On This Day in 2011, We Said Goodbye to the Hall of Fame Pedal Steel Player Who Wrote the Song that Changed Country Music Forever

On this day (March 20) in 2011, legendary pedal steel player and songwriter Ralph Mooney died at the age of 82. He is widely remembered for his long stint playing pedal steel for Waylon Jennings. Mooney also recorded with Wynn Stewart, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and other foundational figures of the Bakersfield Sound. Additionally, he co-wrote “Crazy Arms,” a song that forever changed the sound of country music.

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Before Mooney played pedal steel for artists who would become country legends, he wrote one of the most important songs in the genre’s history. He and Chuck Seals penned “Crazy Arms” in 1949. In 1956, Ray Price cut it and sent it straight to the top of the country chart, where it stayed for 20 weeks. This established Price, then an up-and-comer, as a star. It also introduced the shuffling 4/4 rhythm that later became the backbone of honk tonk in particular and country music in general. Moreover, it was one of the first country songs to feature a drum kit. There would be no Nashville or Bakersfield Sound nor outlaw country without this innovation.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1965, Buck Owens Was at No. 1 With a Song That Started as a Sarcastic Joke From an Annoyed Co-Writer]

Ralph Mooney Played Pedal Steel for Multiple Legends

When he was 12 years old, Ralph Mooney left his native Oklahoma for California, where he lived with his sister and her husband. His brother-in-law taught him to play guitar, fiddle, and mandolin. Then, he heard Leon McAuliffe’s “Steel Guitar Rag.” Soon, he built a pedal steel and started playing with local bands. This was the beginning of a legendary career.

The first consequential artist with whom Mooney played was Wynn Stewart. He was an early influence on many pivotal figures in what would come to be known as the Bakersfield Sound. He started playing live and in the studio with Stewart in the early 1950s.

From the Bakersfield Sound to Outlaw Country

By the end of the decade, Stewart’s drinking made working with him unreliable. As a result, he started taking session work and playing with other bands. In 1958, Mooney started playing with Buck Owens. He can be heard on classics like “Under Your Spell Again,” “Above and Beyond,” and “Excuse Me ( I Think I’ve Got a Heartache).” He played with Owens for four years but didn’t join his official backing band, the Buckaroos, when they formed in 1963.

That year, he started playing with Merle Haggard. Mooney was there for Hag’s first few albums. Haggard officially formed The Strangers in 1966, according to the liner notes for Meet the Strangers. Mooney was an official member of the band until “an incident where he tried to steal the bus and drive it home in the middle of a cross-country tour.”

Ralph Mooney signed on with Waylon Jennings in 1970. He played in the Waylors until Jennings retired from touring in 1992.

In short, if you enjoy classic country music from the artists above or those they have influenced, you can thank the late, great Ralph Mooney. Without his contributions, country music wouldn’t be the same.

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