(by Dik de Heer Rockabilly Hall of Fame) 

LATTIE MOORE 

Born Lattie Harrison Moore, 17 October 1924, Scottsville, Kentucky Hillbilly / rockabilly singer, songwriter. Before I bought his Westside CD, the name Lattie Moore meant almost nothing to me. His name is not widely known, but he has made many fine country recordings and also some more rocking sides. His principal influence was Hank Williams and perhaps his records often loomed too close to Hank's to have any truly independent influence of their own. His first record, "Hideaway Heart"/"Married Troubles" (the latter surely not autobiographical - Lattie has been married to Maxine Frost since December 1944), on the Arrow label from Indianapolis, is very rare. One year after this 1951 debut came the recording that can be considered as the first rock 'n' roll record out of Nashville, though at the time nobody knew it. It is the original version of "Juke Joint Johnny" (Lattie's own com-position), recorded for the Speed label. Lots of people have cut this song, including Red Sovine, Eddie Bond and Jim Atkins and the Pinetoppers. Lattie himself did a flat-out rock 'n' roll version (as "Juke Box Johnnie") in December 1956, for Arc Records. He cut 25 tracks for King, over two periods: 1953-1956 and 1959-1963. In 1958 he made two good singles for Starday, "Why Did You Lie To Me" and "Too Hot To Handle". His only chart entry was "Drunk Again" (King 5413) in 1961 (# 25 country). Another drinking song, "Out Of Control", was co-written with George Jones. Both men recorded their own version, the Jones record being the biggest seller. After leaving King for a second time in 1963, Moore recorded only one LP and a single for Derbytown, though he continued to perform well into the seventies. He underwent laser surgery for throat cancer in 1986 and recovered from a quadruple heart bypass operation in 1999. Now, he says, he's fine and keeps fit by walking 30 minutes every morning. Here is Lattie's discography, it's not complete. Perhaps someone has 'American music' magazine and can fill the gaps.