Fresh Air: Roots Of Rock — "Blue Suede Shoes"

Episode Date: August 25, 2025
Host: Terry Gross
Guests: Scotty Moore (1997 interview), Carl Perkins (1996 interview)

Overview:

To kick off a Fresh Air archival series celebrating R&B, rockabilly, and early rock and roll, Terry Gross revisits two classic interviews:

• Scotty Moore: Legendary guitarist for Elvis Presley, whose influential licks shaped rock guitar.
• Carl Perkins: The originator of "Blue Suede Shoes," prolific songwriter, and rockabilly pioneer.
  Both reflect on the birth of rock, working with Elvis, Sun Records, and the unexpected endurance of their contributions to music.

Segment 1: Scotty Moore — Guitarist for Elvis Presley

Interview recorded 1997
Timestamps: 00:13–19:37

Joining Elvis and the Birth of Rock and Roll

• Sun Records Connection: Moore recalls his friendship with Sun’s Sam Phillips, sharing coffee and conversations about finding a unique new sound (03:35).

  • “Sam was always saying, well, if we can just find something different, we can find that little niche, you know, to get in between all this other stuff that's happening.” — Scotty Moore (03:43)

• First Meeting Elvis: At Marion Keisker’s suggestion, Moore invited a young Elvis over. Moore recalls,

  • “Seems like he knew every song in the world.” (03:56)
  • At first, Elvis sang in the style of other singers, making it harder to discern his individual artistry.
  • “Musically, you thought he was versatile, but you couldn't tell who he was.” — Terry Gross (04:48)
  • “That's fair to say.” — Scotty Moore (04:52)

• The Spontaneous 'That's All Right' Session: During an audition break, Elvis unexpectedly burst out with “That’s All Right” (Arthur Crudup cover).

  • Moore and bassist Bill Black joined in instinctively. Sam Phillips overheard, loved it, and told them to record it immediately (06:01).
  • “He said, sounded pretty good through the door. Said, let's put it on tape, see what it sounds like.” — Scotty Moore (06:01)

Picking Songs, Creative Process, and Impact

• Song Selection Methods:

  • Elvis insisted on personally picking songs, sifting through demo acetates with a discerning ear (07:43–09:08).
  • “He was very particular about songs. He had to get into them, feel them good.” — Scotty Moore (07:48)
  • “Don’t Be Cruel” was one demo so plucked and recorded (09:12).

• Signature Guitar: "Mystery Train"

  • Moore calls it his “signature song,” originally a slow R&B number now made upbeat, showcasing his inventive rhythm (09:29–09:58).

• National Breakthrough and Heartbreak Hotel

  • True national “hysteria” didn’t hit until TV appearances on the Dorsey Brothers shows (11:23).
  • When asked about the most-copied solo:
    • “Probably Heartbreak Hotel, maybe. I don't know. I've never been asked that before. Can we do a survey?” — Scotty Moore (12:09)

• Studio Experiments & The Echo Sound:

  • RCA tried to recreate Sun’s echo, putting a speaker and mic at each end of a tiled hallway for deep room echo (12:28–14:10).
  • “RCA ... didn't think about it ... at That point [reverb/echo] was sound effects they used in the movies. They weren't using them for recording. And then here comes this. And it's so drastic, but it worked for the song.” — Scotty Moore (13:34)
  • “One thing that Sam did ... he pulled Elvis's voice back close to the music. You know, all the Sinatra and all those things where the voice is so far out in front. And he more or less used Elvis's voice as another instrument into the mix, but didn't bury him like a lot of the rock things, you know, later.” — Scotty Moore (13:52)

• On Spontaneity:

  • None of the iconic guitar parts were written beforehand—everything was “spur of the moment.”
  • “Everything we ever did was just spur of the moment.” — Scotty Moore (14:18)

Life Beyond Elvis

• 1970s and Comeback:
  • Moore stopped performing after 1968’s “Comeback Special,” then spent 24 years in business ventures (16:27–17:45).
  • Restarted playing after a Carl Perkins session in 1992.
  • “The thing that really got me, when I realized it was in my blood, ... I went to Memphis and did the show with Carl. ... And I'm thinking to myself, you're supposed to be nervous and I walked out and just bothered me to bed, and I was really surprised. And that's when I told myself, it's in your blood. You might as well admit it.” — Scotty Moore (18:49)

Segment 2: Carl Perkins — "Blue Suede Shoes & Sun Records Stories"

Interview recorded 1996
Timestamps: 23:04–47:41

Writing "Blue Suede Shoes" — The Origin Story

• Inspiration Struck in a Honky Tonk:

  • Perkins saw a dancer get upset about his "blue suedes" being stepped on — a moment that stuck with him (23:13–25:29).
  • That night, unable to sleep, Perkins combined the nursery rhyme “One for the money…” with the incident, writing lyrics on a paper bag (25:33).
  • “I took three Irish potatoes out of a brown paper sack ... My wife saved that sack. The original words, the blue Suede Shoes, is hanging in my den.” — Carl Perkins (25:51)

• Accidental Lyric: "Go, Cat, Go!"

  • Intended to sing “Go, man, go,” Perkins got excited and sang “Go, cat, go” by mistake. Sam Phillips insisted on keeping it (26:13).
  • "He said, I heard you, and he's going to stay a cat.” — Carl Perkins (26:39)

• Chart Milestone & Covers

  • “Blue Suede Shoes” became the first record to top pop, R&B, and country charts simultaneously (27:06).
  • Many covered it; Perkins jokes, "You ought to hear it in the Japanese language." (27:21)

Elvis’ Version and Rockabilly Evolution

• Elvis’ Respect:

  • Elvis waited months before recording his version, allowing Carl’s single to have its run (27:51–28:56).
  • "…he wanted me to have success with it, and he thought I would have if he stayed off of it. And that's what he did.” — Carl Perkins (28:56)

• Elvis vs. Perkins — Different Grooves

  • Elvis recorded a faster, more driving version, which Perkins admits he soon mimicked (29:15–30:34).
  • "Elvis did it faster than I did. ... I drifted into doing it like he did, you know, faster. ... Harrison [The Beatles] said, ‘Man, you do it different than anybody ever did, and now you’re doing it like everybody else.’” — Carl Perkins (30:04)

• Blending Genres

  • Perkins didn’t consciously set out to create a new genre, but noticed audience reactions were seismic (30:34).
  • "We did know that it was different."
  • He credits up-tempo gospel heard in cotton fields and blending R&B, country, and gospel for his sound — developed as early as age 16 in honky tonks and influenced by African-American field music (31:21–33:59).

Breaking In at Sun Records

• Persistence at Sun:

  • Encouraged by wife Valda, Perkins went to Memphis after hearing Elvis on the radio (35:58).
  • Met Sam Phillips, who nearly rejected him, but eventually gave him a shot after Perkins insisted (36:04–38:35).
  • The secret: when the official audition seemed flat, Perkins sang his heart out when he thought no one was listening — catching Phillips’ attention (38:50).

• First Recordings & The Term “Rockabilly”

  • Originally released a country ballad "Turn Around"; couldn't record more uptempo songs until Elvis left for RCA.
  • The term “rockabilly” came later, referring to young artists “rocking our [hillbilly/country] music” (41:00–42:02).

Later Years: Struggles and Revival

• Personal Challenges:

  • In the early ’60s, Carl’s popularity waned; he battled alcoholism and nearly quit music (45:05).
  • “I thought it was erasing memories. ... But alcohol was causing most of this. Thank God I had a Good churchgoing wife...” — Carl Perkins (45:22)

• Revival in England & The Beatles:

  • Perkins received major recognition in England, thanks to The Beatles (who covered “Honey Don’t” and “Matchbox”) (46:01).
  • On inspiring them: “I wrote my own songs, I played my own lead guitar and sang my own songs. … George Harrison does hit a little lick or two that I used on some of my earlier records, but he does it so much better than I ever did.” (46:21–47:28)

Memorable Quotes

• Scotty Moore:

  • "Everything we ever did was just spur of the moment." (14:18)
  • "He [Elvis] was nervous because ... when we did our in-the-round thing, that made him nervous, but he was anxious ... And he wanted to get back, get back performing." (16:36)
  • "It's in your blood. You might as well admit it." (18:49)

• Carl Perkins:

  • "He thought that much of a pair of stupid shoes to actually hurt her feelings." (23:49)
  • "The word cat flew in there instead of man ... He said, 'I heard you, and he's going to stay a cat.'" (26:13; 26:39)
  • "We didn't know exactly what we were doing, Terry. But we did know that it was different." (30:40)
  • "That was the kind of guy [Elvis] was. He wanted me to have success with it, and he thought I would have if he stayed off of it." (28:56)
  • "I picked cotton with many, many black people ... to this day, I can vividly hear that up tempo gospel music." (33:14)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Scotty Moore interview starts: 00:13
• Elvis "That's All Right" recording discussed: 06:01
• "Mystery Train" and Moore's guitar style: 09:29
• National TV and Elvis' impact: 11:23
• Echo and innovative recording at RCA: 12:28–14:10
• Moore on leaving music and returning: 16:27–19:32
• Carl Perkins interview starts: 23:04
• Blue Suede Shoes origin story: 23:13–26:39
• Elvis covers "Blue Suede Shoes": 27:51
• Perkins on Beatles and influence: 46:01
• Perkins on struggling with fame/alcohol: 45:05

Tone & Style Highlights

• Conversations full of warmth, gratitude, and humility.
• Both musicians emphasize their love of spontaneity and “feel good” music, and appreciate each other’s roles in history.
• Terry Gross’s thoughtful, gentle probing brings out reflective and often humorous anecdotes (“Can we do a survey? Write in, folks, and tell me.” — Scotty Moore, 12:09).

For Listeners New to This History

This episode captures the humanity, inventiveness, and accidental genius behind the birth of rock and roll in the American South. Both Moore and Perkins—pivotal, if humble—helped forge a musical legacy whose energy, attitude, and cross-genre fusion ripple through popular music to this day.