Lattie Moore
Lattie Harrison Moore (born October 17, 1924 in Scottsville , Kentucky , † June 13, 2010 ) was an American country and rockabilly musician . His most famous piece is Juke Box Johnnie .
Life
Childhood and youth
Lattie Moore was born to Homer Moore, a tobacco farmer who also served as a preacher in the local church. Influenced by the Grand Ole Opry , Moore learned to play the guitar . After graduating from school, Moore got a job as a projectionist in the cinema. There he could often see his great role models, the “Singing Cowboys”. In 1944 Moore moved to Indianapolis , but was drafted into the US Navy shortly thereafter .
Career
After his release, Moore tried his hand at music. He played in bars in the evenings and got his own show on the local radio station WISH. In 1951 Moore made his first recordings with the small Arrow label. He then traveled to Nashville , Tennessee , hoping to get a contract with Bullet Records. Bullet refused, however, and sent Moore to the smaller Speed Records, where he recorded his Juke Joint Johnnie in 1952 . The song was a classic country boogie title, an early form of rockabilly that combined 1940s honky tonk with boogie woogie elements. The record caught the attention of Syd Nathans, who worked for King Records in Cincinnati , Ohio . King bought Moore out of his contract and organized a first recording session in 1954, which resulted in the title Pull Down the Blinds . Moore's songs were often about bars and pubs as well as the propensity for alcohol. Another session took place; in total, Moore recorded over a dozen titles for King. At the same time Moore was a member of the Brown County Jamborees , which was located in Indiana .
In 1956 Moore played a version of Juke Joint Johnnie , but now called it Juke Box Johnnie adapted to the rockabilly style . In 1958 Moore moved to Starday , where he recorded one of numerous cover versions of the play Too Hot to Handle . In 1959 Moore moved back to King on the initiative of Webb Pierce , with whom he stayed until 1963. He was then signed to Derbytown and WPL Records, but then postponed his career. He moved back to Scottsville, where he worked as a bailiff until he retired. Only occasionally he was active again, so in 1971 for an album on Derbytown Records. Moore had struggled with health problems since 1986, but overcame them.
Lattie Moore died in 2010 at the age of 85.
Discography
Singles
year | title | Record company |
---|---|---|
1951 | Married Troubles / It's Good Enough for You | Arrow Records |
1952 | Juke Joint Johnnie / It's Good Enough for You | Speed Records |
1954 | Pull Down the Blinds / What Am I Supposed to Do | King Records |
1956 | Jukebox Johnnie / Pretty Woman Blues | Arc Records |
1958 | Why Did You Lie to Me / You Never Looked Sweeter | Starday Records |
1959 | Too Hot to Handle / Just A-Waitin ' | Starday Records |
1960 | Mine Again / Cajun Doll | King Records |
1960 | Driving Nails / Drunk Again | King Records |
1961 | If the Good Lord's Willing / Sundown and Sorrow | King Records |
1961 | Heaven All Around Me / I Told You So | King Records |
1961 | Just About Then / Out of Control | King Records |
1961 | Lonesome Man Blues / Honky Tonk Heaven | King Records |
1962 | Skinnie Minnie Shimmy / You Got Me Woundering | Olympic Records |
1963 | Out of Control / Jut About Then | King Records |
1963 | Honky Tonk Heaven / Lonesome Man Blues | King Records |
1971 | Old Ex Husbands / Best Year of Your Life (with the Three Sounds ) | WPL records |
LPs
- 1960: Best of Lattie Moore
- 1962: Country Side
- 1971: You Can't Make Hay Pickin 'Cotton
- 1990: The Juke Box Johnnie (UK)
- 2000: I'm Not Broke But I'm Badly Bent: The Best of the King-Starday Recordings 1953-63
Web links
- Lattie Moore on Hillbilly-Music.com
- Lattie Moore at Allmusic (English)
- Discography with audio samples
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Moore, Lattie |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Moore, Lattie Harrison (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country and rockabilly musician |
DATE OF BIRTH | October 17, 1924 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Scottsville , Kentucky , USA |
DATE OF DEATH | June 13, 2010 |