Mooney was described as a "nuts and bolts arranger" by fellow chart writer Billy May. It was meant as a compliment, and Mooney's versatility can be characterised by some of the more notable arrangements he wrote at the Mercury stable. For Vaughan, he provided lush, string settings (along with more brassy, upbeat numbers) on albums such as "Great Songs From Hit Shows" (1956) and "Sarah Vaughan Sings George Gershwin" (1957). Though those arrangements grated with some jazz purists, their dramatic qualities inspired the acclaimed singer to some of her finest work, for example "Hit Shows" "It Never Entered My Mind" [http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/product.aspx?ob=disc&src=art&pid=10070] and the Gershwin album's "Isn't It a Pity?". Apart from such highbrow projects, Mooney also arranged some of Vaughan's forays into R&B-inspired '50s pop, for example the Clyde Otis-penned "Sweet Affection" (1957).