Johnny and Jonie Mosby was an American husband-and-wife country music vocal duo. They placed seventeen singles on the country music charts between 1963 and 1973, and released six albums for various labels. Five of the duo's singles made top 20 on the Hot Country Songs charts, with the highest peaks being "Trouble in My Arms" and "Just Hold My Hand", both at number twelve.
Biography John Robert "Johnny" Mosby (born in Fort Smith, Arkansas; April 26, 1929 – February 19, 2018) and Janice Irene "Jonie" Shields (born in Van Nuys, California on August 10, 1940) met in California when she auditioned for his orchestra. They married in 1958. They started recording for Challenge records that same year. In 1959, they made the first recording of "Tijuana Jail".
Signed to Columbia Records, the duo released its debut single, "Don't Call Me from a Honky Tonk", in 1963. It went to number thirteen on the country music charts and was followed by another Top 20 hit, the number twelve "Trouble in My Arms". By 1965, the duo released Mr. and Mrs. Country Music through Columbia, followed by The New Sweethearts of Country on the Starday Records label.
From 1967 to 1972, the Mosbys recorded for Capitol Records, reaching top 20 again with "Just Hold My Hand" and "I'm Leavin' It Up to You" at numbers twelve and eighteen. In the same timespan, the duo recorded several albums for the label. In 1971, Jonie released a solo single, "I've Been There", which peaked at number 72 on the country charts. They filed for divorce in 1973.
In 1992 at age 52, Jonie Mosby became the oldest woman to have a baby through in vitro fertilization as she gave birth to a son Morgan Bradford Mitchell by second husband, Donald Mitchell.
Johnny Mosby died on February 19, 2018, at age 88.
Discography Albums Year Album details Peak chart positions US Country US1965 Mr. and Mrs. Country Music Label: Columbia Records18— The New Sweethearts of Country Music Label: Starday Records——1968 Make a Left and Then a Right Label: Capitol Records——1969Just Hold My Hand Label: Capitol Records41— Hold Me Label: Capitol Records33197I'll Never Be Free Label: Capitol Records——1970My Happiness Label: Capitol Records——
Singles YearSingleChart PositionsAlbumUSCountry1963"Don't Call Me from a Honky Tonk"13Mr. and Mrs. Country Music"Trouble in My Arms"12"Who's Been Cheatin' Who"[A]271964"Keep Those Cards and Letters Coming In"16"How the Other Half Lives"211967"Make a Left and Then a Right"36Make a Left and Then a Right1968"Mr. and Mrs. John Smith"53"Our Golden Wedding Day"68Just Hold My Hand1969"Just Hold My Hand"12"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me"38Hold Me"I'll Never Be Free"26I'll Never Be Free1970"Third World"34My Happiness"I'm Leavin' It Up to You"[B]18"My Happiness"471971"Oh, Love of Mine"41non-album singles"Just One More Time"701973"I've Been There" (Jonie Mosby)72
Notes A^ B-side to "Trouble in My Arms". B^ Peaked at No. 21 on RPM Country Tracks.
References