The Steel Guitar Forum

A friend of mine taped this album for me and some of the songs are really good! Can anyone tell me more about Jack Mooney?

He was a wonderful Canadian player who I think made only that one album. There are a handful of posts on this forum in which he is mentioned.

If you dig that LP, and who wouldn't, you should find this LP by Johnny Allen, another Canadian player who may also be deceased. He and Mooney played in a similar style.




Here is a picture of Jack (on the right) getting an award about 10 years ago in Winnipeg:

DELETED

DELETED

Well, Jack Mooney died a few, maybe 6 or 7, years ago. I think George Keoki Lake knew him, and has heard him play. I have the LP he recorded, and it's great. Jack Mooney was a fine, fine player. There's a bit of biographical info on the back of the LP. I know he taught guitar in Toronto for a while, a friend's brother took lessons from him. I'd be interested in hearing more about him myself...Jerry

Jack Mooney actually looks like he could be related to Joe Mooney, the great jazz accordionist and vocalist from New Jersey. If you haven't heard his quartet (accordion, clarinet, guitar, bass) do yourself the favor. No steel guitar, but small group chamber jazz gets no better -- vocal and instrumental arrangements to blow the mind.

It's funny how things happen...Jack was a friend of mine. I got to know him when he moved back from Toronto. He had a terrific sense of humor and would often call with the latest jokes or some that he would remember from the good old days. The fellow giving Jack the award in the previous letter is Wayne Link who himself is a great player and designer/builder of Linkon Steel guitars...also a good friend. Anyway someone came into my shop last week with an album he thought I might enjoy....happened to be the Swinging Steel Guitar...the Jack Mooney Quintet on Arc Records. Turned out it's one of those thrift shop gems. When I knew Jack he had moved on to pedal guitar and loved playing jazz standards so hearing this record shows another side of Jacks talent.

I knew (and absolutely idolized) JACK MOONEY back in the days when he played non-pedal swing steel, (1946 era). He had moved to Edmonton from his home city of Winnipeg to join Ameen Ganam and the Gloom Chasers...Ameen gained later fame as "King Ganam" (Canada's answer to Spade Cooley). Jack, as a teacher, left a lot to be desired as his heart was never into teaching. I followed him around like a shadow and observed his every move on the steel. I have come fairly close to his non-pedal style, but will never equal him if I live to be 100...(now 81). Jack had a daily radio program on CJCA, (YES ! DAILY ... Monday to Friday for about 3 years!) called 4 Lads and a Lass...the Lass being his lovely wife at the time, Gladys Spence who had a very sexy voice. Great vocalist. Jack played a D-6 JANZ steel (made by Bill Janz of Winnipeg), tuned to F#9th and D9th. He was years ahead of his time playing some mighty cool stuff. I'd venture to say he was the top steel guitarist in Canada during the pre-sixties. Around 1949 he moved to Toronto to again joing Ganam who then had the CBC Country Showdown show. Jack and I corresponded over the years via snail, however I lost touch with him when he moved back to Winnipeg where he later passed away.

Johnny Allen was a pal of mine, we hung out together in our youth during the late forties. (Both of us idolized Jack). Johnny lost the tip of his right index finger which made it necessary to move his picks over to his other fingers. As mentioned, he has probably passed away although no one has ever really confirmed this to me.

Thanks everybody! If you ever find a copy of this lp and want to get rid of it please let me know!

No chance in finding a copy? Well it must be hard to find then!

Searching for "Jack Mooney" "Swinging Steel Guitar" on Google returns this discussion. I doubt many people have even heard of him before (I hadn't), and I'm sure the record is very rare.

JACK MOONEY'S lp (also that of JOHNNY ALLEN) are both VERY RARE indeed as both were produced on a small Canadian label "ARC" which, as far as I know, was never sold in the U.S. In Canada, you might find either one of them in a flea market (or simi). Well worth the search !!!

I have a copy of the Johnny Allen if anyone is interested for $20 ( second cover )