Mr. Ralph Mooney, master of the steel guitar, died on Sunday at the age of 82. I just noticed the obituary in a friend's Facebook post (thanks, Katie!).
Mooney was go-to guy for pedal steel guitar during the mid-20th century. He was one of those quiet professional session musicians who help to create the sound behind big name singers. You've probably heard his work before, and just not realized it. During the 50s, 60s and 70s, he recorded and played with probably every country singer of consequence, from Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, to Wanda Jackson—the rockabilly singer who recently recorded an album with Jack White.
I had to poke around YouTube a bit for a song clip that would highlight Mooney more than the people he played with, but this instrumental classic does the job right. Recorded with a fellow session musician, guitarist James Burton, Corn Pickin really shows off Mooney's skills.
Bonus: This 2003 interview with Ralph Mooney is short, but also pretty damn adorable. Mooney, apparently, had a good sense of humor. Scroll down to where they start talking about his hair loss for a great, sassy one-liner.
