Review: Johnny Nicholas Presents Moon and the Stars A Tribute to Moon Mullican

By Nick Cristiano

A tribute to a honky-tonk piano man who died in obscurity in 1967 at age 57? Who saw this coming?

Fortunately, Johnny Nicholas remembered, and the blues singer-guitarist and former Asleep at the Wheel member organized Moon and the Stars: A Tribute to Moon Mullican. It’s a mult-artist celebration of a performer who was both a member of the Grand Ole Opry and a precursor of rock-and-roll – he was a huge influence on, for one, Jerry Lee Lewis, who covered Mullican’s “I’ll Sail My Ship Alone,” one of the Moon shots that, like “Pipeliner Blues” and “Seven Nights to Rock,” are better known than the man himself.

Nicholas put together a stellar, Texas-Louisiana-centric cast of younger and older artists, including himself, who highlight the wide range of Mullican’s repertoire, while the inclusion of female performers helps bring a new dimension to the music. (The core backing band includes guitarist Scrappy Jud Newcomb, former Asleep at the Wheel pianist Floyd Domino, and Wheel fiddler Katie Shore.)

Piano man Earl P. Ball opens things with the classic roadhouse boogie of “Good Deal Lucille”; Linda Gail Lewis, Jerry Lee’s sister, takes to the 88s to put her own stamp on “I’ll Sail My Ship Alone”; and another piano master, Marcia Ball, keeps the vibe upbeat with “Good Times Gonna Come Again.” Tex-Mex graybeard Augie Meyers rips into a bluesy “Pipeliner Blues,” while Steve Riley adds some zydeco flavor with an accordion-accented “Seven Nights to Rock.”

Fittingly, as an Asleep at the Wheel alumnus, Nicholas is among those who spotlight Mullican’s Western swing, with numbers such as “All I Need Is You.” Shore, the fiddler, also contributes vocals as she offers “There’s a Little Bit of Heaven” and “What Have I Done?”

Nicholas also adeptly tackles the honky-tonk of “Big Big City” and duets with drummer Tif Lamson on the downbeat “I Was Sorta Wonderin’.” That last number shows how Mullican, besides raising the roof with his self-styled “East Texas sock,” could also tug at the heartstrings with hardcore country. Kelli Jones and Lamson also get at that with their duet on the weeper “When Love Dies,” and so does Emily Gimble with “Leaving You With a Worried Mind.” Peter Rowan, meanwhile, brings a veneer of supper-club sophistication with his world-weary take on “I’m Waiting for Ships That Never Come In.”

The vinyl version of Moon and the Stars is divided into two 10-song volumes. Nicholas, who co-produced with Joel Savoy, gives himself the last word on each, and he seems to be sending a message with both Western swing numbers.

The first is “Make Friends” – “Wear a smile, not a frown.” Mullican’s music seems to embody that sentiment, since it spreads an infectious joy with seemingly effortless ease. The second set-closer is “Don’t Ever Take My Picture Down.” It’s a plea not to be forgotten, and an artist who put so much heart and soul into spreading that joy – as captured by these stirring tributes – should not be.