Scotty Moore Hospitalized
Scotty Moore, whose distinctive guitar playing peppered Elvis
Presley’s early, classic recordings, was admitted to Baptist
Hospital in Nashville last week and underwent brain surgery on
December 5th for a subdural hematoma.
The seventy-one-year-old rock legend was listed in serious but
stable condition after doctors found and alleviated some blood that
had accumulated between his brain and skull. The surgery was
successful and Moore’s doctor said that with some physical therapy,
he should be able to return to playing guitar.
Moore and bassist Bill Black were members of Doug Poindexter’s
Starlight Wranglers, a country and western ensemble, when they were
selected by producer Sam Phillips to back Elvis Presley in 1954.
The trio’s first session yielded three songs including Presley’s
first hit, “That’s All Right.” Moore managed Presley for a year and
also added his licks to many of the King’s hits, including an
iconic lick and solo on “Heartbreak Hotel.” Moore was inducted into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.