Picture of Ralph Mooney, late 50's

Colm Chomicky · Post by **Colm Chomicky** » 27 Mar 2011 10:45 am

double post

Joe Naylor · Post by **Joe Naylor** » 28 Mar 2011 7:30 am

Thanks Mike

Sometimes we get into too many details - I have seen the photo before as well - but it is a great one

A photo with a steel player walking across the street with a pedal steel is one thing but an old home made (or made over Fender) is worth a fitting tribute

Thanks for the memories Moon - we love ya

Joe Naylor
www.steelseat.com
Plus Road Cases and other stuff too

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 28 Mar 2011 2:16 pm

Mike Perlowin wrote:Somebody sent me this and asked me to post it.

R.I.P. Ralph

I'm going to say this is in Las Vegas. Ralph was in the house band at the Nashville Nevada Club from '61 to '64. Everything in that pic looks like Vegas, even the air units on top of every buildings.

Marty Muse · Post by **Marty Muse** » 28 Mar 2011 10:04 pm

I could be completely off base here but what the hell, it's 2 in the morning, I'm on the road and I don't have a whole lot else to do besides a little detective work. The Hub Cafe is listed as an existing business in Fullerton at 122 E. Commonwealth which happens to be just around the corner from the original Fender factory that was in the 100 block of S. Pomona. That seems to make some sense. What doesn't make sense is the 2614 address or the fact that he definitely looks like he is either coming or going from the stage. I just thought it seemed a little too coincidental that the Hub Cafe listing was right where the Fender factory was. Coincidence?

Colm Chomicky · Post by **Colm Chomicky** » 29 Mar 2011 7:14 am

The Hub Cafe one would think would be the clue of all clues, the smoking gun, that would conclusively solve this mystery. But if only it were that easy. The addresses including the cross street addresses at the Fullerton Hub Cafe address don't corroborate with the 2614 address. The 2614 matches the cross street addresses at the Huntington Park Ballroom and aerial photography and street views are consistent for the Huntington Park Ballroom. I was not as successful with the 122 E. Commonwealth address and the cross streets are also 100 block addresses it seems.

Now with respect to the Nevada Las Vegas club that is very good guess also but the address and historic air photos also don't corroborate very well with the Las Vegas address of 3015 East Fremont St for the Nashville Nevada Club. There are those big air units also in the Huntington Park aerial and street views also.

Billy Tonnesen mentioned the Hub Cafe had a familiar ring to it and that the Huntington Club Ballroom was his guess. So far that seems to me the current best fit. So was there once a Hub Cafe off of Pacific Blvd in Huntington Park? And is it a coincidence that the "Hub City" is just a wee bit south of Huntington Park... Did the Hub Cafe if once in Huntington Park relocate to Fullerton at some point in its history? Was there once a friendlier time with some non-gang related rivalry between Huntington Park versus neighboring communities as to who was truly the "Hub" of the LA area?

Roual Ranes · Post by **Roual Ranes** » 30 Mar 2011 7:51 am

Does anyone have a pic of the "home made" guitar he had?

Gregory Mills · Post by **Gregory Mills** » 30 Mar 2011 1:28 pm

I can tell you for sure that's not the Nashville Nevada Club. Used to hang out at the back door and listen to the music when I was a kid...

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 30 Mar 2011 2:32 pm

Gregory Mills wrote:I can tell you for sure that's not the Nashville Nevada Club. Used to hang out at the back door and listen to the music when I was a kid...

I know it's not the Nashville Nevada, because I worked there for years and got married on the stage there once(my first marriage).
But that does look like it could be in Vegas around that time. This pic could be Ralph walking into, or out of, some recording/radio studio. I don't think anyone has said for sure it was him going into some club in the middle of the day.

Richard Park · Post by **Richard Park** » 1 Apr 2011 11:17 am

That's not a Dodge Dart back there. It's a Dodge Polara.

Greg Cutshaw · Post by **Greg Cutshaw** » 1 Apr 2011 12:17 pm

When I was 9 years old, we owned a 1961 spring green Dodge Polara. the dart has a very similar front end and almost identical fenders. The Dart had a shorter wheel base and the "D O D G E " letters across the front were spaced very closely together. The Polara D O D G E " letters across the front were very widely spaced. The car in the pic is a Dodge Polara and looks to be a 1960 or 1961. Who's to say that the car in the picture was new or 3 years old at the time of the picture?

1960-61 Dodge Dart:

Greg

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Picture of Ralph Mooney, late 50's

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Nashville Nevada Club

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