The Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame in Waynesville, OH has announced that Paul “Moon” Mullins and his son, Joe Mullins, will be inducted in 2025. Both father and son are recognized as bluegrass music icons, as well as celebrated radio broadcasters, in the state of Ohio.
Current bluegrass lovers are well acquainted with Joe, from his highly-successful touring band, The Radio Ramblers, his country and bluegrass radio network in southwestern Ohio, Real Roots Radio, and his twice-yearly festivals, Industrial Strength Bluegrass. But Joe is quick to attribute his natural talent, his professionalism, and his passion of broadcasting to his dad, along with his love for bluegrass and gospel music.
Paul, who died in 2008 at 71 years of age, was among the many Kentuckians who moved north to southern Ohio in search of work, though his career in music started in eastern Kentucky. A noted fiddler, a skill he picked up while stationed in Alaska with the US Army in the late 1950s, he went to work for The Stanley Brothers for a time when he was discharged. He then joined The Bluegrass Playboys, for whom he wrote the now classic song, Katy Daley, which they recorded as Katie Daly, which was based on an Irish drinking song.
As he became a popular radio host in Kentucky, and later Ohio, “Moon,” a nickname that derived from a popular comic strip, was also sought out as an MC at bluegrass festivals, a role he also served at the Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festivals in Brown County, IN at Bill Monroe’s behest.
Paul was involved in the founding of two 20th Century bluegrass bands that make the history books, The Boys From Indiana and The Traditional Grass, the latter of which was the bluegrass world’s introduction to a fresh-faced young banjo player and tenor singer named Joe Mullins.
That tenure with The Traditional Grass allowed Joe to go from a band member in his father’s group to leading his own band, absent the many years of working as a sideman with various groups on the way to becoming a solo artist. His own radio career was cemented when he purchased WBZI in Xenia, OH in 1995, followed shortly thereafter by a pair of other small regional stations. The Real Roots Radio signal now broadcasts on all three, as well as via online streaming, covering the bulk of southwestern Ohio and parts of Cincinnati and northern Kentucky.
Joe Mullins carries the family name forward in bluegrass with his many activities, which include hosting the widely-syndicated radio show, Front Porch Fellowship, while his son, Daniel, makes his own career in the bluegrass business world. Daniel has a popular noon time show on Real Roots Radio, and currently manages the two annual Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festivals.
Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame Director Jackie Thomas says of their 2025 inductees…
“The Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame remains true to its commitment of honoring Ohioans who have excelled in maintaining the genre of traditional country music with the induction of Paul Mullins (posthumously) and Joe Mullins. Both men have made it their mission to promote and preserve Ohio’s rich musical legacy. Their commitment to this aligns perfectly with our mission to ‘preserve the past in order to ensure the future’ for generations to come.”
The Mullinses will be inducted on April 26 during a ceremony at the Keepin’ It Country Farm in Waynesville, OH, starting at 7:00 p.m. The Radio Ramblers will perform, along with The Richard Lynch Band. Tickets for the show can be purchased online.
Many congratulations to Joe and Paul Mullins for this richly deserved honor!
