Pioneering rock guitarist Scotty Moore, who died Tuesday at age 84, will forever be remembered for his contributions to a generation of famous rockers that included Elvis Presley, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, and Bruce Springsteen.
“The incredible music that Scotty and Elvis made together will live forever and influence generations to come.”
Moore, who died at his Nashville home, first met Elvis in 1954 in Memphis.
The two were thrown together, along with bassist Bill Black, in the Memphis-based Sun Records studios. Presley was a teen hoping to make it big. Moore, who had settled in Memphis after serving in the Navy, was working at a dry cleaning plant during the day and playing music by night.
In the studio, Moore’s more skilled guitar work was a compliment to Presley’s strumming. Add Black’s bass notes, and the foundation for rock ‘n’ roll was born.
Moore remained Presley’s lead guitarist throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
“Elvis loved Scotty dearly and treasured those amazing years together, both in the studio and on the road. Scotty was an amazing musician and a legend in his own right,” said Priscilla Presley, Elvis’ former wife, in a statement. “The incredible music that Scotty and Elvis made together will live forever and influence generations to come.”
Hip-swiveling heartthrob Presley soon rose to superstardom, signing up with RCA Records and topping the charts with “Heartbreak Hotel,” ”All Shook Up,” and many other hits.
Beyond Presley’s vocals, however, were Moore’s revered guitar licks — from slow burns on “Heartbreak Hotel” to faster leads on “Hard-Headed Woman.”
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As Rolling Stone put it: “Before there was Keith and Mick, before Page and Plant, before Morrissey and Marr, before Axl and Slash, there was Scotty and Elvis.”
Although Presley rose to fame with Moore by his side, it was stardom that finally broke them up. In the 1997 memoir “That’s Alright, Elvis,” Moore noted that he earned just over $8,000 in 1956, while Presley became a millionaire. There was also tension with Presley’s famous manager, “Colonel” Tom Parker, who put up a buffer between the two.
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“It’s not that I feel bitterness, just disappointment,” Moore told The Tennessean. Presley died in 1977.
After splitting from Presley, Moore put out a solo album in 1964 called “The Guitar That Changed the World!” and played on the 1997 Presley tribute album “All the King’s Men,” featuring Richards, Levon Helm, and other stars. In 2000, Moore was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame.
“He was a class act as a human being,” biographer James L. Dickerson told The Associated Press Tuesday. “Besides being one of the best guitarists that ever lived and most inventive, he was a great person, and you don’t always find that in the music industry.”
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