Family
Moon was born to Oscar Luther Mullican (1876–1961) and his first wife, Virginia Jordan Mullican (1880–1915), near Corrigan, Polk County, Texas. They were a farming family of Scottish, Irish and Eastern European descent. Moon was a descendant of the Mullikins of Maryland. His Scots-Irish immigrant ancestor, James Mullikin, was born in Scotland, arriving in Maryland in 1630–1640 via Northern Ireland. His paternal grandfather was Pvt. Wilson G. Mullican, who fought with the 6th Mississippi Infantry, CSA, at the Battle of Shiloh. Moon's parents, stepmother and grandparents are all buried in Stryker Cemetery, Polk County, Texas.
Mullican's mother died when he was six years old. His father soon married Callie.
As a child, Mullican began playing the organ, which his religious father had purchased in order to better sing hymns at church. However, Moon had befriended one of the black sharecroppers on the farm, a guitarist named Joe Jones, who introduced him to the country blues. His religious family did not always approve, and he was torn between religion and secular music. After making his mark as a local piano player, he left home at 16, and headed to Houston, where he began playing piano and singing in local clubs. His career choice was to be a singer or a preacher, and he chose the former.
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