WAYNESVILLE, Ohio – If you’ve spent any time in the Southwestern Ohio region, chances are you’ve heard of Paul “Moon” Mullins or his son, Joe Mullins. The Mullins family is renowned for their contributions to radio broadcasting, but their influence on Ohio’s music scene extends far beyond the airwaves. From concert and event production to touring as musicians and producing albums, their multi-generational legacy has left an indelible mark on the state’s musical landscape. Their decades-long impact has earned them national recognition, culminating in the recent announcement of their induction into the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame in April.

Paul “Moon” Mullins was a renowned radio personality and fiddler from the late 1950s until he retired in 2005. In 1960 he began his broadcasting career as a full-time, on-air personality, working at stations in eastern Kentucky. Like so many, the Mullins family found themselves in the Cinncinati-Dayton, Ohio area as a result of the great Appalachian out-migration from coalfields to industrial urban centers. In 1964, Mullins joined the staff of WPFB in Middletown. The nickname “Moon” (derived from a vintage comic strip) caught on quickly after a few months on-air in Ohio. Paul introduced country and bluegrass music to tens of thousands of listeners in the Cincinnati-Dayton region of Ohio. He also had a career as a bluegrass fiddler on many recordings produced in Ohio, and promoted hundreds of concert appearances for country and bluegrass artists from Bill Monroe to Loretta Lynn. Paul founded the bluegrass band, The Traditional Grass, in late 1983, introducing Joe to audiences regionally and nationally through 1995.

Joe Mullins continues this legacy of connecting people to their heritage through music as a touring musician, entrepreneur, radio broadcaster, and recording artist. In 1995 he purchased WBZI Radio in Xenia, Ohio and later purchased two other regional stations, all of which operate as Real Roots Radio under Town and Country Broadcasting, Inc. His radio network has programmed country, bluegrass and gospel music for nearly three decades and featured legendary country radio personalities. Gone but not forgotten, “Moon” Mullins, “Bucks” Braun, and “Chubby” Howard, all had a radio home for many years thanks to Joe Mullins creating a regional radio network. Additionally, he hosts a syndicated radio show, Front Porch Fellowship, which is aired weekly across much of the U.S. and Canada and is produced by his son, Daniel Mullins. As a performer, Joe established himself as a strong traditional banjo player and vocalist. In 2006, he founded Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, a full-time touring band who have achieved great success producing 10 albums to date, enjoying regular appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, and multiple International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards including Entertainers of the Year in 2019.

Seeing a need for a music event in his community, and building upon early promoting experiences, Mullins started a music festival he organizes twice annually, drawing thousands to the Wilmington/Xenia, Ohio region. In 2020, Mullins partnered with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and produced Industrial Strength Bluegrass – Southwestern Ohio’s Musical Legacy, a 16-track all-star recording featuring songs that tell the story of the Appalachian migration to southwestern Ohio during the steel industry boom. The album won IBMA’s Album of the Year and resulted in re-branding his music festivals to the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival. The event was awarded IBMA’s Event of the Year in 2022 and 2024.

“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,” says director Jackie Thomas. “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.”

Former inductees to the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame include Connie Smith, Bobby Bare, Earl Thomas Conley, and more.

The induction will take place Saturday, April 26th at 7pm ET at the Keepin’ It Country Farm in Waynesville, OH, and will include country entertainment with The Richard Lynch Band and award winning bluegrass featuring Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online.