Rev. Moses Mason

In 1928 Rev. Moses Mason cut eight sides for Paramount, among them the sacred numbers "John the Baptist" and "Go Wash in the Beautiful Stream" issued under his own name together with the secular titles "Molly Man" and "Shrimp Man" credited to Red Hot Ole Mose. A vocalist and banjoist from Lake Providence, Louisiana, he appears to have made no further recordings, yet his name returned to circulation once folklorist Harry Smith placed "John the Baptist" on the Anthology of American Folk Music. Mason is also featured on the Shanachie collection Before the Blues, Vol. 3: The Early American Black Music Scene and on the Document anthology Too Late, Too Late, Vol. 2.