Cherokee Boogie - Moon Mullican

Aubrey Wilson Mullican (March 29, 1909 – January 1, 1967), known as Moon Mullican, was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and pianist. However, he also sang and played jazz, rock 'n' roll and the blues. He was associated with the hillbilly boogie style which greatly influenced rockabilly; Jerry Lee Lewis cited him as a major influence on his own singing and piano playing.

Mullican once stated, "We gotta play music that'll make them goddamn beer bottles bounce on the table".
Moon was born to Oscar Luther Mullican (1876–1961) and his first wife, Virginia Jordan Mullican (1880–1915), near Corrigan, Polk County, Texas. They were a farming family of Scottish, Irish and Eastern European descent. Moon was a descendant of the Mullikins of Maryland. His Scots-Irish immigrant ancestor, James Mullikin, was born in Scotland, arriving in Maryland in 1630–1640 via Northern Ireland. His paternal grandfather was Pvt. Wilson G. Mullican, who fought with the 6th Mississippi Infantry, CSA, at the Battle of Shiloh. Moon's parents, stepmother and grandparents are all buried in Stryker Cemetery, Polk County, Texas.
By the 1930s, Mullican had earned the nickname "Moon", either short for "moonshine" or from his all-night performances (sources differ). His earliest influences were popular blues artists of the day such as Bessie Smith, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Leroy Carr, together with country musicians including Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills. In 1936, he covered Cab Calloway's "Georgia Pine" and also sung his own compositions "Ain't You Kinda Sorry" and "Swing Baby Swing" for Leon Selph's Western swing band, The Blue Ridge Playboys. He also played and recorded with Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers, the Sunshine Boys, and Jimmie Davis. By the end of the 1930s, he had also become a popular vocalist with a warm, deep, vocal delivery
During the late 1940s, Mullican influenced many other country artists. He had defined a style of country balladeering not hinted at in his 1930s work. This style of music influenced Jim Reeves (a band member for a while), Hank Williams (who named Moon as a favorite artist), Hank Snow, Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, and especially Jerry Lee Lewis, who covered many of Mullican's songs. It was in the realm of hillbilly boogie, however, that Mullican had his greatest influence. Many of his songs, such as "Pipeliners Blues", "Hey! Mister Cotton-Picker" and "Cherokee Boogie" (his biggest hit, in 1951) directly foreshadowed the style adopted by Haley and later rock'n'rollers. Moon also influenced [Irish] country singer Patrick Wall, and also US band Cornell Hurd, who both did tribute CDs to mark Mullican's 100th birthday in 2009.
On New Year's Eve 1966, he suffered a heart attack in Beaumont, Texas, and died early in the morning on January 1, 1967. He and his wife, Eunice, who survived him (she died in 1973), had no children
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”