The Steel Guitar Forum

Has Ralph Mooney ever recorded an album of his own? If one exists, I NEED a copy.

He did one with James Burton called Chicken Picken............its great!!!!!!!!!!
Dont know where my copy is though
Tony

"Corn Pickin' and Slick Slidin'" with James Burton on guitar- classic!

A-120-C in The Forum (look at the top of this page and click on CDs and Tapes)

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http://www.johnmcgann.com
Info for musicians, transcribers, technique tips and fun stuff.

Hello
There are in fact 2 records by Moon.One old LP,also re-released on CD called
"Corn Picin`and Slick Slidin`" with James Burton. Very Good album.
Then there is a new CD called "Moon at Midnight-The Toppa sessions"
Scotty probably has this one,maybe both.
Hope this help
Egil.

I got my Toppa Sessions CD from Scotty a couple months back. It is a super CD.

Ricky

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Thanks John....after your post I searched through my vinyl LP's and found that album that I had forgotten about, so I enjoyed it all over again like a new album.

(I also uncovered a couple of obscure albums, "Miller & Riley" with "Mike Oak" on steel.....and "New Grass Revival", which you 1980's guys will probably remember)

www.genejones.com

I have the "Corn Pickin & Slick Slidin'" album and the "Toppa Sessions" CD which also features Gene Davis but they're not my favorite Mooney stuff. Check out all the good things he did with Waylon Jennings and even earlier with Wynn Stewart, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Johnny & Jonie Mosby, and a bunch of other west coast artists. Ralph always brings people to sing with him when he appears at Scotty's convention. He shines the brightest when he's backing up a singer and playing steel breaks. Some of the rides he's come up with are like mini instrumentals in their own right. My personal favorite is the steel ride on on Wynn Stewart's "One More Memory". My favorite kick off is on Buck Owen's "Foolin' Around". For great ballad stuff try Buck Owen's "I Can't Stop My Lovin' You". Ol' Moon is awesome on that one. Ralph will tell you that he "ain't no instrumentalist and is a back up picker".........He's the best at what he does. Have a good 'un...JH

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Moon will be at the TX Jamboree and he'll have both Fred Jack and Larry Whitmore singing with him.

Everyone knows Fred because he's a Forumite, but Larry Whitmore used to sing with Waylon back in the early 70's, and was a good friend of Jerry Inman, the late legendary West Coast country crooner who used Carl West and Carl Walden on steel, among others.

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Texas Steel Guitar Association

I have an album which I believe is the greatestthing Moon ever did. It is with the Country Drifters called Country the West Coast Way Mingus Tx. Moon does all the backup and lead on old Buck Owens somgs and seems to have more freedom this time atound Great Album CC

Hi C.C.
I have that album too,and I can agree it is Moon`s best "Non-instrumental" album-you get more of moons playing here,then on most instr.albums,but the one with James Burton is a good one too,by the way,saw the CD for sale on GEMM.
Egil

CC -- could you tell where we might get a copy of that album please ? "Thanx"

Wynn Stewart has double LP released by Bear Family Records #LC5197 in 1988 that has classic Mooney all over it. It is not an instrumental album, but a lot of good Mooney pickin'. Jody.

bill see your email cc

Thanks for all the info guys. What got me asking about this was I ran across an old video of a Waylon Jennings concert "A Cowboy In London". I don't know what year this concert was but Waylon talked about his boy "Shooter" as being 4 years old at the time. Mr. Mooney got a whole lot of camera time on this video. That country boy sure does know his way around that fancy sawhorse.

CC-Is that "Country the West Coast Way" still in print that you know of?

Harold I can identify a couple of old LP's you can try to find in the dust bin of some old LP secondhand store...if you're lucky. One is a four star records album titled "Country Love" number 4S-SP-102 which contains the song Release Me. Ralph plays a full instrumental. The second record is also a four star record 4S-SP-103 titled Tennessee Pride in which Ralph plays Moonshine Boogie.....again a full instrumental.

While you're at it, you might search for songs that he's Written. You'll be amazed.

Great stuff.

EJL

Eric: You're right Ralph did write a lot of good songs, the most famous of which is the classic CRAZY ARMS. He also wrote the following: FOOLIN', MOONSHINE BOOGIE, FALLIN' FOR YOU, TEXAS WALTZ, MISS HILDA, GONE HOME TO MOMMA, SOMETHING ABOUT A JUKEBOX, and KEEP HER OFF YOUR MIND. Ralph wrote many other songs but they were never recorded by a major label. I hope this adds to your list of songs. Take care...Stan

I have one that looks like it's pretty rare. "The Bronze Boot presents Jim Ames, Ralph Mooney and the Moonshiners". I think it's a fake live performance with canned applause and dialog between the songs. Very hokey production by today's standards.

But...

The music is pure country and classic Mooney. It includes his original instrumental "Miss Hilda", which was apparently written for Hilda Ratcliff, the hostess at the Bronze Boot (Cody Wyoming).

I traded another obscure off-label LP for this one, and a definitely got the better part of the deal. In spite of the wierd production, this is real good country music. My only real complaint is that Moon doesn't take enough solos.

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Listening to the "Bronze Boot" LP, I just heard the strangest thing. In a 4/4 ballad called "Even The Bad times Are Good", Mooney does his turnaround in 3/4 time. I bet that confused a few dancers!

At the risk of thread hijacking....

Falling for You.
-Ralph Mooney-

"You bring me happiness, then leave me loneliness.

My world is in distress, yet I keep falling for you.

You look into my eyes, and tell the sweetest lies.

You're a heartbreak in disguise, yet I keep falling for you.

CH:

Oh darling when you're near, my world is happy dear.

But when you disappear, I don't know what to do.

I love in misery, you're so unfair to me.

It's such a mystery, why I keep falling for you."

Story of an earlier life of mine....that I miss sometimes..



EJL

Let's not forget about the great stuff Mr. Moon did on the early Merle Haggard records!

Regards, Walter
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf

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Moon's a treasure, is what he is! That break on "the Last Letter," on the Waylon Live album, is worth the price of admission. One of the toughest jobs we pickers face, is backing up the vocalist. Coming up with something different, but not so different that it detracts from the singer, and Mooney is an absolute MASTER at it. I guess I came into the steel word too late to fully appreciate all the instrument can do, so thanks, Ralph, for showing us what YOU can make it do! What would West Coast country music be without Ralph Mooney??

Speaking about the "Waylon Live" album - by all means, try to get hold of the "Expanded Edition" double CD set released on BMG Heritage. It contains the complete original album plus nine songs set aside for the double set AND 22 never-before-heard performances with Moon shining on each and every one of them. You´ll hear live versions of Waylon´s early hits, lots of classics written by others, Willie, Mel Tillis, Shaver, even some Wynn Stewart songs, all performed in the Waylors´ unimitable "stripped-down-to-the-basics" style, right at the peak of their creative energy. I won´t tell too much since that double CD is full of surprises. If you like Waylon and Mooney as much as I do, go for it.

Regards, Joe H.