Little is known about Clara Smith’s (March 13, 1894 – February 2, 1935) early life other that that she was from Spartanburg, South Carolina. She worked in vaudeville in the late Teens and early 1920s and eventually became a popular performer on the TOBA circuit. In 1923 she moved to Harlem where she worked in cabarets and theaters and began recording exclusively for Columbia. Many critics consider her late 1920’s Blues recordings to be second only to Bessie Smith’s records in quality. She was billed as the Queen of the Moaners and the World’s Greatest Moaner and on her early records she was frequently accompanied by Fletcher Henderson on piano and on her later records featured bands that included first rate Jazz musicians like, James P. Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins and Don Redman. She recorded three duets “Far Away Blues” and “I’m Going Back To My Used To Be” and “My Man Blues” with Bessie Smith. Bessie and Clara were not related, but they were close personal friends until Bessie got drunk one evening in 1925 and beat up Clara. An interesting bit of trivia was that Clara gave Josephine Baker her first taste of show business in 1920 when she gave the thirteen year old Baker a job as her dresser in her touring company. They also briefly became lovers. Clara Smith continued to record until 1932 and performed live until she died of a heart attack in Detroit in 1935.

Clara Smith and her Jazz Trio	Clara Smith and her Jazz Band
Clara Smith and her Five Black Kittens	Clara Smith and her Novelty Band
Clara Smith and her Jazz Babies

Title	Recording Date	Recording Location	Company
Ain’t Got Nobody To Grind My Coffee (Clarence Williams / Bud Allen)	8-9-1928	New York, New York	Columbia 14368-D
Ain’t Nothin’ Cookin’ What You’re Smellin’ (Spencer Williams)	7-15-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14160-D
All Night Blues (Richard M. Jones / Clarence Williams)	7-27-1923	New York, New York	Columbia A3966
Awful Moaning Blues Fletcher Henderson at the Piano (Stanley S. Miller)	9-13-1923	New York, New York	Columbia A4000
Back Woods Blues (George Brooks)	4-30-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14022-D
Black Woman’s Blues (Smith)	6-1-1927	New York, New York	Columbia 14223-D
Broken Busted Blues (Edgar Dowell)	1-7-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14062-D
Cheatin’ Daddy (Porter Grainger)	11-29-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14192-D
Cold Weather Papa (Bob Miller)	4-10-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14021-D
Courthouse Blues (1) (Smith)	4-2-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14073-D
Courthouse Blues (2) (Smith)	4-2-1925	New York, New York	King Akwa
Daddy Don’t Put That Thing On Me Blues (Clement)	1-26-1929	New York, New York	Columbia 14398-D
Deep Blue Sea Blues (Clara Smith)	8-19-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14034-D
Disappointed Blues (Stanley S. Miller)	9-25-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14126-D
Don’t Advertise Your Man (Jimmy Foster)	4-23-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14026-D
Don’t Fool Around On Me (Porter Grainger)	7-21-1930	New York, New York	Columbia 14553-D
Don’t Never Tell Nobody Fletcher Henderson at the Piano (James P. Johnson)	10-1-1923	New York, New York	Columbia 13002-D
Don’t Wear It Out (Hill)	10-31-1930	New York, New York	Okeh 8839
Down In The Mouf’ Blues (Porter Grainger)	7-21-1930	New York, New York	Columbia 14553-D
Down South Blues (Alberta Hunter / Fletcher Henderson)	7-27-1923	New York, New York	Columbia A3961
Ease It (James)	11-23-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14202-D
Empty House Blues (Andy Razaf)	1-17-1929	New York, New York	Columbia 14409-D
Every Woman’s Blues Fletcher Henderson at the Piano (Stanley S. Miller)	6-1923	New York, New York	Columbia A3943
Far Away Blues with Bessie Smith (George Brooks)	10-4-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 13007-D
For Sale (Hannah Johnson’s Jack Ass) (Henry Troy / Clarence Williams)	9-25-1931	New York, New York	Columbia 14633-D
Get On Board (Lemuel Fowler)	11-23-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14183-D
Gin Mill Blues (Lemuel Fowler)	5-21-1928	New York, New York	Columbia 14419-D
Good Looking Papa Blues (Clarence Williams)	1-29-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14026-D
Good Times (Come On Back Once More) (Gray)	3-7-1931	New York, New York	Columbia 14592-D
Got My Mind On That Thing (Bud Allen)	7-6-1928	New York, New York	Columbia 14419-D
He’s Mine, All Mine (Jimmy Foster)	12-16-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14053-D
How’m I Doin’ (Lemuel Fowler)	5-25-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14150-D
If You Only Knowed (Porter Grainger)	1-8-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14058-D
I Got Everything A Woman Needs (Stanley S. Miller)	6-1923	New York, New York	Columbia A3943
I’m Going Back To My Used To Be with Bessie Smith (Jimmy Cox)	10-4-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 13007-D
(I’m Tired Of) Fattenin’ Frogs For Snakes (Perry Bradford)	3-25-1932	New York, New York	Columbia 14653-D
I Never Miss My Sunshine (I’m So Used To Rain) Fletcher Henderson at the Piano (Norman Jay Harvey)	9-7-1923	New York, New York	Columbia A4000
Irrestible Blues Fletcher Henderson At The Piano (George E. Jefferson)	8-31-1923	New York, New York	Columbia A3991
It’s All Coming Home To You (Porter Grainger)	5-10-1928	New York, New York	Columbia 14319-D
It’s Tight Like That (Thomas A. Dorsey / Hudson Whittaker)	1-26-1929	New York, New York	Columbia 14398-D
It Takes The Lawd (To Tell What’s On My Mind) (Porter Grainger)	11-10-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14108-D
I Want My Sweet Daddy Now (Donald Heywood)	8-31-1923	New York, New York	Columbia A3991
Jelly Look What You Done Done (Hurston)	5-10-1928	New York, New York	Columbia 14319-D
Kansas City Man Blues (Clarence Johnson / Clarence Williams)	10-2-1923	New York, New York	Columbia 12-D
Kind Lovin Blues (Waters / Mitchell / Fletcher Henderson)	7-27-1923	New York, New York	Columbia A3961
Kitchen Mechanic Blues (Stanley Miller)	8-20-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14097-D
Let’s Get Loose (Gray)	12-31-1929	New York, New York	Columbia 14497-D
Livin’ Humble	11-23-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14183-D
Low Land Moan	9-9-1930	New York, New York	Columbia 14580-D
Mama’s Gone, Good Bye (Peter Bocage / A.J. Piron)	9-20-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14039-D
Mean Papa Turn In Your Key (Bob Miller)	4-17-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14022-D
My Brand-New Papa (Roth / Roth)	5-26-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14143-D
My Good-For-Nuthin’ Man (Spencer Williams)	3-24-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14069-D
My John Blues (Edgar Dowell)	4-2-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14077-D
My Man Blues with Bessie Smith (Bessie Smith)	9-1-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14098-D
My Two Timing Papa (Stanley Miller)	8-20-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14097-D
Nobody Knows The Way I Feel ‘Dis Morning (Tom Delaney)	1-7-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14058-D
Oh! Mister Mitchell (Spencer Williams)	9-12-1929	New York, New York	Columbia 14536-D
Ol’ Sam Tages (Burns)	8-4-1931	New York, New York	Columbia 14619-D
Papa I Don’t Need You Now (Louis)	9-4-1929	New York, New York	Columbia 14462-D
Percolatin’ Blues (Lemuel Fowler)	11-23-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14202-D
Pictures On The Wall (Clara Smith / Fred Longshaw)	1-18-1932	New York, New York	Columbia 14645-D
Play It (W. Benton Overstreet)	7-27-1923	New York, New York	Columbia A3966
Salty Dog (Papa Charlie Jackson)	5-26-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14143-D
San Francisco Blues (Thomas “Baby” Grice)	10-7-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14049-D
Separation Blues (Roth)	7-15-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14160-D
Shipwrecked Blues (1) (Spencer Williams)	4-2-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14077-D
Sobbin’ Sister Blues (Wallace)	5-23-1928	New York, New York	Columbia 14344-D
So Long Jim (Fred Longshaw / Clara Smith)	3-25-1932	New York, New York	Columbia 14653-D
Steamboat Man Blues (Wallace)	5-23-1928	New York, New York	Columbia 14344-D
Steel Drivin’ Sam (Billy Gray)	12-16-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14053-D
Street Department Papa (Bob Miller)	1-18-1932	New York, New York	Columbia 14645-D
Tell Me When (Williams)	1-17-1929	New York, New York	Columbia 14409-D
Texas Moaner Blues (Clarence Williams)	8-19-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14034-D
That’s Why The Undertakers Are Busy Today (Gray)	6-1-1927	New York, New York	Columbia 14223-D
The Basement Blues (W.C. Handy)	9-20-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14039-D
The Clearing House Blues (Sadie Honesty / Harry Webb)	4-17-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14019-D
The L & N Blues (P. Henri)	3-27-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14073-D
The Market Street Blues (Charlie Creath)	11-10-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14108-D
Tired Of The Way You Do (Jones)	9-4-1929	New York, New York	Columbia 14462-D
Uncle Sam Blues (Clarence Williams)	10-2-1923	New York, New York	Columbia 12-D
Unemployed Papa – Charity Working Mama (Andy Razaf / Asbestos Jones)	8-4-1931	New York, New York	Columbia 14619-D
Waitin’ For The Evenin’ Mail Fletcher Henderson at the Piano (Billy Baskette)	10-1-1923	New York, New York	Columbia 13002-D
Wanna Go Home (Stanley Miller)	7-13-1928	New York, New York	Columbia 14368-D
War Horse Mama (Bob Miller)	4-10-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14021-D
West Indies Blues (Clarence Williams / Edgar Dowell / Spencer Williams)	4-17-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14019-D
What Makes You Act Like That? (Hill)	10-31-1930	New York, New York	Columbia 14568-D
When I Steps Out (Lemuel Fowler)	3-27-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14069-D
Where Is My Man? (Spencer Williams)	9-12-1929	New York, New York	Columbia 14536-D
Whip It To A Jelly (Richard)	5-25-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14150-D
Woman To Woman	9-9-1930	New York, New York	Columbia 14580-D
You Better Keep The Home Fires Burning (Cause Your Mamma’s Getting Cold) (Wenrich / Leslie / Kinney)	1-8-1925	New York, New York	Columbia 14062-D
You Can’t Get It Now (Potters)	4-7-1927	New York, New York	Columbia 14256-D
You Can’t Stay Here No More (Cole)	12-31-1929	New York, New York	Columbia 14497-D
You Dirty Dog (Clarence Williams)	9-25-1931	New York, New York	Columbia 14633-D
You Don’t Know Who’s Shakin’ Your Tree (Stanley Miller)	12-30-1926	New York, New York	Columbia 14192-D
You Don’t Know My Mind (Samuel Gray / Virginia Liston / Clarence Williams)	1-29-1924	New York, New York	Columbia 14013-D
You Had Too Much (Alex Hill)	10-31-1930	New York, New York	Okeh 8839
You’re Getting Old On Your Job (Hill)	10-31-1930	New York, New York	Columbia 14568-D

 

Artist	Instrument
Leon Abbey	Violin
Louis Armstrong	Cornet
Buster Bailey	Clarinet
Elmer Chambers	Cornet
Ernest Elliot	Clarinet
Charlie Dixon	Banjo
Porter Grainger	Piano, Kazoo
Charlie Green	Trombone
Fletcher Henderson	Piano
James P. Johnson	Piano
Lonnie Johnson	Guitar
Herbert Leonard	Harp
Kaiser Marshall	Drums
Charles A. Matson	Piano
Stanley Miller	Piano, Speech
Cecil Scott	Clarinet
Don Redman	Clarinet, Altosaxophone
Bessie Smith	Vocals
Clarence Williams	Piano