Scotty Moore | |
|---|---|
 Moore in 2000 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Winfield Scott Moore III |
| Born | December 27, 1931 Gadsden, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | June 28, 2016 (aged 84) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1950s–2009 |
| Labels | Sun, RCA Victor |
| Website | scottymoore |
Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968.[1]
Rock critic Dave Marsh credits Moore with inventing power chords, on the 1957 Elvis hit "Jailhouse Rock", the intro of which Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana, according to the latter, "copped from a '40s swing version of 'The Anvil Chorus"."[2] Moore was ranked 29th in Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2011.[3] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007, and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2015. The Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards said of Moore:
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.[4]
- ^ Grimes, William (June 28, 2016). "Scotty Moore, Hard-Driving Guitarist Who Backed Elvis Presley, Dies at 84". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ Ernst Jorgensen, Elvis Presley: A Life in Music. The Complete Recording Sessions. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998, p. 92. ISBN 0312263155
- ^ "100 Greatest Guitarists: Scotty Moore". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ "Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore dies aged 84". BBC News. June 29, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016.