Moon Mullican
Moonshine Jamboree
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Moon Mullican
Moonshine Jamboree
Ace, 2000
RiYL: Jerry Lee Lewis, Rose Maddox, Carl Perkins |
"I played pre-1960 country music," I usually add, to straighten out the still-confounded listener, "the show I hosted only played pre-1960 country music." Usually, at this point, the listener is becoming a little more comfortable with the idea, so I give the most obvious example, "Like Hank Williams."
A nod of recognition, maybe a smile. He or she inquires, "Johnny Cash? Patsy Cline?"
"No...too late. More like Moon Mullican."
I've lost the listener again.
Aubrey "Moon" Mullican was born in 1909 in southeast Texas where he grew up on his parents' 87-acre farm that was tended, mainly, by sharecroppers. He befriended one of the black sharecroppers, a guitarist named Joe Jones, who taught him the blues, which Mullican practiced on the family organ much to the chagrin of his devoutly Christian father. He left home at 16 and headed to Houston where he made good money playing piano. And by the 1930's Mullican had earned the nickname "Moon" and quite a reputation on the ivories. Throughout the decade he played and recorded with a number of well-established acts including the Blue Ridge Cowboys, Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers, the Sunshine Boys, and Jimmie Davis.
By the end of the 1930s, he had transititioned into a vocalist. His warm, deep, fun-loving vocal delivery provided the perfect contrast to his showy piano playing which combined west Texas swing, blues, and country so flawlessly and anticipated rock'n roll so perfectly that it's hard to believe that Mullican isn't more widely recognized as a forefather of rock.
Moon Mullican is a "found artist". Forgotten for many years as a result of the rise of Nashville country and the emergence of rock and roll, Mullican's significance and many of his recordings were re-discovered and re-released in the 1980s and 1990s.
Moonshine Jamboree is filled with 23 tracks that Mullican recorded between 1946 and 1954. Like a number of Mullican's songs, the album-opening "Hey! Mister Cotton-Picker" is startling in how much it sounds like rock. Mullican's tinkling piano and the thumping stand-up bass provide a simple backdrop for lick-filled guitar lines as his voice bends and projects strikingly like Bill Haley's.
The only full-fledged hit that Mullican ever garnered was the piano-driven "Cherokee Boogie." His flashy, sometimes thunderous, sometimes tinkly honky-tonk piano solos are known to have been a big influence on Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, and in no song is it more obvious. His masterful piano squiggling fits perfectly between the squeaky fiddle and a jug-like bass voice of a back up singer. And all these elements combine to get the hips shimmying and the head bouncing.
"Rocket To The Moon" slows the boogie down to a more classic R&B pace with Mullican's limited crooning range being assisted by a handful of backup singers lending swinging refrains of, "Rocket to the moon / Rock it, Mr. Moon." And where as many of Mullican's songs feature honky tonk piano solos or rockabilly guitar flourishes, this track marks the beginning of Mullican's arrangements including alto sax, which spoke more to his roots in blues. The sax adds a sultry element to the track, that, a couple of years later, could have branded it obscene.
Truly drawing upon his blues roots, Mullican countrifies Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene" with a sappy fiddle line, shimmering electric guitar and pedal steel, twinkling keys and a heartfelt twang that clings to the sincerity that is all-too-often lost in covers.
Quite possibly the greatest song title of all time comes in the form of "Rheumatism Boogie" which opens with the unforgettable line "Well, my uncle Ebenezer / and my old Aunt Jane / heard the rheumatism boogie / nearly went insane / He forgot his rheumatism / and his three day gout / Janey grabbed on Ebenezer / and we heard them shout...the rheumatism boogie makes you feel young again!" The song ably melds the energy of the twist with the coolness of saxophones, and still manages to be funny and hip while talking about old folks' illnesses.
Moonshine Jamboree is more than a record. It's a document of a huge shift in music. In exemplifies the range of uniquely American musical styles that both existed and were emerging between 1940 and 1960. It's a country record, but it also is a distinct reminder that country wasn't always Shania and Garth, Dolly and Willie, or even Patsy and Hank. And while folks might have forgotten that country was once more than this, and many may never take the time to know, Moon Mullican and this particular collection make a good case for trying to find out.
A.K. GOLD | A.K. Gold lives in Washington, D.C., where she slaves away for a non-profit organization and constantly compares everything to New York City or Chicago. She's earned her "cred" as a college radio and pre-1960 country music DJ, committed indie label street teamer, sporadic zinemaker/contributor, retired mail-order filler and occasional freelance writer. From time to time, she publishes Anecdotal Evidence, a per zine that will some day be considered for the National Book Award, or possibly not. If you want to buy a copy, or desire to write to her for some other reason, email criticgirl@hotmail.com.