Biography
1911, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. A popular bandleader in the late 40s and 50s, Mooney started out by leading a band mostly in Detroit and the Midwest area during the 30s. After military service in World War II, he formed a new outfit with a similar style and sound to Glenn Miller, especially in the reed section. The band's arrangers included Neal Hefti and George Williams, and it made its New York debut in 1945, playing clubs, and appearing on radio. The big breakthrough came three years later, when Mooney recorded an old-fashioned version of Mort Dixon and Harry Woods' 1927 song "I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover", featuring the banjo playing of Mike Pingatore, an ex-Paul Whiteman sideman. The record sold over a million copies and put Mooney in the big money bracket for the band's personal appearances. Once down that lucrative road, he frequently used arrangements which featured the banjo and unison singing. His other hits, through to...
 Read the Full Biography of Art Mooney & His Orchestra
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