by Bruce “aka Dr. B” Weinraub: Founder and organizer
The City of Clarksdale has proclaimed May 30, 2025 as Son House Celebration Day to honor its native son and Blues legend. To further this celebration, the first Son House Tribute Festival is happening in Clarksdale from Thursday, May 29 through Saturday, May 31.
Combine coming to this unusual and extraordinary event with a road trip from Memphis through the Delta and ending in New Orleans. Bring your musical instruments to show off your Son House chops and whatever chops you may have.
Son House was born in nearby Lyon, Mississippi, in 1902. He was a Blues legend in the Mississippi Delta in the 1920s and 30s until he disappeared, unbeknownst whereto, to all those interested.
At the festival, you will see the movie Two Trains Runnin’ to learn how he was rediscovered in 1964 and had his career resurrected. All of this happened while the Civil Rights movement was in full force. In Rochester, New York, he was befriended by two musical legends in their own right, Joe Beard and John Mooney.
While there have been other tributes to Son House, there has not been one in the Mississippi Delta, and especially in the area where he was born and lived. If you are a Blues fan or any type of music fan, the Mississippi Delta is a special and mystical place where, as Muddy Waters once said, “The Blues had a baby and they called it Rock ‘n Roll.” Clarksdale is especially extraordinary as so many Blues greats are from the area.
Joe Beard and John Mooney have agreed to attend, where they will tell stories of their experiences with Son House and their own musical journeys. Mr. Mooney was a teenager when he learned at the feet of Mr. House, before moving to New Orleans. A native Mississipppian, Mr. Beard, who still lives in Rochester, was a neighbor and close friend. They will also perform at the iconic Ground Zero Blues Club along with local legend Big A and the All Stars.
On Friday, there will be a panel discussion with the musicians and various authors who have written about Mr. House. A video performance of Son House will be shown as well as the aforementioned documentary Two Trains Runnin’. There will be a jam session in Clarksdale where you can perform your version of Son House. Just as special, you can check out Clarksdale and its vibe, where the Blues can be heard 365 days per year, except for leap years. While here, you can begin to understand more deeply the roots of the Blues and its influence on music and culture all over the world.
Son House was and still is a giant in Blues history and his influence continues to this day. The raw emotional power of his vocals and slide guitar still resonate deeply and portray the existential conflict he had whether his fate should have been that of a preacher or a Blues musician. Clarksdale is the perfect place to pay this tribute.
As Lucille Spann once said, if you don’t dig the Blues, you’ve got a hole in your sole.” Come to the Delta and celebrate Son House.
