r.i.p.

Scotty Moore, Legendary Guitarist Who Played With Elvis, Dead at 84

Photo of Scotty MOORE
Photo: Robert Knight Archive/Getty Images

Guitarist Scotty Moore, who revolutionized the bluesy twang on early Elvis Presley records, died on Tuesday at the age of 84. Born Winfield Scott “Scotty” Moore III in 1931, Moore began playing guitar at just 8 years old and played in a country band before being tapped by Sun Records to record a song with Elvis, then a no-name, in 1954. While Presley may get much of the credit for mainstreaming rock and roll, Moore’s signature blend of blues and country-guitar strums in Elvis’s early 1950s records have been replicated by musicians for decades since. Moore played on over 300 Elvis songs, including “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” and “Jailhouse Rock,” as a member of the backing band the Blue Moon Boys. He also appeared in several of Elvis’s movies. Moore died in his home outside of Nashville.   

Scotty Moore, Early Elvis Guitarist, Dead at 84