Ralph Mooney - "Mr. Moon"
There is only a handful of players whose name has become a trademark to describe a certain style or way of playing. One of them is Ralph Mooney. The "Mooney-Style" was one of the key elements in creating the so-called "Bakersfield Sound" in the 1960's, the answer to the slick and polished Nashville Sound. Ralph Mooney recorded with all those famous West Coast artists like Wynn Stewart, Rose Maddox, Johnny & Jonie Mosby and Skeets McDonald. He played on all the early Buck Owens and Merle Haggard records and also cut an influential instrumental album with Guitar Legend James Burton ("Corn Pickin' And Slick Slidin').
In the 1970's he made a spectacular comeback and toured with Waylon Jennings, again recording unforgettable songs like "Rainy Day Woman" and "You Asked Me To".
Ralph Mooney is a member of the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.