Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore dies aged 84
Source: BBC
Pioneering rock guitarist Scotty Moore, who was a member of Elvis Presley's original band, has died aged 84.
He died in Nashville on Tuesday after several months of poor health.
He is credited with helping Elvis shape his music that came to be called rock 'n' roll, and inspired generations of guitarists.
Moore was the last survivor of Elvis's original band which included Presley, bassist Bill Black and producer Sam Phillips.
As part of The Blue Moon Boys Moore backed Presley on many of his legendary songs including Heartbreak Hotel, Blue Suede Shoes and Jailhouse Rock.
Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones was one of those inspired by Moore. He once said: "When I heard Heartbreak Hotel, I knew what I wanted to do in life.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36660103
Cross gently, Scotty...
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Last edited Wed Jun 29, 2016, 09:01 AM - Edit history (1)
From the album "Fancy Planets" (2009), track: The Golden Days Of Radio. I'll have to look up Moore because I don't know his sound offhand, only Elvis'.
Here's Bill talking about Scotty's influence on his music and style:
Post subject: Re: Scotty Moore
Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:37 am
Oh, gosh...very sad news. I was only thinking the other week that Scotty must be nearing the end of his time here on Earth, and now he's gone. I don't know what to say...he was one of the most influential guitarists in the world and a great inspiration to me. His work with Elvis in the earlier part of his career helped to shape the sound and the music of those great Sun recordings. Scotty also managed Elvis for a while before 'Colnel' Tom Parker took over.
I can remember my parents buying a second-hand radiogram when I was a youngster. It came with a number of 78rpm records, one of which was 'Jailhouse Rock' by Elvis. The track featured a great guitar sound by Scotty and a brilliant, compact and totally exciting guitar solo which helped to ignite my passion for the electric guitar along with Duane Eddy. I later discovered other records by Elvis, all with stunning contributions from Scotty. I also bought his solo album 'The Guitar That Changed The World' which featured instrumental versions of Elvis' hits. I loved the cover photo' of Scotty sitting with his big Gibson arch top, smoking a cigarette.
Scotty's style was influenced by Chet Atkins fingerpicking techniques but had a rawer edge, definitely a bit more rock n' roll. In the band that accompanied Elvis in those early days, there was just guitar, bass and drums, yet the sound worked fabulously, lean and mean and, like the guitar sound on 'Jailhouse Rock,' totally electric.
My sincere condolences to Scotty's family. He was great. He will very much be missed.
For those of you who would like to see something of Scotty's life, here's a link to the history page of his website:
http://www.scottymoore.net/history.html
