MOON MULLICAN’S SONGS:
1. "OLD JOE TURNER BLUES" - From day 1, Moon Mullican was a natural blues singer. His recording of this blues standard for the Cliff Bruner band reveals his excellent vocal and piano blues abilities. This song dated back to the last century and was popularized by W.C Handy. One of the verses appeared in Jimmie Rodgers’ "Muleskinner blues" as well.
2. "WHEN YOU’RE SMILING" - Immediately after "Old Joe Turner blues", Moon sang and played a souped up version of this oldtime pop & jazz standard. This idea would certainly be very influential and became a common part of Jerry Lee Lewis’ style.
3. "SISTER KATE" - Like Jerry Lee later, Moon loved suggestive songs (in Moon's case,they were blues). This one is a classic and is very much Bessie Smith jazz/blues fusion in style. This was again an example of a white singer & band doing something more associated with blacks. Like the previous 2 tracks, this was cut for Cliff Bruner.
4. "EASE MY WEARIED MIND" - This was a duet between Moon & Cliff Bruner. Harmony singing was big in country music in the 1930s when tbese records were recorded. Genres like bluegrass and Western swing were being born and this type of country-blues-jazz fusion is what made such genres.
5. "KANGAROO BLUES" - Any blues singing that the Bruner band required while Moon was a member was always given to Moon. This is one of his finest blues originals and reveals Mullican’s true forte was the blues. Such performances as these must have been what influenced and inspired later blues-drenched white singers.
6. "I’LL KEEP ON LOVING YOU" - Just compare the performance of Moon on this with Jerry Lee’s performance of the same song 20 years later. The attitude and style is the same. This is one of the few Mullican-associated songs Lewis recorded that is available (there are rumours plenty more exist in the vaults) and this particular one mixed country, swing and blues. Again, this was done for Bruner. The song was written by Floyd Tillman - who also wrote "Makes no difference now" for the Bruner band (on which Moon played but didn’t sing on).
7. "I HATE TO LOSE YOU" - this track proceded similarly to "I’ll keep on loving you" and done at the same session - although it’s not nearly half as famous.
8. "OVER THE HILL" - this time it was a straight country ballad done as a duet between Mullican & Bruner. The performance again displayed the popularity of harmony singing at the time.
9. "I’LL KEEP ON SMILING" - As such songs as this show, Moon was equally as good a ballad singer as he was a blues singer. But Moon got his emotional powers from the blues when he was singing songs from other genres. This was a solo vocal with Cliff’s band backing.
10. "TRUCK DRIVER’S BLUES" - this performance was the first trucking country hit and - like "Over the hill" - a Moon/Cliff duet. In style, it was a bluegrass-type blues harmony, a style that would make the Delmore Brothers stars after the war.
11. "I’M TIRED OF YOU" - The next song Moon did for the Bruner band was a solo vocal blues ballad. This style revealed that the differences between blues and country were small (at that time anyway) and could easily be bridged.
12. "BECAUSE" - the idea behind this ballad was exploited much more famously in Leon Payne’s "I love you because". In style, this song is very like the later, too. Again, Moon sings solo backed by Cliff’s band.
13. "I’LL FORGIVE YOU" - was this country, jazz, swing or oldtime pop? Listening to the Bruner band and Moon’s singing on material like this reveals that this particular Western Swing band could belong anywhere. This could easily be city jazz, New Orleans dixieland or cowboy swing.
14. "I’M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU" - Similar in performance to the last 2 songs, this kind of style bridged the gap between jazz, country and oldtime pop. This vocal performance from Moon & Bruners’ band’s backing again could belong anywhere.
15. "THE OTHER WAY" - Moon could portray any mood in a song and here he depicts being upset that his girl will go any place but to him. Unlike the blues he sung, this ballad is marked more by acceptance than defiance. Bruners’ band, as usual, ably back him.
16. "SINGING THE LOWDOWN BLUES LOW DOWN" - Moon’s versatility as a bluesman is on display again on another standout Mullican/Bruner Band blues. The style is gentler and less gutbucket than the previous blues he cut with the band but just as effective.
17. "IT’S ALL OVER NOW" - Surprisingly enough, pure country was a very rare thing in the repertoire of Western Swingers. Bruner was no exception. Of course, Moon himself did do lots of country after he left the Bruner band. This song is pretty close to the kind of country Moon would do after Bruner.
18. "TELL ME WHY" - this fast jazzy song was typical of the pop/swing of the 1930s. Moon & Cliff really capture the spirit of the times with songs like this.
19. "GIRL THAT YOU LOVED LONG AGO" - This performance by Moon with the Bruner band revealed Moon’s Jimmie Rodgers influence. In style, this is pure Rodgers balladry.
20. "LITTLE WHITE LIES" - this track is one of the alltime highlights of Bruner’s Bands non-blues performances. Moon’s vocal here is the envy of any Bing Crosby or Al Jolson - this is really convincing. Bruner’s fiddling also is superb.
21. "TAKE ME BACK AGAIN" - a much more country flavour was revealed at the next session that Moon did with Bruner’s band. As previously stated, pure country was rare in Western swing bands - but we must remember that Western Swing and the closely related bluegrass are members of the country genre. This Bruner/Mullican duet is, as usual, excellent.
22. "YOU DON’T LOVE ME" - another country song written by Lou Wayne - who would later write a lot for Moon when Moon left Bruner. Like "Take me back again", this is a Bruner/Mullican duet.
23. "RANCH IN THE SKY" - cowboy songs are rather rare in the Mullican catalogue and were more common for Bob Wills than for Cliff Bruner, too. Nevertheless, this sees Moon and Bruner are every bit as convincing as Gene Autry when they want to be.
24. "OVER THE TRAIL" - the only other cowboy song from Moon/Cliff followed in a similar manner. On both these songs, Moon sang solo.
25. "SORRY" - such ballads as these are as much a part of country music as anything. Jimmie Rodgers was the first to sing such songs for country markets and Moon & Cliff followed in his footsteps.
26. "SPARKLING BLUE EYES" - next up was a song that has a style that is basically bluegrass. The differences between Western Swing and bluegrass have been vague - and certainly are here. Again, this is Moon on solo vocal backed by Bruner and band.
27. "NEW FALLING RAIN BLUES" - this was the last pure blues Moon sang for Bruner. In style, this is very like one of Jimmie Rodgers’ blues (complete with the term ‘good girl’ and all) and is another precursor to the style of Jerry Lee Lewis (who also recorded Rodgers-inspired blues originals like "Hello hello baby" & "Blues like midnight").
28. "I’LL KEEP THINKING OF YOU" - this performance with the Bruner band revealed much more what Moon’s solo country style would sound like. This performance is also possibly the only pure piece of country that Bruner’s band recorded.
29. "MY TIME WILL COME SOMEDAY" - Moon & Cliff’s harmony duet on this again is another bluegrass-type song and further bridges the barriers between Western swing and bluegrass.
30. "WHAT YOU DOING TO ME" - this was another convincing attempt by Moon & the Bruner band to record the popular music style of the times.
31. "JESSIE" - this is Cliff Bruner’s signature tune. It’s an instrumental and each band member plays a solo. Moon’s piano & Cliff’s fiddling especially shine.
32. "DRAGGIN’ THE BOW" - another instrumental with similar attributes. This one was also performed by Bob Wills and remains a favorite Western Swing standard.
33. "YOU ALWAYS HURT THE ONE YOU LOVE" - Cliff Bruner’s band with vocal by Moon here could have as easily been Tommy Dorsey with vocal by Frank Sinatra. This ballad and previous ones of the same kind reveal that Bruner & Mullican’s swing can be as Western or as Eastern as they desire.
34. "THAT’S WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE SOUTH" - surely, this is classic rock ‘n’ roll. Moon and the Bruner band tear through this jazz standard at great speed and create a unique and genre-breaking performance.
35. "TEQUILA RAG" - Moon’s piano skills have been under-rated. As this performance shows, he can adapt to any style and he and Bruner (on fiddle) shine on this Mexican-inspired performance.
36. "MOTHER GAVE A SON" - it was inevitable that during the early/mid ‘40s when these tracks were recorded that a war song would come up. The death of a soldier that a mother/girlfriend/wife mourned was a common country music theme and this of course owes a lot to Jimmie Rodgers’ first record "Soldier’s sweetheart". Ernest Tubb also recorded a similar song called "Soldier’s last letter".
37. "STARDUST" - this song was a very common standard among swing bands like Tommy Dorsey. The early career of Frank Sinatra saw several version of this. Jerry Lee - who was always an aspiring Western Swing artist - has sung this many times in concert and cites it as one of his favorites. Moon & Bruner’s band do an excellent instrumental version here.
38. "PEGGY LOU" - Again, this is another piece of instrumental swing from Bruner’s band, featuring Moon’s piano playing to the fore.
39. "KELLY SWING" - on many of the instrumentals, you can hear the hollering style that typified the recordings of Bob Wills. This is perhaps the only similarity between this band & Wills. Again, Moon plays piano and Cliff fiddles and the rest also join in.
40. "SAN ANTONIO ROSE" - whether the style of Wills has an impact or not on Bruner’s band and on Moon, his songs had. No Western Swing band didn’t include at least one of his songs in their repertoire. An instrumental version of Wills’ signature song (i.e. this) was done by Bruner’s band.
41. "10 PRETTY GIRLS" - this was oldtime instrumental square dance type music in style. Again, Moon & Bruner dominate. Its writer was Jimmy Kennedy, who also wrote "South of the border", "Harbor lights" & other famous songs. Will Gross, its other writer, also wrote the blues standard "Tomorrow night", which was recorded by artists as diverse as Lonnie Johnson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lavern Baker & Joe Turner.
42. "JESSIE’S SISTER" - needless to say, this was a follow-up to "Jessie" and in style a similar instrumental. Moon & Cliff are the highlights once again on this.
43. "ROADSIDE RAG" - Performances like this are more like jazz than country and show us why Bruner was never considered country by those who listened to him. Once again, Moon fits in here very naturally on this instrumental.
44. "TOO WET TO PLOW" - Moon’s last performance for Bruner apart from backing up other singers was this instrumental. Like its predecessors, it owed much to jazz. Moon went solo shortly after this and had a very diverse and quite successful career ahead.
45. "PIPELINER BLUES" - Moon has cut this song many times during his career. He recorded a version with the Modern Mountaineers first, but his King version is probably the most famous and definitive. This is classic double entendre blues and really away ahead of its time.
46. "TRIFLING WOMAN BLUES" - This is quite possibly Moon’s greatest blues track of all. Moon sings and plays wild blues and his backing musicians are hot, too. This track inspired many, that is sure and gave Jerry Lee the basic idea to write his take on the "Mean woman blues" theme.
47. "WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH THE MILL" - like many white artists later, Moon borrowed some blues songs from black artists. This is one of his finest black blues covers. The song was first done by Memphis Minnie. It was a regional hit and became a blues standard recorded by many including Muddy Waters.
48. "MR. COTTON PICKER" - This bluesy track in theme mixed humor with hard work. The style and lyrics are very reminiscent of the black folk songs of the times and just as convincing.
49. "LEAVING YOU WITH A WORRIED MIND" - as well as being a superb bluesman, Moon was also one of the greatest country singers of all time. This track is perhaps his best in that genre. Always on Moon's country, the blues influence is never far away, though.
50. "9 10ths OF THE TENNESSEE RIVER" - this is another topclass country ballad and represents well Moon’s affinity with this type of music. In style, this is less Western Swing orientated than most of his ‘40s ballads.
51. "CHEROKEE BOOGIE" - although lyrically this is just a novelty boogie, Moon treats it as a gutbucket blues.Even when singing novelty material Moon couldn’t help but be a gutbucket bluesman.
52. "ALL I NEED IS YOU" - This song mixed elements of swing and country together and was typical in style of the Western Swing genre.
53. "I’LL SAIL MY SHIP ALONE" - This is the best known of Moon’s hits. A blend of blues and country, it was a very influential song and was covered by many, including Jerry Lee Lewis.
54. "GOOD DEAL, LUCILLE" - this is yet another example of Moon’s master delivery of the blues.
55. "MOONSHINE BLUES" - Moon’s greatest instrumental? Quite possibly. This is tough barrelhouse piano blues at its best - you can even picture the young Moon playing this sort of material in a juke joint where beer and whiskey is served all night long and into the early morning when listening to this.
56. "ROCKET TO THE MOON" - Rock ‘n’ roll is a term that is abused today. Most people don’t understand where rock ‘n’ roll came from. Records like this is your answer. Bill Haley would hit big with cleaned up versions of R&B songs like this and a new genre was raved about. In reality, Haley and the like were merely cleaned up versions of Western swing bluesmen such as Moon. Blues is real rock ‘n’ roll - but unfortunately it has never been popular with the mainstream due to its directness.Early Elvis Presley - an out and out blues based rocker - was successful for a time but the establishment eventually constrained him. While people like Moon aimed for rock ‘n’ roll audiences, they were never pop stars. Others like Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran or Haley were and received more hit - but people like Moon made the better music and at the end of the day that is what really matters.
57. "DOWNSTREAM" - in style & theme, this is very similar to "Nine tenths of the Tennessee river".
58. "I DONE IT" - complete with saxophones, this record is pure black R&B.
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