On this date in 1931, Winfield Scott Moore III (sounds like a character from Gilligan’s Island) was born. Chuck Berry and B.B. King influenced more guitarists coming up in the ‘60s than anyone. Not far behind though was Mr. Moore.
All Scotty did was play almost every lead and key rhythm guitar part on Elvis’ albums and his live performances from the beginning until 1964. That was Scotty on That’s All Right, Good Rockin’ Tonight, Heartbreak Hotel, and Blue Suede Shoes. That was Scotty on Hound Dog, Hard Headed Woman, Mystery Train, and Jailhouse Rock. Most importantly, Jimmy Page said he learned to play guitar all because of one particular song, Scotty’s guitar work on Elvis’ Baby Let’s Play House.
And Keith Richards had this to say about Scotty: “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 the way Scotty Moore did. Everyone wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty.”
Unfortunately, neither Elvis nor Colonel Parker appreciated the groundbreaking musicianship of Scotty or Bill Black (the double bassist in Elvis’ group). In 1956, Scotty and Bill were only making $200 per week during tours and $100 per week when not on the road. This forced Scotty and his wife to move in with her three sisters and brother-in-law. 1957 was especially hard. By then, Elvis was a millionaire while Scotty and Bill had received two raises in two years. So, they quit.
Elvis tried to work with other musicians but, other than D.J. Fontana (a drummer), none clicked like his original Blue Moon Boys. So, Elvis hired them back for substantially more money. They stayed together up until 1964. That year Scotty released a solo album called (appropriately) The Guitar That Changed the World. When Sam Phillips found out, Scotty was fired.
Scotty would hook up with Elvis one last time for the great 1968 Comeback Special on NBC. That was the last time Scotty ever played with, or even saw, Elvis.
A true rock legend.
