farm Tune". Both "Clarksdale Moan" and "Mississippi County Farm Blues" also appear on JSP Records' 2007 box set When the Levee Breaks: Mississippi Blues, Rare Cuts: 1926-1941.

References

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

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