Guitarist who backed Elvis

Born: December 27, 1931;

Died: June 28, 2016

SCOTTY Moore, who has died aged 84, was the pioneering rock guitarist whose sharp, graceful style helped Elvis Presley shape his revolutionary sound and inspired a generation of musicians that included Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Bruce Springsteen. He was the last survivor of a combo that included Presley, bassist Bill Black and producer Sam Phillips.

Moore was a local session musician when he and Black were thrown together with Presley on July 5 1954, in the Memphis-based Sun Records studios.

Presley was a self-effacing, but determined teenager anxious to make a record. Moore's bright riffs and fluid solos - natural compliments to Presley's strumming rhythm guitar - and Black's hard-slapping work on a stand-up bass gave Elvis the foundation on which he developed a fresh blend of blues, gospel and country that came to be called rock 'n roll.

"One day, we went to have coffee with Sam and his secretary, Marion Keisker, and she was the one who brought up Elvis," Moore said in a 2014 interview. "We didn't know, but Marion had a crush on Elvis, and she asked Sam if he had ever talked to that boy who had been in there.

"Sam said to Marion, 'Go back in there and get that boy's telephone number, and give it to Scotty'. Then, Sam turned to me and said, 'Why don't you listen to this boy, and see what you think'. Marion came back with a slip of paper, and it said 'Elvis Presley'. I said, 'Elvis Presley - what the hell kind of a name is that?'."

For the now-legendary Sun sessions they covered a wide range of songs, from That's All Right to Mystery Train. After That's All Right began drawing attention, Presley, Moore and Black took to the road playing any gig they could find, large or small, adding drummer DJ Fontana and trying their best to be heard over thousands of screaming fans.

Hip-shaking Presley soon rose from regional act to superstardom, signing up with RCA Records and topping the charts with Heartbreak Hotel, All Shook Up and many other hits.

Elvis was the star, but young musicians listened closely to Moore's contributions, whether the slow, churning solo he laid down on Heartbreak Hotel or the flashy lead on Hard-Headed Woman. "Everyone else wanted to be Elvis," Richards once observed. "I wanted to be Scotty."

Moore, Black and Fontana backed Presley for his shocking TV appearances and early movies, but by 1957 had tired of what Moore called "Elvis economics". In the memoir That's Alright, Elvis, published in 1997, Moore noted that he earned just over 8,000 dollars in 1956, while Presley became a millionaire.

Moore also cited tension with Elvis' manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker. "We couldn't go talk to Elvis and talk about anything," Moore, who along with Black left Presley's group, said. "There wasn't ever any privacy. It was designed that way, but not by Elvis. It's not that I feel bitterness, just disappointment."

Moore worked one more time with Elvis, for the 1968 "comeback" TV special that helped return him to the top of the charts. But Moore's compensation did not even cover his travel expenses, he would recall, and he was not asked to join Presley's band for his tours in the 1970s. Presley died in 1977.

Starting in the late 1950s, Moore worked on various projects. In 1959, singer Thomas Wayne had a Top 5 hit, Tragedy, on Moore's Fernwood record label. Moore put out a solo album in 1964 called The Guitar That Changed the World! and with Fontana played on the 1997 Presley tribute album All the King's Men, featuring Richards, Levon Helm and other stars.

He and Fontana also backed Paul McCartney for the ex-Beatle's cover of That's All Right. In 2000, Moore was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame and more recently was a recording studio manager, engineer and businessman.

"Elvis loved Scotty dearly and treasured those amazing years together, both in the studio and on the road," Presley's ex-wife Priscilla said.

"Scotty was an amazing musician and a legend in his own right. The incredible music that Scotty and Elvis made together will live forever and influence generations to come."

Moore was married and divorced three times and is survived by five children.