One of the founders of rock and roll, genre-defining guitarist, Scotty Moore, best known for his time as Elvis Presley’s guitarist and first manager, passed away at his home yesterday. In addition to performing and recording classic songs with Elvis, Moore was a successful artist, studio owner, and recording engineer throughout his long and varied career.
Moore was born in 1931, on a farm outside of the small rural Tennessee town of Gadsden. He began playing guitar at eight years old, and developed an early interest in jazz and country music. He enlisted in the Navy — he was underage at 16 — and served in Korea and China.
Early in his career, he led a group called “The Starlight Wranglers.” His career took off when Sam Phillips at Sun Records connected he and bassist Bill Black with then-unknown Elvis Presley. In 1954 they recorded their first song at Sun Studios, “That’s All Right,” which went to become the first Presley hit and is now regarded as one of the defining moments in rock and roll history. The trio called themselves “The Blue Moon Boys,” and began recording and touring. Shortly thereafter, the group was expanded with drummer D.J. Fontana. During this time, Scotty also served as Elvis’ first manager.
Many of Elvis’ most classic and famous recordings prominently feature the guitar of Scotty Moore, including “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” “Milk Cow Blues Boogie,” “Baby Let’s Play House,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Mystery Train,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Hound Dog,” “Too Much,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Hard Headed Woman.” Moore also appeared with Elvis in four movies: Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, King Creole, and G.I. Blues.
When Elvis was drafted in 1958, Moore became a vice president and part owner at Fernwood Records and had a hit as the producer for Thomas Wayne Perkins. In 1960 he began managing the Sam Phillips Recording Service, and continued recording with Elvis. In 1964, he released a solo album, The Guitar That Changed the World, which resulted in Sam Phillips firing him. He relocated to Nashville and started Music City Recorders studio.
In 1968, he reunited with Elvis for the NBC ’68 Comeback Special television show. It was their final appearance together. In 1970 he made history by recording Beaucoup Blues with Ringo Starr, making him the only person to work for both Sun Records and Apple Records — the two most influential independent record labels.
In 1973, he sold his interest in the studio and became a freelance recording engineer, working with such artists as Carl Perkins, Dolly Parton, Ann-Margret, Bob Hope, Perry Como, Minnie Pearl, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others. He returned to the stage in 1992, with Carl Perkins, and continued playing, touring, and recording until his farewell appearances in 2007.
In 2000 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was presented with the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. In 2004, he received the N.A.R.A.S. Memphis Hero Award and was honored with a tribute concert in 2004 featuring Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Ron Wood, David Gilmour, Bill Wyman and Albert Lee at Abbey Road Studios. In 2007 he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. In 2013, Gibson honored his 81st birthday by releasing 81 Limited Edition Scotty Moore ES295 tribute guitars. In 2015 he was inducted in the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. Keith Richards accepted the award on his behalf.