Check out the latest video of Martin Taylor interviewing guitar legend Scotty Moore at the Chet Atkins Convention in Nashville. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis’ Hollywood years. He was ranked forty-fourth in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

Moore played on many of Presley’s most famous recordings including “Good Rockin’ Tonight”, “Baby Let’s Play House”, “Heartbreak Hotel“, “Mystery Train“, “Hound Dog“, “Too Much” and “Jailhouse Rock“.

Scotty Moore is given credit as the pioneer of the rock ‘n’ roll lead guitarist. Most popular guitarists cite Moore as the performer that brought the lead guitarist to a dominant role in a rock ‘n’ roll band.

Although some lead guitarists/vocalists had gained popularity such as Chuck Berry and blues legend BB King, Presley rarely played his own lead while performing, usually providing rhythm and leaving the lead duties to Moore. Moore was a noticeable presence in the Presley performances, strictly as a guitarist. As a result, he became an inspiration to many subsequent popular guitarists, one of the more vocal of these being Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. Moore, being quite introverted on stage, accomplished this almost exclusively through his performance and interpretation of the music.