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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Cha Cha Cha - Art Mooney And His Big Band

Caravan
Cha Cha Cha
Art Mooney And His Big Band
Coronet Records CXS 138

Who's Sorry Now
Ole Jamaica
I Let A Song Out Of My Heart
Midnight Breeze
Hands Across The Table
Bwana
Caravan
Shine On Harvest Moon
Chi Chi Castenato
Glow Worm
In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree

Dawana
Cha Cha Cha
Art Mooney
Promenade Records 2218

From the back cover: Art Mooney was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. However, his family soon moved to Detroit where Art grew up. His father was a member of the police force there and Art Mooney went to a technical high school in Detroit to study to become a linotype operator. He took to the saxophone immediately and soon got a group of his high school friends together and started a band. This group played all the local school dances around the city.

After graduation, Art Mooney gave up the idea of music and pursued his career as a linotype operator. However, he wasn't on the job very long when he started to dabble in music in his spare time. Soon Art got odd jobs playing his sax at night with local bands and he began to love it and started thinking about a band of his own. He got his first opportunity when, as a linotype operator, he was to set up an ad announcing the engagement of one of the top bands of the time; instead Art Mooney inserted his own name and, although he was fired from the job, he felt it was a good break for him because it gave him a chance to try his luck in the music world. He formed a band and started on the road but soon was drafted in the Army.

For three and a half years Art Mooney conducted the Miami Beach Air Corps band and when he was released from service he had already made a name for himself through his record hits of "Roll Out The Barrel" and "I've Been Working On The Railroad." He then organized a band and was waiting for the big chance when he finally got a two week engagement at the New York's Lincoln and Edison Hotels; the engagement extended itself for eight months. From this date, Art won a radio network contract and his future was made.



Cha Cha Cha
Art Mooney
Diplomat Records FM 45

Dwana S-45

Cha Cha Cha
With Art Mooney
Produced by Henry LaPidus
Bandleader Series Vol. 2
Spinorama MK 3079 & S-45

4 comments:

  1. I was hoping the woman on the cover would starrt dancing when I clicked the clicky thing.

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  2. Look at that gorgeous dress!! Great album. I think I like Art Mooney

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  3. A little searching on the web nailed the release date to 1959 for the stereo version, 1957 for the mono. (Allegedly Nov 1958 was release of first "true stereo" LP.) And this Art Mooney was released several times by several record companies: your image above from Coronet; the pair of stocking'd legs on Spin-o-rama; and Parade Records' lady with cha cha cha outfit including horizontally striped leggings. It may be the difference between the three mono/hi-fi/stereo editions.

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