Friday, 14 March 2025

Joe Mooney born 14 March 1911

Joe Mooney (March 14, 1911 – May 12, 1975) was an American jazz and pop accordionist, organist, and vocalist. If you like jazz with a swinging pop feel, you need to know about Joe Mooney. The singer, who had four different recording careers (one in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s) isn't well known today. But Mooney remains an inspiration and favorite of jazz legends who have made a career out of good taste. 

Mooney was born in Paterson, New Jersey, United States. He went blind when he was around 10 years of age. Mooney's first job, at age 12, was playing the piano for requests called in to a local radio station. He and his brother, Dan, played together on radio broadcasts during 1926, and recorded between 1929 and 1931 as the Sunshine Boys and the Melotone Boys; both sang while Joe accompanied on piano. They continued performing together on WLW in Cincinnati until 1936, after which time Dan Mooney left the music industry. 

In 1937, Mooney began working as a pianist and arranger for Frank Dailey,  a role he reprised with Buddy Rogers in 1938. From 1939 – 1940, he played the accordion, arranged and recorded with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra. He also played and arranged for  Vincent Lopez, Larry Clinton Les Brown, and The Modernaires. He put together his own quartet in 1943; he sang and played accordion with accompaniment on guitar, bass, and clarinet. This group experienced considerable success in the United States in the last half of the 1940s. 

                                   

It was during this period that Mooney was in a terrible auto accident that left him with a fractured hip. After 18 months recuperating in the hospital, Mooney returned to Paterson and worked local clubs as a singer, accompanying himself on accordion, organ and piano. He then formed a Nat King Cole-ish pop quartet  that featured a clarinet, guitar and bass. Mooney's vocals were relaxed and savvy, and the group had great success on 52d Street, eventually recording for Decca and touring. 

The swing-oriented combo became very popular during 1946-49. In 1946, a newspaper columnist wrote that Mooney's music "has the most cynical hot jazz critics describing it in joyous terms such as 'exciting,' 'new,' 'the best thing since Ellington,' and as new to jazz as the first Dixieland jazz band was when it first arrived.'" As for Mooney himself, the columnist wrote that he "played in virtuoso fashion ... a fellow who knows not only his instrument, but jazz music, both to just about the ultimate degree." In 1947 he also played accordion on a recording with Buddy Rich and Ella Fitzgerald. In the late 1940s Mooney recorded briefly on piano with Georgie Auld and Red Rodney. 

In 1951 Mooney formed a trio with Pizzarelli and Bob Carter on bass that played clubs and recorded. Mooney moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but a year later, he joined the experimental Sauter-Finegan Orchestra as its male vocalist. Mooney recorded several sides with the band for RCA, including the minor jukebox hit Nina Never Knew. Despite Mooney's potential, RCA never signed Mooney to an extensive contract, and the singer-keyboardist returned to gigging. He recorded with Johnny Smith in 1953, moved to Florida in 1954 and gradually switched to organ. In the mid-1950s, Mooney recorded an album for Atlantic that included a revamped Nina Never Knew. But the album did little to advance his visibility or his career. Unsure what to make of Mooney as pop act at a time when rock and r&b were catching on, Atlantic passed. 

Back in Florida, Mooney spent the next seven years performing locally. Then in 1963, Mooney staged a comeback of sorts, recording two of his finest albums. These albums for Columbia were The Greatness of Joe Mooney, released in 1964, and The Happiness of Joe Mooney, released a year later. Both albums were arranged by guitarist Mundell Lowe, and they document Mooney's genius for simplicity and cool swing. 

Unfortunately, the soft-sung Greatness and Happiness had the misfortune of coming out just as the Beatles were coming in and pop was increasingly dominated by belters like Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. As a result, Columbia never promoted the LPs or Mooney, who retreated disappointed once again to Florida. Occasionally he would travel to New York for television work or to record, but he mostly worked in Florida, including at his club The Grate Joy. He died at age 64, on May 12, 1975, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after a stroke. 

(Edited from Wikipedia, AllMusic & The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz)

 

4 comments:

boppinbob said...

The two albums Joe Mooney recorded in 1963 were remastered on CD in 2000. The album, The Happiness of... the Greatness of... Joe Mooney, is no longer available at Amazon, but both albums are available on the usual streamers and you’ll also find copies of the CD at eBay.

For “Joe Mooney – The Happiness Of...The Greatness Of... Joe Mooney (2000 Koch Jazz)” go here;

https://pixeldrain.com/u/VuN2CKEE

1 Wait Till You See Her 2:51
2 But Beautiful 2:49
3 The Second Time Around 2:33
4 I Wish You Love 2:38
5 Call Me Irresponsible 2:27
6 Nobody Else But Me 2:05
7 Once Upon A Summertime 3:01
8 Lollipops And Roses 3:26
9 This Is All I Ask 3:01
10 What Kind Of Fool Am I? 2:11
11 Days Of Wine And Roses 2:42
12 The Good Life 2:19
13 Cute 1:58
14 When I Fall In Love 2:31
15 Emily 3:14
16 You Irritate Me So 2:36
17 I Wonder What Became Of Me 2:51
18 Honeysuckle Rose 2:48
19 Happiness Is You 2:32
20 She's Not For You 2:25
21 I Wanna Be Around 2:52
22 When The World Is At Rest 2:20
23 When Sunny Gets Blue 2:30
24 This Is The Life 2:23

Compilation of two previously issued LPs: The Happiness of Joe Mooney, Columbia CS 9145 (tracks 13 to 24) and The Greatness Of Joe Mooney, Columbia CS 8986 (tracks 1 to 12).

Mooney's hip bop-tinged recordings from 1946 and 1951 can be found on The Joe Mooney Quartet: Do You Long for Oolong? and Joe Mooney Quartet Vol. 2: Joe Breaks the Ice. Both are available as downloads on the usual streamers.
For both albums go here:

https://pixeldrain.com/u/nEbMQXHv

The Joe Mooney Quartet – Vol 1- Do You Long For Oolong? (1999 Hep)
1 Tea For Two (1946)
2 September Song (1946)
3 Just A Gigolo (1946)
4 A Warm Kiss And A Cold Heart (1947)
5 I Can't Get Up The Nerve To Kiss You (1947)
6 Meet Me At No Special Place (1947)
7 Stars In My Eyes (1947)
8 Lazy Countryside (1947)
9 Shakey Breaks The Ice (1947)
10 I Never Knew
11 It Might As Well Be Spring
12 Perdido
13 From Monday On (1947)
14 Phantasmagoria
15 Little Orphan Annie
16 Have Another One, Not Me (1947)
17 Tea For Two
18 Shakey Breaks The Ice
19 Crazy She Calls Me
20 Long Ago Last Night
21 Now Here
22 We'll Be Together Again

Accordion & Vocals – Joe Mooney
Bass – Bob Carter (2) (tracks: 19 to 22), Gaetan Frega (tracks: 1 to 18)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Andy Fitzgerald (tracks: 1 to 18)
Drums – Unknown Artist (tracks: 18, 19)
Electric Organ [Hammond] – Joe Mooney (tracks: 19, 20)
Guitar – Bucky Pizzarelli (tracks: 19 to 22), Jack Hotop (tracks: 1 to 18)
Piano – Joe Mooney (tracks: 16)
Vocals – Joe Mooney
Recorded - 1946-1951.


The Joe “Mooney Quartet – Vol 2 – Joe Breaks The Ice (1999 Hep)
1. From Monday On 2:48
2. Nancy 3:09
3. A Man With A Million Dollars 2:32
4. Shakey Breaks The Ice 2:52
5. What More Can A Woman Do 3:10
6. Stars In My Eyes 3:53
7. You Got To My Head 2:55
8. Prelude To A Kiss 3:13
9. Have Another One, Not Me 3:01
10. Stars In My Eyes 3:53
11. Perdido 4:38
12. Coquette 5:04
13. I Never Knew You 2:13
14. They Say (It's Wonderful) 4:41
15. September Song 4:28
16. Just A Gigolo 3:19
17. Wild Dog 4:19
18. I'll See You In My Dreams 3:10
19. The Moon Is Low 4:16
20. The Girl Of My Dreams (Tries To Look Look Like You) 2:13
21. Love Is The Thing 2:54

Accordion – Joe Mooney (tracks: 1 to 19)
Bass – Bob Carter (2) (tracks: 18 to 21), Gaetan Frega (tracks: 1 to 17)
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Andy Fitzgerald (tracks: 1 to 17)
Drums – Unknown Artist (tracks: 18, 19)
Electric Organ [Hammond] – Joe Mooney (tracks: 20, 21)
Guitar – Bucky Pizzarelli (tracks: 20, 21), Jack Hotop (tracks: 1 to 17)
Vocals – Andy Fitzgerald (tracks: 1 to 17), Jack Hotop (tracks: 1 to 17), Joe Mooney (tracks: 1 to 17, 20, 21), Gaetan Frega (tracks: 1 to 17)

1, 2: New York City, December 5, 1947
3 to 5: New York City, December 12, 1947
6 to 9: New York City, December 15, 1947
10: ABC Studio, New York City, October 16, 1946
11, 12: House of Dixon, NYC, circa Oct '46-Jan '47
13 to 17: New York City, circa July - Oct 1946
18, 19: Hackensack, NJ, circa late 1949
20, 21: New York City, circa Dec. 1951

boppinbob said...

For “The Sunshine Boys – 1929-1931 - The Complete Set (2002 Retrieval)” go here:

https://pixeldrain.com/u/jjX5QtJT

1 My Troubles Are Over 3:14
2 Huggable, Kissable You 2:58
3 I'm Crooning A Tune About June 2:39
4 Do Something 3:00
5 It's Unanimous Now 2:44
6 That's Where You Come In 3:19
7 Does My Baby Love Me 2:52
8 I Have To Have You 3:02
9 I Like A Little Girl Like That 3:04
10 It Seems To Be Spring 3:13
11 I Like A Little Girl Like That 3:03
12 Would You Like To Take A Walk 3:01
13 When I Take My Sugar To Tea 2:46
14 Smile, Darn Ya, Smile 2:53
15 The One Man Band 3:03
16 So Sweet 3:11
17 Doin' The Rumba 2:51
18 Mary Jane 3:03
19 Boy! Oh! Boy! Oh! Boy! I've Got It Bad 2:39
20 I'm Keepin' Company 2:55
21 Take It From Me 3:15
22 So Sweet 3:10
23 Doin' The Rumba 2:49


Joe and Dan Mooney were a brother singing team of the late '20s and early '30s who laid claim to fame through radio and records. Joe Mooney also played piano and later led the well-known Joe Mooney Quartet. From a jazz-lovers viewpoint, the chief interest in the Sunshine Boys recordings lies in the top-flight instrumentalists they featured; Tommy Dorsey, Joe Venuti, Benny Goodman and Dick McDonough are just some of the names to be heard on this CD. Adding five extra takes to the LP version released by Retrieval in 1987, this CD is the most complete Sunshine Boys set available.

boppinbob said...

Please note all my open drive mp3 players are not working. Awaiting reply from Support team.

Buster said...

Thanks, Bob - I'm an admirer of Joe.