Art Mooney(1911-1993)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
American bandleader, who formed his first group in Detroit during the
late 1930's. Never a particularly swinging outfit, it only lasted a few
years until Mooney entered military service at the onset of World War
II. In 1945, he organised a proper dance orchestra with a reed section
organised along the lines of
Glenn Miller, with arrangements by,
among others, Neal Hefti, and featuring
vocals by Fran Warren. The band
played in New York clubs and hotels, as well as being prominently
featured on radio. It's theme song was "Sunset to Sunrise". Recording
for MGM, Mooney turned out several dud singles, until hitting the big
time in 1948 with the corny tune "Im Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover",
which was atypical of the band's style up to then. Due to its
commercial success, however (over a million records sold), Mooney
henceforth insisted on keeping ensemble singing and banjos prominent in
his arrangements over the next twelve years, notching up twenty-one
Billboard pop hits for MGM in the process. Though his popularity had
waned by the early 1960's, he continued to remain in the music business
for another two decades.