Died On This Date (March 20, 2011) Ralph Mooney / Steel Guitar Legend
themusicsover Ralph Mooney
September 16, 1928 – March 20, 2011
Ralph Mooney was an innovative and influential steel guitar player who launched his career after moving from Oklahoma to California during the 1940s. By the ’50s, he was a staff player for Capitol Records where he played on records by the likes of Buck Owens, Rose Maddox, Wanda Jackson, and Merle Haggard. He later spent the better part of twenty years playing with Waylon Jennings. By all accounts, the “Bakersfield sound” may never have been fully realized without the genius of Mooney. As a songwriter, Mooney made perhaps his biggest mark with the 1956 Ray Price hit, “Crazy Heart,” which he co-wrote with Chuck Seals. Although he had been retired since the mid ’90s, Marty Stuart coaxed Mooney out of retirement to play on his 2010 Grammy-winning Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions. Ralph Mooney was 82 when he passed away on March 20, 2011.
Thanks to Jon Grimson for the assist.
Charlie Louvin was a longtime country singer and songwriter who became a national treasure singing alongside his brother Ira Louvin as the Louvin Brothers. From 1940 to 1963, the Louvin Brothers created a catalog of country and folk music that ushered in the use of close harmonies to the genres and would be a direct influence on the likes of the Byrds, the Everly Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Alison Krauss, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Starting out as a Gospel group, the Louvin Brothers soon began singing secular songs so they could reach a larger audience. That lead to appearances at the Grand Ole Opry and several charting singles. The duo disbanded in 1963 and then in 1965, Ira was tragically killed in a car accident, so Charlie forged on as a solo artist. In recent years, Louvin’s career experienced a renaissance thanks to recognition from the likes of Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Elvis Costello, and Bright Eyes to name just a few. Outside of tributes, his songs have been recorded by Uncle Tupelo, 
Ola Belle Reed was a respected folk and old-timey singer-songwriter and banjo player. She got her start playing with the North Carolina Ridge Runners in 1936. In 1945, Reed was offered a slot in 
