John Mooney

John Mooney is a slide guitarist, working primarily in a traditionalist Delta acoustic style. Originally hailing from Rochester, NY, Mooney learned his craft first hand from country blues legend Son House. Later in his career, he moved to New Orleans, switched to electric guitar and began enlivening his music with Second Line rhythms indigenous to the area. Born in New Jersey but raised in Rochester, New York, John Mooney began playing guitar following a meeting with Son House, who also lived in Rochester. Mooney learned the basics of blues guitar from House and he returned the favor by supporting the guitarist during the mid-'70s. In 1976, Mooney relocated to New Orleans and within a year of his arrival, he landed a contract with Blind Pig. In 1977, he released his debut album, Comin' Your Way. After performing straight acoustic Delta blues for several years, Mooney changed his musical direction in 1983, when he formed Bluesiana, a more eclectic -- and electric -- outfit. Throughout the '80s, he toured and recorded with Bluesiana, opening for the likes of Albert King, Bonnie Raitt, and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. After a few years of touring, Mooney was able to sign another record contract, releasing Telephone King on the Powerhouse label in 1991. His next records were one-offs on small labels: 1992's Testimony for Domino and 1995's ravelin' On on Crosscut. Mooney toured consistently at this time, building his fan base one blues club at a time. His hard work paid off when in 1996 he signed up with the House of Blues label and released his first nationally distributed record Against the Wall. This deal turned out to be a one-off as well but after releasing a live solo album for Ruf in 1997, Mooney returned to Blind Pig to release 2000's Gone to Hell and 2002's All I Want. Both albums are solid additions to Mooney's discography.