Which guitarist?

April 21, 2009 4:36 PM

Identify guitarist backing Elvis on '68 Special, specifically electric improvisational version of "Baby, what do you want me to do?" Al Chesney, Tommy Tesdesco, or Scotty Moore?

I've done as much specific research as possible and still can't pinpoint this particular soloist, and I would like to follow more of their work. If you could also recommend a guitarist that echos Hank Garland's style I would be ever so grateful.

Not looking for Elvis jokes, thanks.

posted by effluvia to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

Elvis, technically, on Scotty Moore's guitar. E decided he wanted to play electric guitar, so he made Scotty switch. Charlie Hodge is the other guitar player in the live recording informal segment, June 27, 1968. Tommy Tesdesco was the studio player for the special.

See here, referenced by Elvis Presley, A Life in Music. The Complete Recording Sessions, Ernst Jorgensen.
posted by peagood at 4:56 PM on April 21, 2009

According to Wikipedia, it was Tommy Tedesco
posted by peewinkle at 5:15 PM on April 21, 2009

Oh! And are you asking because of Crazy? My husband loved the music, and thought the period detail was awesome for a biopic. I haven't watched it yet.

Check out Deke Dickerson, Sean Mencher from High Noon, Steve Briggs from the BeBop Cowboys, Jimmy Bryant, Roy Clark, Bill Boyd (Ernest Tubb), Redd Voelkaert, Joe Maphis, Larry Collins...and of course, Junior Brown... (I don't have a browser that supports easy linking, so please forgive and do Google away!)
posted by peagood at 5:16 PM on April 21, 2009

Whoops- Scotty Moore played the live songs, Tommy played on the songs that were pre-recorded........
posted by peewinkle at 5:17 PM on April 21, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks for your help, folks. It's the Black Leather stand up improvisation, not the sit down shows. Gulanick states that Al Chesney loaned E the red guitar, so it seems to Chesney or Tedesco, but sounds like some of Scotty's wilder moments.
So Tommy, then, thank you!
posted by effluvia at 5:51 PM on April 21, 2009

Best answer: Sorry then - your use of improvisational was confusing. Only the two "boxing ring" segments were improvised, though vocals were later overdubbed. In the stand-up segment, it's only a little unclear based on our references, since the Jorgensen book states that Scotty and Elvis played electric for the informal rehearsals (and again, Charlie Hodge on acoustic) on June 24 and 25 for that song and of course, the informal segments on the 28th and 29th. Tommy Tedesco played for the studio recordings in Burbank June 20-23, and for the arena segment live recording along with Mike Deasy and Al Casey on June 29th - which wasn't improvised. So, Tommy for the arena, Scotty's not listed for either of those. My husband, who became a fan of Elvis at the tender age of four thanks to that very special, concurs - and our multiple bookshelves of E. references contain few books that are as accurate as Jorgenen's (with a foreward by Guralnick). So it's Tommy you're looking for.

But I really came back to say I forgot to mention Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys is someone else you should check out too.
posted by peagood at 5:11 AM on April 22, 2009

Response by poster: Thank you peagood for such an exacting reference! And thanks for the additional musical trails.
posted by effluvia at 5:47 AM on April 22, 2009