Died On This Date (August 3, 2008) Paul “Moon” Mullins / Bluegrass Fiddler & Radio Personality
themusicsover Paul “Moon” Mullins
September 24, 1936 – August 3, 2008
Paul “Moon” Mullins was a fiddle player and disc jockey who entertained bluegrass fans through his radio programs in Kentucky and Ohio. Mullins learned to play the fiddle while in the army from 1955 to 1958. When he returned home, he joined Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys, playing fiddle. Several years later, he became the announcer for Bill Monroe’s Bean Blossom Festival. In 2007, Mullins was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. He passed away in a nursing facility on August 3, 2008 at the age of 71.
Jack Cooke was a bluegrass bassist and singer best remembered for his time playing in Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys. Cooke first came to prominence as part of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys with whom he played from 1956 to 1960. He played on some of Monroe’s biggest hits, including the classic, “Big Mon.” After leaving Monroe, he fronted his own band for a few years until getting the call to join Stanley in 1970. He played in the Clinch Mountain Boys up until early 2009. Cooke received a Grammy in 2002 as part of the Jim Lauderdale & Ralph Stanley album, Lost in the Lonesome Pines. Jack Cooke, 72, passed away at a local hospital on December 1, 2009.