Moore, Scotty

Guitarist. Born December 27, 1931. Full name: Winfield Scott Moore III. Worked with Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Worked as Elvis Presley's first guitarist and manager. His guitar playing can be heard on early Elvis recordings, including, "That's Alright Mama."

Scotty Moore was a participant in the historic early sessions at Sun Records that mark the birth of rock and roll. Moore led a group called the Starlite Wranglers before Sun founder Sam Phillips teamed him up with Elvis Presley -- a relationship that would continue from 1954 to 1958. Moore's early background was in jazz and country, and he put these influences to use by counterpointing Presley's vocals with melodic solos that helped launch the rockabilly revolution. In addition to working as an engineer and session musician, he played on many of Presley's Nashville sessions at RCA's Studio B. Moore, along with bassist Bill Black and drummer D.J. Fontana. The three musicians served as Presley's band onstage and on record until March 1958, when Moore and Black quit over a wage dispute. Moore moved to Nashville in 1964; setting up his own Nashville studio, Music City Records, in 1966. Two years later, Moore and Fontana rejoined Presley for a televised "comeback special." Over the years, Moore produced various albums, including Ringo Starr's Beaucoups of Blues. Moore and Fontana reunited in 1997 for an album entitled, All the King's Men.