Winfield Scott “Scotty” Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist and recording engineer 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.
Rock critic Dave Marsh credits Moore with the invention of power chording, on the 1957 Presley song “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’.” Moore was ranked 29th in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2011. 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’ lead guitarist Keith Richards has 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 that. Everyone else wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty. (by wikipedia)
Scotty Moore’s guitar, as represented on Elvis Presley’s Sun sides in 1954 and 1955, did help in a big way to change the world. But 1964 was definitely not the year in which for Moore or Epic Records to try and remind anyone that fact, even with Elvis alumni D.J. Fontana (drums), Bob Moore (bass), Boots Randolph (sax), Jerry Kennedy (guitar), Buddy Harman (drums), Bill Pursell (piano), and the Jordanaires aboard. The Guitar That Changed the World passed largely without notice that year, becoming a curiously mistimed attempt at a career move. Apart from its sense of timing, the album’s problems included having more of a Nashville than a Memphis sound, being a little too mid-tempo and relaxed, and having too much sax and country piano. Without Elvis’ presence, there wasn’t going to be an overabundance of sexuality, nothing like the excitement of the originals, in these re-recordings of “That’s All Right,” “Hound Dog,” “Money Honey,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Milk Cow Blues,” “Mystery Train,” and so on, but the country sound here is a little too pale, and a little too close in spirit to Chet Atkins.
Rather than trying to pick up where he’d left off at Sun in 1955, or even recreating the pseudo-Sun sound of Elvis’ early RCA singles, Moore aimed for more of a mature, virtuoso performance — he plays beautifully and dexterously, but not with much excitement or any attempt to elicit excitement from the listener; he and the rest concentrate more on precision, and the resulting album is strong there and weak in most other departments. It’s beautifully, carefully played but nothing like spontaneous, cutting-edge rock & roll. Guitar buffs and Elvis completists will want this, but others should hear it also, if only to get a glimpse of what Elvis’ sidemen (and collaborators, in Moore’s case) could do on their own. (by Bruce Eder)
Personnel:
D.J. Fontana (drums)
Buddy Harman (drums)
Jerry Kennedy (guitar)
Bob Moore (bass)
Scotty Moore (guitar)
Bill Pursell (piano)
Boots Randolph (saxophone)
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The Jordanaires (background vocals)
Tracklist:
01. Hound Dog (Leiber/Stoller) 2.11
02. Loving You (Leiber/Stoller) 2.34
03. Money Honey (Stone) 2.12
04. My Baby Left Me (Crudup) 2.22
05. Heartbreak Hotel (Axton/Durden) 2.45
06. That’s All Right (Crudup) 2.23
07. Milkcow Blues Boogie (Arnold) 2.28
08. Don’t (Leiber/Stoller) 2.46
09. Mystery Train (Parker/Phillips) 2.02
10. Don’t Be Cruel (Blackwell) 2.02
11. Love Me Tender (Matson) 2.46
12. Mean Woman Blues (Demetruis) 2.12
Scotty Moore (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016)
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