Joe Mooney

For a period of time, Joe Mooney was a well-known jazz accordionist -- which is definitely a small field -- but he had a lengthy and a rather episodic career. He went blind in the early '20s but by 1926 was playing duets with his brother Dan on radio. They recorded from 1929-31 as the Sunshine Boys (also as the Melotone Boys); Joe played piano and both brothers sang while joined by some notable jazz all-stars. The siblings stayed together through 1936 (broadcasting on WLW Radio in Cincinnati). Dan slipped away from music, while in 1937 Joe became the pianist and arranger for F...