When Elvis Presley first showed up at Sam Phillips' Memphis-based Sun Records studio, he was a shy teenager in search of a sound. Sam asked a local guitarist named Scotty Moore to get in touch with Elvis. Maybe he could uncover some formula to make Elvis a star. Scotty listened carefully to the young singer and immediately realised that this teenager had something special.
Along with bass player Bill Black, the trio went into Sun Studios and recorded an old blues number called That's Alright, Mama. It turned out to be Elvis' first single - and the defining record of his early style. Its success launched a whirlwind of touring, radio appearances, and Elvis' first break into movies. Scotty was there every step of the way - until Elvis' new manager, Col. Tom Parker, pushed him out of the picture. Scotty and Elvis would not perform together again until the classic 1968 "comeback" TV special. And despite promises for further work, Scotty never saw Elvis after that.
With both Bill Black and Elvis dead, Scotty is the only one left to tell the story of how Elvis transformed popular music - and how Scotty created the guitar sound that has become the prototype for all rock guitar that followed.
