Bluegrass fiddler and legendary Ohio Valley radio personality Paul “Moon” Mullins will accept a well-deserved honor at this Saturday’s Cityfolk Festival in Dayton, OH. On June 30, he will receive the 2007 Ohio Heritage Fellowship Award for Performing Arts, given by the Ohio Arts Council for exemplary Ohio artists and musicians.

The award is described in this way by the OAC:

These Fellowships are awarded to an individual or group whose achievements have had a positive impact on the excellence, vitality and public appreciation of folk and traditional arts in Ohio.

Nominated individuals or groups should have a history of continuing artistic accomplishments and be actively participating in their art form as performers, teachers or both. Criteria in this category include authenticity, artistic excellence and significance within the tradition of the performing art form.

Paul was the fiddler with The Stanley Brothers from 1958 to 1960, and wrote the song Katy Daly, one of Ralph Stanley’s most enduring  numbers. He was a founding member of The Boys From Indiana in the 1970s, and The Traditional Grass in the 1980s – along his son Joe.

He began his broadcasting career in the early 1960s, and The Moon Mullins Show was a popular program on WPFB for many years. He joined his son at WBZI in Xenia, OH when Joe decided to give up his career as a bluegrass performer and purchase the station in 1995, and remained there for the next ten years until his retirement.

In 2000, The IBMA voted him Broadcaster of the Year, and bestowed their Distinguished Achievement Award as well.

Congratulations to Paul “Moon” Mullins for the Ohio Arts Council recognition, and thanks for the many years of service to bluegrass music!

More details about Paul’s lengthy career in the business can be found on WBZI MyClassicCountry.com.