Biography
During the late 1940s and across the 1950s, bandleader Art Mooney attained massive commercial success chiefly by reissuing familiar material in a nostalgic, communal singalong format rooted in classic old-time entertainment. Born in Lowell, MA, in 1911, he mastered the tenor saxophone through self-instruction, joined a traveling dance orchestra, and endured years of road work as a sideman alongside numerous wandering ensembles before settling in Detroit, where he fronted his own outfit modeled on the sweet bands of Lester Lanin, Guy Lombardo, and Vincent Lopez.
Following service in the Second World War, Mooney assembled a genuine swing orchestra in New York featuring charts by Neal Hefti and Jimmy Mundy; future comedian and TV star Sid Caesar performed saxophone in this unit, while Fran Warren, young Dean Martin, and the Ames Brothers all contributed vocals during the same stretch. Art Mooney launched his recording career with MGM in 1946, achieving moderate results in the swing idiom before shifting toward more old-fashioned repertoire; he adjusted the ensemble to a less contemporary sound, incorporated Paul Whiteman's banjoist Mike Pingatore, gathered a sizable vocal group in the final weeks of 1947, and tackled "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover," a lighthearted 1927 composition by Mort Dixon and Harry Woods. Paired with a version of Eubie Blake's "Memories of You," the 78-rpm release held the top national position for over a month.
Recognizing the opportunity, Mooney generated a steady sequence of chart entries by catering to the postwar audience's preference for straightforward, reassuringly conventional fare, establishing himself by 1950 as one of the nation's foremost recording artists. His vocal roster encompassed Bud Brees and the Galli Sisters, Betty Harris, Alan Brooks and the Four Clovers, Bob Manning, Rosetta Shaw, Jack Day and the Mooney Men, Cathy Ryan and the Clover Leafs, and Joan Durell. In the early 1950s he occasionally ventured into Hank Williams territory on pieces such as "Move It on Over" and "Honky Tonk Blues." Always receptive to lighthearted fare, he delivered a robust reading of "Cornbelt Symphony" b/w "Mothballs." Mooney's keen commercial instincts also prompted him to engage the rising currents of R&B and rock & roll, selectively addressing mid-1950s youth interests through titles like "Baby Don't Do It" and "All Night Long."
He preserved connections to traditional family themes by cutting "Nuttin' for Christmas" with a vocal from child performer Barry Gordon in 1955. The next year Art Mooney appeared as himself in the David Miller-directed film The Opposite Sex, while also supplying soundtrack music for the James Dean-associated productions East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant. He remained with MGM through the 1950s, issued picture discs on Detroit's Vogue label, and recorded for Decca, Spin-O-Rama, Kapp, Coronet, and RCA Victor in the early and mid-1960s. Art Mooney later ran a restaurant in Massachusetts, performed regularly in Las Vegas clubs, toured intermittently during the 1970s, and directed the Guy Lombardo Orchestra in the 1980s before his death in Florida in 1993 at age 82.
Following service in the Second World War, Mooney assembled a genuine swing orchestra in New York featuring charts by Neal Hefti and Jimmy Mundy; future comedian and TV star Sid Caesar performed saxophone in this unit, while Fran Warren, young Dean Martin, and the Ames Brothers all contributed vocals during the same stretch. Art Mooney launched his recording career with MGM in 1946, achieving moderate results in the swing idiom before shifting toward more old-fashioned repertoire; he adjusted the ensemble to a less contemporary sound, incorporated Paul Whiteman's banjoist Mike Pingatore, gathered a sizable vocal group in the final weeks of 1947, and tackled "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover," a lighthearted 1927 composition by Mort Dixon and Harry Woods. Paired with a version of Eubie Blake's "Memories of You," the 78-rpm release held the top national position for over a month.
Recognizing the opportunity, Mooney generated a steady sequence of chart entries by catering to the postwar audience's preference for straightforward, reassuringly conventional fare, establishing himself by 1950 as one of the nation's foremost recording artists. His vocal roster encompassed Bud Brees and the Galli Sisters, Betty Harris, Alan Brooks and the Four Clovers, Bob Manning, Rosetta Shaw, Jack Day and the Mooney Men, Cathy Ryan and the Clover Leafs, and Joan Durell. In the early 1950s he occasionally ventured into Hank Williams territory on pieces such as "Move It on Over" and "Honky Tonk Blues." Always receptive to lighthearted fare, he delivered a robust reading of "Cornbelt Symphony" b/w "Mothballs." Mooney's keen commercial instincts also prompted him to engage the rising currents of R&B and rock & roll, selectively addressing mid-1950s youth interests through titles like "Baby Don't Do It" and "All Night Long."
He preserved connections to traditional family themes by cutting "Nuttin' for Christmas" with a vocal from child performer Barry Gordon in 1955. The next year Art Mooney appeared as himself in the David Miller-directed film The Opposite Sex, while also supplying soundtrack music for the James Dean-associated productions East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant. He remained with MGM through the 1950s, issued picture discs on Detroit's Vogue label, and recorded for Decca, Spin-O-Rama, Kapp, Coronet, and RCA Victor in the early and mid-1960s. Art Mooney later ran a restaurant in Massachusetts, performed regularly in Las Vegas clubs, toured intermittently during the 1970s, and directed the Guy Lombardo Orchestra in the 1980s before his death in Florida in 1993 at age 82.
Albums
