Scotty Moore had a front seat to the birth of Rock 'n' Roll, as the lead guitarist on electric for Elvis from the beginning. It is his riffs that you hear on "Hound Dog," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Jailhouse Rock," and so many more, especially "That's Alright, Mama," the one that started it all. If you are an Elvis fan, you have heard his work. You also saw him perform in the round on the famous 1968 NBC Elvis "comeback" special (where they are all sitting around doing a guitar pull with Elvis wearing the famous black leather jacket). Look for that special if you have not seen it.
He was not only Elvis' guitarist, but he was also appreciated by others. He was already in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame but was recently inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame. He was unable to attend, but Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones accepted on his behalf! Richards looked up to him.
Scotty Moore died last night at age 84.
Rolling Stone had a great article about him today, with several YouTube clips of some of those signature performances.
Here is a link and what Rolling Stone Magazine had to say about him today:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/scotty-moore-elvis-presley-guitarist-dead-at-84-20160628
Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley's longtime guitarist and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, died Tuesday at his home in Nashville, the Commercial Appeal reports. No cause of death was provided, but Moore had been in poor health in recent months. He was 84. Karen Fontana, the wife of Presley drummer D.J. Fontana, also confirmed Moore's death to Rolling Stone.
Scotty Moore: 10 Essential Songs »
"We lost one of the finest people I have ever met today," Sun Studio engineer Matt Ross-Spang wrote on Instagram. "I was lucky to call you a friend and I'm very glad I got to see you just a few days ago. The guitarist that changed the world ... especially mine; I hope you don't mind if I keep stealing your licks. Love you Scotty."
Born in Gadsden, Tennessee, Moore began playing guitar at the age of eight, and after a stint in the U.S. Navy in the early Fifties, moved to Memphis and formed the Starlite Wrangers with bassist Bill Black. In 1954, Sun Records impresario Sam Phillips paired Moore with a teenaged Elvis Presley. Together, along with Black, they would record Presley's first single, "That's All Right (Mama)." The recording session was only meant to be an audition; instead, the trio made music history.
"I heard that Sam Phillips had a little studio and record label and I went to see him about getting a record out," Moore told Rolling Stone in 2010. "I knew that if we could make a record, we'd get more places to play around town. Sam agreed to record us and he and I became good friends. Then one day we were having coffee, and his secretary actually brought up Elvis' name. He had dropped by the studio with the hope of recording something. So Sam said, 'Call this guy up and get him to go over to your house and see what you think of him.' So he came to my house on the Fourth of July. It was kind of a pre-audition."
Moore, Black and drummer D.J. Fontana would soon form the Blue Moon Boys, a union that would back Presley on dozens of legendary rock & roll songs over the next decade, including "Heartbreak Hotel," "Mystery Train," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock" and "(You're the) Devil in Disguise."
Moore, with the Blue Moon Boys, would also appear in four of Presley's films – Jailhouse Rock, Loving You, King Creole and G.I. Blues. In 1964, Phillips fired Moore after he recorded a solo album; however, Presley reunited with the guitarist for his '68 Comeback Special; Black died in 1965.
Moore's unique style – played on a Gibson Super 400 – on those iconic Presley singles inspired generations of future guitar players. "When I heard 'Heartbreak Hotel,' I knew what I wanted to do in life. It was as plain as day. All I wanted to do in the world was to be able to play and sound like that," Keith Richards once said. "Everyone else wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty."
In addition to Presley, Moore worked with artists like Richards, Ringo Starr, Carl Perkins, Jeff Beck, Levon Helm, Ronnie Wood and more. Moore was also named to Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists list.
Moore was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as part of the inaugural class celebrating sidemen, a category that honored "those musicians who have spent their careers out of the spotlight, performing as backup musicians for major artists on recording sessions and in concert."
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/scotty-moore-elvis-presley-guitarist-dead-at-84-20160628#ixzz4D0kzzuT4
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He was not only Elvis' guitarist, but he was also appreciated by others. He was already in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame but was recently inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame. He was unable to attend, but Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones accepted on his behalf! Richards looked up to him.
Scotty Moore died last night at age 84.
Rolling Stone had a great article about him today, with several YouTube clips of some of those signature performances.
Here is a link and what Rolling Stone Magazine had to say about him today:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/scotty-moore-elvis-presley-guitarist-dead-at-84-20160628
Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley's longtime guitarist and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, died Tuesday at his home in Nashville, the Commercial Appeal reports. No cause of death was provided, but Moore had been in poor health in recent months. He was 84. Karen Fontana, the wife of Presley drummer D.J. Fontana, also confirmed Moore's death to Rolling Stone.
Scotty Moore: 10 Essential Songs »
"We lost one of the finest people I have ever met today," Sun Studio engineer Matt Ross-Spang wrote on Instagram. "I was lucky to call you a friend and I'm very glad I got to see you just a few days ago. The guitarist that changed the world ... especially mine; I hope you don't mind if I keep stealing your licks. Love you Scotty."
Born in Gadsden, Tennessee, Moore began playing guitar at the age of eight, and after a stint in the U.S. Navy in the early Fifties, moved to Memphis and formed the Starlite Wrangers with bassist Bill Black. In 1954, Sun Records impresario Sam Phillips paired Moore with a teenaged Elvis Presley. Together, along with Black, they would record Presley's first single, "That's All Right (Mama)." The recording session was only meant to be an audition; instead, the trio made music history.
"I heard that Sam Phillips had a little studio and record label and I went to see him about getting a record out," Moore told Rolling Stone in 2010. "I knew that if we could make a record, we'd get more places to play around town. Sam agreed to record us and he and I became good friends. Then one day we were having coffee, and his secretary actually brought up Elvis' name. He had dropped by the studio with the hope of recording something. So Sam said, 'Call this guy up and get him to go over to your house and see what you think of him.' So he came to my house on the Fourth of July. It was kind of a pre-audition."
Moore, Black and drummer D.J. Fontana would soon form the Blue Moon Boys, a union that would back Presley on dozens of legendary rock & roll songs over the next decade, including "Heartbreak Hotel," "Mystery Train," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock" and "(You're the) Devil in Disguise."
Moore, with the Blue Moon Boys, would also appear in four of Presley's films – Jailhouse Rock, Loving You, King Creole and G.I. Blues. In 1964, Phillips fired Moore after he recorded a solo album; however, Presley reunited with the guitarist for his '68 Comeback Special; Black died in 1965.
Moore's unique style – played on a Gibson Super 400 – on those iconic Presley singles inspired generations of future guitar players. "When I heard 'Heartbreak Hotel,' I knew what I wanted to do in life. It was as plain as day. All I wanted to do in the world was to be able to play and sound like that," Keith Richards once said. "Everyone else wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty."
In addition to Presley, Moore worked with artists like Richards, Ringo Starr, Carl Perkins, Jeff Beck, Levon Helm, Ronnie Wood and more. Moore was also named to Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists list.
Moore was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as part of the inaugural class celebrating sidemen, a category that honored "those musicians who have spent their careers out of the spotlight, performing as backup musicians for major artists on recording sessions and in concert."
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/scotty-moore-elvis-presley-guitarist-dead-at-84-20160628#ixzz4D0kzzuT4
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