Happy Birthday to Scotty Moore who turns 78 years old today. Those of us younger than Mr. Moore may take many key elements of the traditional rock and roll band blueprint for granted. For example, the idea of a lead singer playing rhythm guitar or not playing guitar at all while a "lead guitarist" did all the heavy six string lifting. But Scotty Moore, as the guitarist for Elvis Presley from '54 until the time E. started to make shitty movies (notably, Moore's handling of the guitar was also a key ingredient to Elvis's legendary '68 Comeback Special, too), was the first to define the role of lead guitarist and inspire the likes of others, Keith Richards for example, to adopt that role in their own style. Here Mr. Moore performs lead with some other guitar guy (can't remember his name) who is playing rhythm and singing.
Worth trying to find (in theory) is Moore's LP, All the King's Men. I offer this as a theoretical because I'm still looking for the LP myself, but if the rest of the album is even half as good as the Deuce and a Quarter track from it (which I do have) where Keith Richard and Levon Helm help out, it's gotta be sweet.
Comments