Scotty and Elvis: Aboard the Mystery Train

by Scotty Moore, James L. Dickerson (With)

Overview

When Elvis Presley first showed up at Sam Phillips's Memphis-based Sun Records studio, he was a shy teenager in search of a sound. Phillips invited a local guitarist named Scotty Moore to stand in. Scotty listened carefully to the young singer and immediately realized that Elvis had something special. Along with bass player Bill Black, the trio recorded an old blues number called “That's All Right, Mama.” It turned out to be Elvis's first single and the defining record of his early style, with a trilling guitar hook that swirled country and blues together and minted a sound with unforgettable appeal. Its success launched a whirlwind of touring, radio appearances, and Elvis's first break into movies. Scotty was there every step of the way as both guitarist and manager, until Elvis's new manager, Colonel Tom Parker, pushed him out. Scotty and Elvis would not perform together again until the classic 1968 “comeback” television special. Scotty never saw Elvis after that.

With both Bill Black and Elvis gone, Scotty Moore is the only one left to tell the story of how Elvis and Scotty transformed popular music and how Scotty created the sound that became a prototype for so many rock guitarists to follow. Thoroughly updated, this edition delivers guitarist Scotty Moore's story as never before.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496800558
Publisher:	University Press of Mississippi
Publication date:	07/01/2013
Series:	American Made Music Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	858,099
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Scotty Moore (1931-2016) was a participant in the Sun Records sessions of July 1954 during which he, Elvis Presley, and Bill Black, with Sam Phillips at the engineering sound board, blended country and blues into a new art form that would shake up American culture for decades to come. James L. Dickerson is a freelance author and journalist who has published dozens of books.

Table of Contents

1 Digging Up West Tennessee Roots 3

2 Slow Boat Out of China 17

3 Doing the Memphis Thang 31

4 The Sun Rises on the Blue Moon Boys 46

5 Hitting Pay Dirt 73

6 On the Road with Elvis 90

7 Scripting the Movie Years 102

8 Tragedy Is a Revolving Door 135

9 My First Album with Royalties 153

10 A Farewell Performance 171

11 Ringo, Tracy, and a Cast of Thousands 187

12 On the Road Again 203

13 Jamming with a Rolling Stone 224

14 I'm Pretty Much Still Here, I Guess 229

15 Happy Birthday to Me 241

Postscript 245

Acknowledgments 247

Guitars Owned by Scotty Moore 249

Scotty Moore's Income 251

Scotty Moore Discography 253

Notes 259

Index 262

Editorial Reviews

Everyone else wanted to be Elvis--I wanted to be Scotty.--Keith Richards

Scotty was the rock, sort of like the pope is the rock of the church. Knowing Elvis and Scotty the way I do, I can see why Elvis depended on him.--Jerry Schilling

Scotty was there from before the beginning. I learned so much that I never knew . . . great insight to the early years. One of the best books on Elvis I ever read.--George Klein, Memphis radio and TV personality and host of The George Klein Show

From the Publisher