Monday, July 25, 2016

Gary Paxton, Producer, Singer, Songwriter, and Artist, Has Died At Age 77

Gary S. Paxton, who began his career as a teenager in the singing duo Skip & Flip, produced the hit pop singles “Alley-Oop” and “Monster Mash,” composed hundreds of songs and ended his career as a Grammy-winning gospel musician who also performed as the masked Grandpa Rock, died on July 17 in Branson, Mo. He was 77.

The cause was complications of heart surgery and liver disease, his wife, Vicki Sue Paxton, said. Mr. Paxton’s professional trajectory as a songwriter, record producer and sometime performer coursed from rock ’n’ roll to contemporary Christian music. His personal life resembled a gangsta rap video that mixed violent, comic and countercultural overtones and ended with an inspirational beat.

“I was molested when I was 7,” he wrote in the testimony section of his ministry’s website. “I started writing songs when I was 10. I had spinal meningitis at 11. We moved to Arizona when I was 12 years of age. I had my own rock ’n’ roll band by the time I was 14. When I was 16 years old, I wrote my first million-seller, recording it at age 17.”

After surviving adolescence, Mr. Paxton was buffeted between sudden stardom and abject poverty. Twice he was delivered to mental institutions because of drug and alcohol abuse. He was accused of driving a wedge between the television evangelist Jim Bakker and his wife, Tammy Faye Bakker, as scandal broke over reports of extramarital affairs. He was shot three times by hit men said to have been hired by a disgruntled singer. And after his business partner died, he wandered into a church and was baptized, turned to gospel music and went on to win a Grammy Award for best inspirational performance.

“He is the archetypal eccentric whose surreal humor and flamboyant personality don’t hide his deep devotion to Christ,” wrote Tony Cummings, the music editor for the website of Cross Rhythms, a Christian-music broadcaster in Britain. Jesus, he added, “miraculously delivered him from the wild excesses of the rock ’n’ roll fast lane and from disasters that would have shipwrecked lesser men.”
Mr. Paxton’s grin on the cover of his award-winning gospel album, framed by a Shenandoah beard and a black cowboy hat (“some bizarre hybrid of Jim Morrison and Abe Lincoln,” his friend Alec Palao wrote), belied troubled decades during which, before turning to Christian rock, he had morphed from the fresh-faced Flip into a hippie Jesus freak.

Mr. Paxton was a teenage high school dropout in Arizona when he wrote “It Was I” and recorded it as a demo with a guitarist and singer, Clyde Battin. It wound up with the producer Bob Shad, and Skip & Flip were born in absentia in 1959, supposedly named for the poodles belonging to Mr. Shad’s wife.

Mr. Paxton learned the song was a hit only when he heard it on the radio while working as a cherry picker in Washington State. Skip & Flip toured with the disc jockey Alan Freed and, after recording one more blockbuster, “Cherry Pie,” split up. (Mr. Battin later joined the Byrds.) By 1960, Mr. Paxton was in Hollywood. He produced (with Kim Fowley) and sang “Alley-Oop” with the short-lived group the Hollywood Argyles. Inspired by a popular comic strip about a cave man — “There’s a man in the funny papers we all know” — the song reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

He also produced “Monster Mash” for the singer Bobby “Boris” Pickett, a catchy single infused with crude sound effects and sung in the voice of a mad scientist who describes seeing his monster rise from his slab and introduce a new dance (“It was a graveyard smash”). The single reached No. 1 just before Halloween in 1962 and became a pumpkin-season perennial, hitting the Top 10 again a decade later.

“Paxton’s abilities made him a natural to handle whatever genre he chose,” Mr. Palao, a producer and archivist, said in an interview. He was not only versatile, Mr. Palao said, but also, by his own admission, “terminally weird.”
In Los Angeles and Bakersfield, Calif., Mr. Paxton recruited talent, opened studios, produced records for his own labels and promoted them. He went so far as to enlist a live elephant to lead a protest parade after a radio station refused to play one of his records, “Elephant Game (Part 1),” by Renfro & Jackson. He was arrested, according to the website of Gary S. Paxton Ministries, when the beast began defecating in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard.

In 1970 he relocated to Nashville, where he wrote “Woman (Sensuous Woman),” a No. 1 country hit for Don Gibson. It was also where, after his business partner’s death, as he later recalled, he “walked into a church — stoned on drugs — and got saved.”
(The partner, Thomas Wayne, had been a one-hit wonder — the hit was “Tragedy,” in 1959 — and died in an automobile crash that Mr. Paxton said he believed was suicide.)
Mr. Paxton joined the hippie Jesus movement, fusing Southern gospel with Christian rock in songs that he sang or wrote for others and that denounced drugs, drink and tobacco. Among them were “Jesus Keeps Takin’ Me Higher and Higher” and “You Ain’t Smokin’ Them Cigarettes (Baby, They’re Smokin’ You).”
His gospel album “The Astonishing, Outrageous, Amazing, Incredible, Unbelievable, Different World of Gary S. Paxton,” won a Grammy in 1977.
The shooting that left him wounded occurred in 1980. Mr. Paxton believed the gunmen had been hired by a singer who wanted to break his contract. “All the while during the attack,” he later recalled, “I continued to yell, ‘In the name of Jesus, you can’t kill me!’” They nearly did, though, and he was sidelined for several years.
He was linked to Tammy Faye Bakker in 1987, when The Washington Post reported that she had developed a crush on Mr. Paxton around the time that her husband, Jim Bakker, had a sexual encounter with Jessica Hahn, a secretary at his evangelical church. The disclosure of that encounter not only caused Mr. Bakker’s downfall but also shredded Mr. Paxton’s credibility with gospel music stations. He insisted that he and Ms. Bakker were just friends.
Gary Sanford Paxton was born Larry Wayne Stevens in Coffeyville, Kan., on May 18, 1939, to an unwed teenage couple. He was adopted by a poor couple by the name of Paxton who had a farm without electricity or running water.
“All I cared about from the time I was 3 years old was music, music, music,” he told Mr. Cummings of Cross Rhythms. “I was always baffled because none of my family could whistle, sing, tap their feet or clap.” (He first learned he was adopted, he said, when his biological mother found him in Arizona years later, and he discovered that indeed some of his other relatives had been musicians.)
He married the first of his four wives when he was 17 and she was 14.

His survivors include his wife, the former Vicki Sue Roberts; his sons Gary Dean, Stephen and Gary Sanford III; his daughters Debra Lynn Paxton and Melody Paxton Waqas; and nine grandchildren.
By his own count Mr. Paxton wrote some 2,000 songs; among the latest was “When I Die, Just Bury Me at Wal-Mart (So My Wife Will Come Visit Me).” He was inducted into the Country Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame in 1998. The next year, after moving to Branson, a magnet for musicians and live music performances in the Ozarks, he developed bleeding ulcers, which called for transfusions that left him with hepatitis C.

But he recovered and resumed his career, performing in a mask and cape as Grandpa Rock (“a sort of hillbilly Ozzy Osbourne,” Mr. Palao wrote) and composing devotional songs like “You Can Begin Again.”

Over the years, Mr. Paxton survived more than one near-death experience and more than his share of second acts. But he absolved the men convicted of shooting him, visiting them in jail, and defended the value of forgiveness. 

The only way you can start over is to forgive,” he once told Mr. Cummings in an interview. “I said that someday this will be over and Jesus said, ‘You got me.’ It made me think, look what Jesus went through. I don’t just mean the cross, which was unbelievable, but look at what he went through before that: the rejection, being made fun of, being spat on.

“Here’s the man who created the world. And he forgave everybody. If he could forgive everybody, that’s the least I can do.”

From the New York Times.

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of July 24th, 2016

July 24th to July 30th, 2016

Treasure Island Oldies has to be the fastest four hours in radio. I just can't believe how quickly the show goes by. The four hours seem to go by in about 20 minutes. :-) And that's how it seemed this week for sure. After 19 plus years, the show continues to give me great pleasure to prepare and present to you every week. And I very much look forward to next week's show for the annual Wordless Wonders Instrumental Gems special. Back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, there were many instrumental records that hit the charts and while you hardly ever hear them today, this special will bring back so many of your favourites. The cool thing about instrumental records is that you don't have to remember the words...there aren't any! This special has proven to be a big favourite of listeners over the years and I'm looking forward to it next week on the show.

There are only a few days left for the 50% Off Summer Sale at My Generation Posters. There is new stock arriving every week. To be sure you get 50% off everything in your shopping cart, just enter the code: summer50 at checkout. Visit their website soon to find more details, and sign up for their weekly newsletter. You'll be among the first to know about the upcoming weekly specials. And be sure to also let them know you heard their commercial on Treasure Island Oldies.

I'd like to wish Mark from Georgetown, Texas, a very Happy Birthday. He's been visiting with friends and long time listeners, Rick and Connie in Madison, Wisconsin, and he'll be with them to celebrate his birthday. If your birthday is coming up soon, please be sure to let me know so that I can celebrate your special day on the show. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I’ll wish you Happy Birthday during the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing the Number One song on this week's Top 5 Countdown from 1968. It's Hugh Masekela with Grazing In The Grass. It's our Number One Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice presents Motown's The Temptations. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either It's Growing or Psychedelic Shack. I’ll play the winner on next week’s show.

Here’s this week’s Rock and Roll News Podcast.

Listen to the Top 5 Countdown from 1968.

Take care. Thanks again for listening. See you next week on The Island for our Wordless Wonders Instrumental Gems Special.

Bye for now.

Michael

The Temptations - Voice Your Choice

The Temptations, from Detroit, Michigan, became major recording stars with Motown and appeared on their Gordy label imprint. The core of the vocal group consisted of Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, Otis Williams, and Elbridge Bryant. Over the years, there were several personnel changes that included the arrival of David Ruffin, replacing Elbridge Bryant. Eventually Ruffin left and was replaced by Dennis Edwards. And so on.

No matter who was in the group, they were amazingly successful on the R&B and Pop charts, scoring 18 Top Ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100. They also achieved 11 Gold and 6 Platinum Records. Impressive!

Treasure Island Oldies is pleased to present The Temptations on Voice Your Choice. Cast your vote for either It's Growing or Psychedelic Shack. I'll play the winning song on next week's show.

Hugh Masakela - Number One Song of the Week

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, the spotlight is on 1968 for this week's Top Five Countdown. And this week's Number 1 is a classic. Here's Hugh Masakela in a live concert performance from South Africa with Grazing In The Grass.

It's our Number One Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael



Monday, July 18, 2016

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of July 17th, 2016

July 17th to July 23rd, 2016

It was a pleasure to keep you company for four hours again this week on Treasure Island Oldies. The Chat Room was buzzing and it was great to see Shy Kiwi, a very long time listener, almost from the start back in 1997, who dropped by the Chat Room. And your emails also kept coming in and I'd like to say hi to Toni Howerton in Middleton, Ohio who requested Little Tin Soldier by The Toy Dolls. Playing it sparked an email from Linda Gehres in the San Francisco Bay area who said "You are really blowing my mind" with this week's show. She said she has never heard the Toy Dolls on Internet radio and was so glad to hear it again. She also commented about hearing Ronnie Savoy (this week's One Hit Wonder) and Pagliaro (the Made In Canada song this week). Thanks very much, Linda. Wendy in South Australia also wrote to say she was so pleased to hear Pat Boone and that this week's Rock and Roll Reunion was "one of the best she's heard", and she particularly loved hearing The Playmates. Thank you, Wendy. It's so great hearing from listeners. And you too can get in touch with me if you have a comment or a request you'd like to make. Write to me: michael@treasureislandoldies.com.

We're a couple of weeks away from the Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders Special. Join me Sunday, July 31st for the Live show and later on the Archives at the Listen page. Over the decades of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, there were very many instrumental records released. Our special will spotlight many of them over the four hours. If there is an instrumental record that is special to you, please let me know. Either send an email by clicking the Requests logo on the left side of the website on any page or call and record your voicemail request message on the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Line. The number to call is 641-715-3900 and then key in the extension 716181#. Now here's another tricky part: after your record your message you must press #1 or your call will not be saved. I know, I know...it's complicated. We are looking into alternate resources for a different phone line. If and when we find a more suitable one, we will initiate the service and I will let you know.

The Summer Sale continues until July 30th at My Generation Posters with new stock arriving every week. You'll get 50% off everything in your shopping cart, just be sure to enter the code: summer50 at checkout. Visit their website soon to find more details, and sign up for their weekly newsletter. You'll be among the first to know about the upcoming weekly specials. And be sure to also let them know you heard their commercial on Treasure Island Oldies.

If your birthday is coming up soon, please be sure to let me know so that I can celebrate your special day on the show. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I’ll wish you Happy Birthday during the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you.



The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing the Number One song on this week's Top 5 Countdown from 1970. It's Three Dog Night and Mama Told Me Not To Come. It's our Number One Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice presents Motown's Edwin Starr with two of his signature hits. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Twenty-Five Miles or War. I’ll play the winner on next week’s show.

Here’s this week’s Rock and Roll News Podcast.

Listen to the Top 5 Countdown from 1970.

Take care. 

Thanks again for listening. See you next week on The Island.

Bye for now.

Michael

Edwin Starr - Voice Your Choice

The late Edwin Starr was born in Tennessee and raised in Ohio. He made his mark when he moved to Detroit with Ric Tic Records and had success with Agent Double O Soul. It was when he signed with Motown Records that the things really started happening. Working with Motown producer, Norman Whitfield, Edwin Starr had several major hits in the late '60s, including the two songs we present for the Voice Your Choice feature on Treasure Island Oldies.

Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Twenty-Five Miles or War. I'll play the winner during next week's show.

Three Dog Night - Number One Song of the Week

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, the Top Five Countdown was from 1970. And it's my pleasure to play a live performance of the #1 song for you here at the Treasure Island Oldies Blog.

Here is Three Dog Night with Mama Told Me Not To Come.

It's our Number One Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael



Monday, July 11, 2016

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of July 10th, 2016

July 10th to July 16th, 2016

Thanks again for your ongoing comments on the Music of Canada Special last week. Daryl Darnell in the US sent an email to say how much he enjoyed it and that I could "do this special more than once a year, it would be fine with me" he said. He commented that there are so many talented artists that he didn't know were Canadian; for example, Percy Faith and Jackie Shane. Daryl closed off by saying that he will "never forget the kind words spoken about my country from Byron McGregor and Gordon Sinclair". Thanks very much Daryl. Hearing from listeners about the show or specific specials makes it all worthwhile to me and I very much appreciate it.

I was also surprised and pleased to receive a letter in the mail from Patrick Robic in Leibnitz, Austria. Patrick wanted to let me know he heard the show on Shortwave via IBC, the Italian Broadcasting Corporation, one of our many Broadcast Partners Network stations. He said the reception was good with no interference from other stations. Thanks, Patrick, so nice to receive your letter.

One of the most enjoyed specials of the year returns July 31st, the annual Instrumental Gems Wordless Wonders Special. Join me for the Live show Sunday, July 31st and the following day via the Archives at the Listen page of the website. Over the decades of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, there were very many instrumental records released. Our special will spotlight many of them over the four hours. If there is an instrumental record that is special to you, please let me know. Either send an email by clicking the Requests logo on the left side of the website on any page or call and record your voicemail request message on the Treasure Island Oldies Listener Line. The number to call is 641-715-3900 and then key in the extension 716181#. Now here's another tricky part: after your record your message you must press #1 or your call will not be saved. I know, I know...it's complicated. We are looking into alternate resources for a different phone line. If and when we find a more suitable one, we will initiate the service and I will let you know.

My Generation Posters has released some very cool new products and I invite you to check out their website for the details. As well, when you are ready to checkout, be sure to enter the code: summer50 at checkout. You'll get 50% off your ENTIRE order! But hurry this Summer 50% Off Sale ends July 30th. So be sure to visit their website soon to find more details, and sign up for their weekly newsletter. You'll be among the first to know about the upcoming weekly specials. And be sure to also let them know you heard their commercial on Treasure Island Oldies.

If your birthday is coming up soon, please be sure to let me know so that I can celebrate your special day on the show. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I’ll wish you Happy Birthday during the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you.
The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing the Number One song on this week's Top 5 Countdown from 1960. It's the Hollywood Argyles with Alley Oop. It's our Number One Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice presents Carly Simon with two of her signature hits. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be or Anticipation. I’ll play the winner on next week’s show.

Here’s this week’s Rock and Roll News Podcast.

Listen to the Top 5 Countdown from 1960.

Take care. See you next week on The Island.

Bye for now.

Michael

Carly Simon - Voice Your Choice

Carly Simon was born June 25, 1945 in Manhattan, New York, of "blue blood" heritage. Her father is the co-founder of Simon & Schuster Publishing. She and her sister Lucy were in a folk duo, The Simon Sisters, and had a modest hit in 1964 with Winkin' Blinkin' And Nod. She was married to James Taylor from 1972 - 83.

After the first record with her sister, it wasn't until seven years later in 1971, that Carly returned to the charts, this time as a solo artist. Her very first solo hit was Top Ten. Overall, she appeared on the Billboard charts 25 times between 1964 and 2001. A nice run, I'd say!

Treasure Island Oldies presents Carly Simon on Voice Your Choice. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be or Anticipation. I'll play the winner on next week's show.

Hollywood Argyles - Alley Oop - Number One Song of the Week

The Hollywood Argyles were a concoction of Gary Paxton. He actually recorded the song as a solo artist. Because he was still under contract with Brent Records, as "Flip" of Skip & Flip, he made up the group name after street signs at Hollywood and Argyle in Los Angeles.

Alley Oop became a Number One record  and this week on the Treasure Island Oldies Top Five Countdown from 1960 we're featuring this song.

Here's the Hollywood Argyles and Alley Oop in a clip from the TV show, Saturday Night Beech Nut Show, with host Dick Clark.

It's our Song of the Week.

Enjoy!

Michael




Monday, July 04, 2016

This Week on Treasure Island Oldies - Week of July 3rd, 2016

July 3rd to July 9th, 2016

What a special show it was for me this week. Having spent the bulk of my career in radio and the record business, music by Canadian artists holds a special place in my heart. And I am so pleased with the feedback I received during the live show. Cora Quinn in Peoria, Illinois was so pleased to hear Alberta Bound by Gordon Lightfoot. She even requested another Canadian artist on next week's show: Rainshowers by Michel Pagliaro. I'll be pleased to play it for you, Cora. Linda Gehres also wrote saying, as a relatively new listener for the past four months via The Legend in Indianapolis, Indiana, she tried to never miss a show. She was also quite surprised by how many Canadian artists she has in her collection without even knowing they were from Canada. She said she loves Motherlode's When I Die (The Kind Of Man You Want Me To Be). Friends introduced to other artists such as Pat Hervey, Sandy Selsie, and Bobby Curtola. She also had no idea that Percy Faith was Canadian. She went on to say congratulations on all the many years of success in the music business and my knowledge of music amazes her. In closing Linda said she is so glad she discovered the wonderful show. Thanks you so much, Linda! I also heard from Wendy McDougall in Newton, South Australia who said she too didn't know Percy Faith was Canadian and how pleased she was to hear Gordon Lightfoot. She said she could hear an entire four hour show of Gordon Lightfoot! Thanks so very much for all your comments. It seems this special touched a chord within you as well. For a complete list of all the songs I played on this special, go to the Listen page and scroll down past the Archive links and you'll find this week's Playlist.

My Generation Posters has launched a Summer Sale, and get this: until July 30th get 50% off the contents of your shopping cart. Just use the code: summer50 at checkout. And the 50% off applies to everything in your shopping cart that you choose, not just a few select items. Now this is a sale!  Be sure to visit their website to find more details, and sign up for their weekly newsletter. You'll be among the first to know about the upcoming weekly specials. And be sure to also let them know you heard their commercial on Treasure Island Oldies.

Happy Birthday wishes go out to my my son David Godin in Richmond, British Columbia and to great friend, Bobbi Gutman who also lives in Richmond, BC. If your birthday is coming up soon, please be sure to let me know so that I can celebrate your special day on the show. Send the details to birthdays@treasureislandoldies.com. I’ll wish you Happy Birthday during the show and also play Birthday by The Beatles for you.

The Treasure Island Oldies Blog is playing the Number One song on this week's Top 5 Countdown from 1963. It's The Essex with Easier Said Than Done. It's our Number One Song of the Week. Enjoy!

Voice Your Choice presents Santana with their two signature hit records. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Black Magic Woman or Evil Ways. I’ll play the winner on next week’s show.

Here’s this week’s Rock and Roll News Podcast.

Listen to the Top 5 Countdown from 1963.

Take care. See you next week on The Island.

Bye for now.

Michael

Santana - Voice Your Choice

The group Santana was formed by guitarist Carlos Santana who was born July 20, 1947 in Autlan de Navarro, Mexico. He formed the group in San Francisco, California. Their debut album, the classic self-titled album with the lion artwork, and the different individual images within the overall album art was amazing.

Next week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice presents Santana. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Black Magic Woman or Evil Ways. I'll play the winner on next week's show.

The Essex - Easier Said Than Done - Number One Song of the Week


This week on Treasure Island Oldies the Top Five Countdown was from 1963. While I could not locate a video performance of the Number One song, I found a video of it playing from a 45.

So here's the Number 1 song this week from 1963. It's The Essex with Easier Said Than Done.

Enjoy!

Michael



Saturday, July 02, 2016

Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley's Longtime Guitarist, Has Died At Age 84

Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley's longtime guitarist and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, died Tuesday at his home in Nashville, the Commercial Appeal reports. No cause of death was provided, but Moore had been in poor health in recent months. He was 84. Karen Fontana, the wife of Presley drummer D.J. Fontana, also confirmed Moore's death to Rolling Stone.

“It’s with great sadness we say goodbye to Scotty Moore, my first inspiration," Keith Richards said in a statement. "The work he performed on those incredible early Elvis tracks stays with me forever. Farewell old friend."

"We lost one of the finest people I have ever met today," Sun Studio engineer Matt Ross-Spang wrote on Instagram. "I was lucky to call you a friend and I'm very glad I got to see you just a few days ago. The guitarist that changed the world ... especially mine; I hope you don't mind if I keep stealing your licks. Love you Scotty."

Born in Gadsden, Tennessee, Moore began playing guitar at the age of eight, and after a stint in the U.S. Navy in the early Fifties, moved to Memphis and formed the Starlite Wrangers with bassist Bill Black. In 1954, Sun Records impresario Sam Phillips paired Moore with a teenaged Elvis Presley. Together, along with Black, they would record Presley's first single, "That's All Right (Mama)." The recording session was only meant to be an audition; instead, the trio made music history.

"I heard that Sam Phillips had a little studio and record label and I went to see him about getting a record out," Moore told Rolling Stone in 2010. "I knew that if we could make a record, we'd get more places to play around town. Sam agreed to record us and he and I became good friends. Then one day we were having coffee, and his secretary actually brought up Elvis' name. He had dropped by the studio with the hope of recording something. So Sam said, 'Call this guy up and get him to go over to your house and see what you think of him.' So he came to my house on the Fourth of July. It was kind of a pre-audition."

Moore, Black and drummer D.J. Fontana would soon form the Blue Moon Boys, a union that would back Presley on dozens of legendary rock & roll songs over the next decade, including "Heartbreak Hotel," "Mystery Train," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock" and "(You're the) Devil in Disguise."

Moore, with the Blue Moon Boys, would also appear in four of Presley's films – Jailhouse Rock, Loving You, King Creole and G.I. Blues. In 1964, Phillips fired Moore after he recorded a solo album; however, Presley reunited with the guitarist for his '68 Comeback Special; Black died in 1965.

Moore's unique style – played on a Gibson Super 400 – on those iconic Presley singles inspired generations of future guitar players. "When I heard 'Heartbreak Hotel,' I knew what I wanted to do in life. It was as plain as day. All I wanted to do in the world was to be able to play and sound like that," Keith Richards once said. "Everyone else wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty."

In addition to Presley, Moore worked with artists like Richards, Ringo Starr, Carl Perkins, Jeff Beck, Levon Helm, Ronnie Wood and more. Moore was also named to Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists list.

Moore was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as part of the inaugural class celebrating sidemen, a category that honored "those musicians who have spent their careers out of the spotlight, performing as backup musicians for major artists on recording sessions and in concert."