Scotty Moore: Elvis And Tornell Darlin'

by Don Wilson

Scotty Moore and Elvis Presley in 1956.

HOLLYWOOD: When Scotty Moore died at age 84 on June 28th of this year, he left a lifetime's work behind. To see Scotty in person and to know him as I did, it was difficult to comprehend how unaffected his was by his fame and notoriety. This quiet, unassuming, polite man with a laid back manner was a dangerous and influential guitar player.

Scotty could be on stage with the biggest rock stars - of any generation and put them all to shame. they could wear a flashy suit, have the big Rocker pompadour, be the lead singer and player of a major million selling band. They would be strutting  their self on stage with any stage antics imaginable and they still couldn't top Moore by his sheer presence or his playing. Scooty Moore standing in a suit and tie with no stage bravado would bring the house down.

Scotty Moore, Patsy Andersen-Presley and Ronnie McDowell.

Close friend Patsy Andersen-Presley, the former Fan Relations manager at Elvis Presley Enterprizes saw first hand the man behind the legend. Presley remembers: "Scotty was a phenomenal guitar player! He was the most loyal friend I've ever met in my life. He never said a bad thing about Elvis Presley in his life. 'I liked him, he was a good friend.' he would say. 

Moore refused to do any appearances at Graceland after Patsy's departure. "He would say to me 'If you are in your office, then call me and I will be there for any appearance.' Presley never returned to her position and Scotty Moore never appeared for a Graceland function again. 

"I have great memories of being and his home and all...Paul McCartney called Scotty every year to sing 'Happy Birthday' to him!" A call from McCartney didn't faze Moore: "He was a calm, down to earth guy. He didn't care how famous he was. Keith Richards often phoned Moore at his home. They cut their teeth on Moore's guitar licks and riffs.

Paul McCartney checks out guitar licks that  Scotty Moore is picking.
Photo: Paul McCartney Archives
www.paulmccartney.com

Scotty Moore also was a friend to Elvis fan club president Daphne Craig. He affectionately called her 'Tornell Darlin' in reference to a question she had about Elvis saying that endearment on his "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy" record in 1956. Moore looked back on how that came to be:

Scotty Moore and Elvis Presley in a still from the M-G-M film, "Jailhouse Rock" in 1957.

"It was a small private joke between Elvis and me. In the early days of our recording, we often took records from either Elvis's or my personal collection of rhythm and blues into the studio and listened to them and picked out what we wanted to do. Then, we sort of arranged them on the fly. I made up guitar parts and he tailored lyrics to his style as we rehearsed and recorded." We might do several cuts, then listen to pick out the one we liked best."

"In the case of "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy", that was from Elvis's collection and he had already learned it and I just broke up at the line, 'Goodbye, Tornell Darlin'! I told him that it must be wrong, there couldn't be anyone named Tornell, it was too close to toe nail! Elvis said he was right and he sang it that way. After that recording, when we were putting together a list of songs to sing for a performance, I'd say, 'Let's do Tornell Darlin'!' and when he would sing it on stage, very often, he'd turn to me and grin."

"When Elvis did the NBC-TV special in 1968, the last time I performed with him, we 

did "Lawdy Miss Clawdy". After the taping we went to Elvis's home for dinner. I had bought a studio in Nashville in 1964,and he said that all of his old 78's were getting chipped and brittle and he wanted me to copy them on (tape) reels for him at the studio. A few days after I came back to Nashville, he sent a runner with abriefcase of old 78's to copy. I made the tape copies and mailed them to him."

Scotty Moore played the guitar that changed the world, performing with the most influential entertainer of the 20th century, Elvis Presley. With Bill Black on bass and D.J. Fontana on drums, they were unbeatable and they are unforgettable.

    Keith Richards, Scotty Moore, D.J. Fontana and Ron Wood.

Scotty Moore, Don Wilson and D.J. Fontana at a function in Memphis.

For Music Enthusiasts, here's Lloyd Price's version of "Lawdy, miss Clawdy", that Elvis had in his collection: