Happy Birthday, Scotty Moore: Rock’s First Lead Guitarist

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"Everyone else wanted to be Elvis; I wanted to be Scotty," Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards once told music writer James L. Dickerson. He's referring, of course, to Scotty Moore, the finger-picking phenomenon who has long been considered rock's first lead guitarist. Mr. Moore, who turns 83 today, was Elvis Presley's sizzling sideman from 1954 through the mid-'60s. He combined elements of country, western, blues and R&B to create the signature sounds you've heard on countless classic recordings: "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," "That's All Right," "Good Rockin' Tonight," and "Mystery Train," to name a few.

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Hey, Jimi: Where Ya Going with that Guitar in Your Hand?

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Cutting your teeth...honing your skills...paying your dues...(and, my favorite)...making your bones.Whatever you want to call it, Jimi Hendrix did it all in the days prior to achieving eternal super stardom as the greatest rock guitarist of all time. He played for years in backup bands for such American artists as Little Richard, Sam Cooke, the Isley Brothers and Joey Dee and the Starlighters. He also spent an evening playing backup for English crooner Engelbert Humperdinck and once toured with The Monkees as an opening act. Perhaps more than any other musician in rock history, Jimi Hendrix loved to play. It didn't matter what, where, when, or with whom.

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Heartstrings: B.B. and Lucille, Albert and Lucy, and Stevie Ray and his First Wife

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Guitarists love the ladies, especially those with long necks, shapely bodies, and melodic voices. Here are three love stories about legendary bluesmen and the instruments they adored.

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Remembering Phil Lynott, an Overlooked Artist

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Here's what you probably don't know about Thin Lizzy, a band most Americans consider a 2-hit wonder: they were the first Irish or English group to feature a bi-racial artist as frontman; and they employed both Catholic and Protestant musicians from both sides of the Irish border during the height of the ethnic/nationalist conflicts of the 1970s. Phil Lynott, the band's singer, songwriter, and bassist died 28 years ago today at age 37 from alcohol abuse. He formed the group in Dublin in 1969 and wrote their two mid-'70s hits, "Jailbreak" and "The Boys are Back in Town." With their powerful double lead guitar harmony sound, Thin Lizzy is revered by some as the best hard rock band to emerge from Ireland. So, what's the story about those boys who came back to town?

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Joe Walsh is Making Records. His Fans They Can’t Wait.

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Last night I finally got to see guitar wizard and rock-n-roll funny man Joe Walsh play my favorite song from my favorite teenage summer. I dropped a helluva lot of quarters into the Student Union jukebox in 1978 to hear "Life's Been Good," a hilarious, iconic parody of the rich, spoiled rock star lifestyle. Now, the man who once sang, "I keep on going, guess I'll never know why," is back on the road to promote his first album in 20 years, "Analog Man."

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