Joe Mooney

Joe Mooney never became a great popular success, but the vocalist-accordionist-organist was, and still is, well regarded by the cognoscenti.

These recordings come from his greatest period: early in his career, when he was leading the tight-knit quartet that made his reputation.

After World War II, the group had become increasingly acclaimed by appearing in small clubs - so much so that the record companies apparently waged a bidding war for them. Decca won, and even ran an ad in Billboard (below) proclaiming its victory.

Mooney and his troupe (Andy Fitzgerald, clarinet, Jack Hotop, guitar, Gaetan (Gate) Frega, bass) first entered the recording studio in November 1946. They would set down a total of 18 numbers for Decca by the end of the following year.

The success was short-lived. By mid-1949, the group had disbanded, and Andy Fitzgerald was working in a Paterson textile plant. Contemporary sources say that Gate Frega left to enter the ministry.

Mooney continued, with a single on Carousel and then a few excellent sides with the Sauter-Finegan band in 1952, notably "Nina Never Knew." By 1956, Mooney was running and performing at a restaurant in Miami. Atlantic cut an LP with him that year that was released in 1957.

Finally, Mooney recorded two albums for Columbia in the early 60s. He still had something of a reputation - one LP was called "The Greatness of Joe Mooney."

Frega, Mooney and Fitzgerald in 1946

The Decca recordings first came out on 78, then collected for a 10-inch LP titled "You Go To My Head." Seven of the eight songs on that LP ended up on this 12-inch album, "On the Rocks" (a title chosen, one supposes, to enable the art department to plunk Joe and his accordion down in an old-fashioned glass with a bunch of ice cubes).

In addition to the 12 songs from "On the Rocks," I've added the orphaned item from "You Go to My Head," and two songs from 78 - in all, 15 of the 18 records the Mooney Quartet made for Decca.

One word about the "orphan" - it is one of the group's best set-pieces, "Shaky Breaks the Ice," with a fantastic double-talk intro from Gate Frega. All these records are good, in fact. The group was able to put its stamp even on material that wasn't written for them, such as "Meet Me at No Special Place," which was recorded by several artists in 1947.

I just love Mooney and hope you enjoy this set, which was suggested by our friend David F.