The #54 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Scotty Moore

The #54 Guitarist was right there in the beginning of the Rock Era...

#54:  Scotty Moore

54 years as an active guitarist

(playing for Elvis on "Heartbreak Hotel")

Winfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III was born December 27, 1931 near Gadsden, Tennessee.  He was the engine behind Elvis Presley in his early and most successful years, playing lead guitar for Elvis beginning in 1954.  His mixing of country guitar picking and blues phrasing wrote a new language for the guitar, and playing would never be the same.

Moore learned to play guitar at the age of eight.  His early background was in jazz and country music,inspired by Chet Atkins.  He served in the United States Navy from 1948-1952.


After being discharged from the Navy, Moore and his group the Starlite Wranglers came to the attention of Sam Phillips at Sun Records.  Phillips had just signed teenager Elvis Presley to a recording contract and believed that Moore's lead guitar and Bill Black on double bass would achieve the sound that he wanted.  In 1954, Moore and Black accompanied Elvis on the song "That's All Right (Mama)".  The trio were known initially as the Blue Moon Boys and Moore was Elvis's manager for a brief time.  


Beginning in July, the Blue Moon Boys toured and recorded throughout the South and, as Presley's popularity rose, they toured the United States and made appearances in television shows and movies.  

Moore played on many of Elvis's top songs, including "Heartbreak Hotel", "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Too Much".  Scotty also performed with Elvis in three movies:  Loving You, Jailhouse Rock and King Creole in 1957 and 1958.  But Colonel Tom Parker, who had become Elvis's manager, viewed anyone that was close to Presley as a threat.  Parker put both Black and Moore on limited salaries, while Elvis was making millions with their accompaniment.  


Black and Moore, who were nearly equal partners with Elvis in the beginning, had been reduced to backup musicians and in September, 1957, both turned in their letters of resignation.  

Moore began working at Fernwood Records in production and helped generate a big hit with "Tragedy" by Thomas Moore in 1959.  When Elvis returned from the Army in 1960, Moore resumed playing sessions for him.   Scotty also performed with Elvis on the famous '68 Comeback Special, broadcast live on NBC-TV, playing his Gibson Super 400 guitar.


In the 1960's, Moore released the solo album The Guitar That Changed the World, also playing his Gibson Super 400.


In 1970, Moore engineered the album Beaucoups of Blues for Ringo Starr.  Scotty also engineered many television shows for Opryland Productions for stars such as Bob Hope, Perry Como, Carol Burnett, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dolly Parton, Ann-Margret, Minnie Pearl, Joey Heatherton and others.  In 1989, Moore was a consultant for a weekly ABC-TV series called Elvis, which focused on the early years.

Moore's guitar-playing was considered precedent-setting.  He played with his unique finger-picking style with the pick at the same time.  Scotty would do this in concise, aggressive runs that provided the groundwork for future generations of guitarists.  Many popular guitarists cite Moore as the performer that brought the lead guitarist to a dominant role in rock music.  Scotty has been voiced as an influence by Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen. 


While with Elvis, Moore initially played a Gibson ES-295 before switching to a Gibson L5 and then the Super 400.  He used the Echosonic amplifier, one of the first amps with an effect (Tape Echo) built in.

(playing on Paul McCartney's cover of "That's All Right, Mama"

In 1997, Moore was inducted into Guitar Center's Rockwalk in Hollywood and Nashville.  Moore was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and in 2000, was voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.  In 2005, a collection of England's top recording artists including Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, Albert Lee, Bill Wyman and Ron Wood gathered at Abbey Road Studios in London.  


In August, 2005, Moore toured Norway and the U.K. and performed what is believed to be for the last time on August 15 at the London Jazz Cafe. 

Moore performed all the early guitar licks that every guitar player now must learn to play if they want to play rock and roll.  He not only was a pioneer in the field but an innovator and a master.  Scotty Moore comes in at #54 for the Rock Era*...