The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards recently posted a series of tweets in which he revealed his thoughts on his hero Scotty Moore. In one of the tweets, the guitarist praised Moore’s playing by admitting that he can’t copy it.
It was Keith Richards’ maternal grandfather who gave the young Richards his first guitar and fueled his interest in music. Following that, the guitarist began listening to recordings by Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and others. Moreover, Elvis Presley’s guitarist Scotty Moore was among Richards’ first guitar heroes.
Apart from being a huge inspiration for Keith Richards, Scotty Moore also inspired many other guitarists including George Harrison and Jeff Back. Sadly, Moore stopped playing guitar a few years before his death on June 28, 2016.
In his recent tweets, Keith Richards expressed his feelings about his guitar hero Scotty Moore. He stated that Moore’s playing had elements of jazz, great country licks, and a grounding in blues. Moreover, the guitarist claimed that Moore’s playing was never duplicated, and he can’t copy it.
Following that, Richards revealed that he came closest to play like Moore in the song ‘Parachute Woman’ in which he fooled around with echoes and was inspired by Presley’s early recordings. He then talked about Presley’s Sun recordings and said ‘Mystery Train’ is the apex among them with its huge sound.
Richards also added that he has never figured out the run-down that Moore does on songs such as ‘I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone.’ He then revealed he asked Moore about this, but the guitarist never told him anything. Moreover, Richards celebrated the guitarist’s 90th birthday and said they miss him.
Keith Richard’s tweet read:
“Scotty Moore was my hero. There’s a little jazz in his playing, some great country licks, and a grounding in the blues as well. It’s never been duplicated. I can’t copy it.“
Richards continued:
“The closest I came was tracks like ‘Parachute Woman,’ where I fooled around with echoes – those early Elvis recordings got me interested in the possibility of the studio.”
In the following tweet, Richards said:
“The first one I got had some of the Sun stuff: ‘Baby Let’s Play House,’ ‘Milkcow Blues Boogie.’ But ‘Mystery Train’ is the apex. It’s just Bill Black on bass, Elvis on acoustic, and Scotty. No drums. And it’s just the most amazingly huge sound.“
Then, the guitarist stated:
“There’s a run-down that Scotty does on several cuts, like ‘I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone,’ which I’ve never figured out. When I’d ask Scotty, he’d just give me a sly grin. Scotty Moore, Dec. 27, 1932. We miss you! Keith.”
You can check out Keith Richards’ tweets right below.
The closest I came was tracks like "Parachute Woman," where I fooled around with echoes – those early Elvis recordings got me interested in the possibility of the studio.
— Keith Richards (@officialKeef) December 27, 2021
