Moon Mullican (born March 29, 1909)

[uiwangmike]

Aubrey Wilson “Moon” Mullican (1909 –1967)

Bruce Eder, on http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/mullican_moon/bio.jhtml
By rights, Moon Mullican should be a legend twice over, in country music and rock & roll. He merged them both -- as well as blues, pop, and honky tonk -- into a seamless whole at the drop of a hat and the ripple of a keyboard, and also managed to play a seminal role in the history of Western swing, all in a recording career that lasted less than 30 years. Instead, for decades he was one of those "lost" musical figures from the '40s and early '50s, whose career paved the way for rock & roll, who was born just a little too early, and who was a little too old to take advantage of what he'd started.

He also dabbled in Cajun. Apart from being credited with co-writing “Jambalaya”, he did an early version (1946) of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNEJwxnXA10

His best known song (which also provided his epitaph – see below), covered by Hank Williams, and later by Jerry Lee Lewis.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLFTqKGfX3M
Mullican was a big influence on Jerry Lee. Floyd Domino (AATW) talking about how the latter adapted the song's piano part:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN4aceb7 ... re=related

One of his later recordings was titled "I Ain't No Beatle, But I Wanna Hold Your Hand”, and is (unfortunately or not) unavailable on Youtube. However, there are a few live clips to enjoy. It seems to me that the influence on Jerry Lee is visible as well as audible.

Seven Nights to Rock (1956) – he might also just have become been Bill Haley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbJy9V4MeKw

Cherokee Boogie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry745OAW ... re=related

St. Louis Blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfxi_pt28oU

New Moon Over My Shoulder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHlUtYjcgIg

My favourite - Rock and Roll Mr. Bullfrog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JsCNwfw7kk

http://www.rockabillyhall.com/MoonMullican1.html

http://tinyurl.com/7dx6rmv

[john poole]

Excellent selection, thank you Mike, except 'St.Louis Blues' seems to have lost its audio (unless it's my computer). Here's 'Pipeliner Blues' with a little added 'St. Louis Blues'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUNl7jxS0qY

and an earlier (1940) version of 'Pipe Liner Blues' with the Sunshine Boys -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbfbnXwBUEQ

Nick Lowe is an admirer, covering 'Seven Nights to Rock' in 1985.

[uiwangmike]

'St.Louis Blues' seems to have lost its audio (unless it's my computer).

Try again, John. It should be OK.

[john poole]

'St.Louis Blues' seems to have lost its audio (unless it's my computer).

Try again, John. It should be OK.

Still the same, so it's probably down to my computer, which frequently risks a Basil Fawlty style thrashing by not doing what I want it to. No problems with any of the other links, so there was plenty to celebrate Moon's 103rd birthday with.

[Willy]

I had the same problem, 7 seconds of static then nothing.