R.I.P.: Guitarist Scotty Moore Has Died At 84

Scotty Moore, Elvis - 1956

(Reuters) -- Scotty Moore, a pioneering rock guitarist best known for backing Elvis Presley as a member of his original band and into superstardom, died on Tuesday at the age of 84, the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reported.

Moore, who played on Presley's first hit, "That's All Right" ("Mama"), as well as such singles as "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Hound Dog," died in Nashville after several months of poor health, the newspaper said.

"We lost one of the finest people I have ever met today," Matt Ross-Sprang, an engineer at the Sun Studio in Memphis said on Instagram. "The guitarist that changed the world ... especially mine; I hope you don't mind if I keep stealing your licks."

Moore, who was born in Gadsen, Tennessee, and began playing the guitar at age eight, was recruited for Presley's band by legendary producer Sam Phillips in 1954, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

R.I..P. Scotty Moore

It was that band, which was dubbed the Blue Moon Boys and also included bassist Bill Black and drummer D.J. Fontana, that backed Presley over much of the next decade on the songs that earned him the title of the King of Rock 'n' Roll.

Moore was a member of a local country combo in Memphis when he was drafted by Sun owner Sam Phillips to support with the young, untested teenage singer on his debut recordings.

His crisp, flowing, melodic guitar lines, heavily influenced by Chet Atkins’ early work but also infused with deep blues feeling, highlighted the singles issued by Sun during Presley’s rise to fame in 1954-55.

According to Variety, Moore went on to work behind Presley after he moved to major label RCA in 1956, appearing on such major hits as “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” He also took supporting roles in several of Presley’s early feature films, and took a key instrumental role in his 1968 “comeback special.”

In 1992 he appeared with his onetime label mate and rock guitar peer Carl Perkins on the summit meeting “706 ReUnion,” issued on his own Belle Meade Records; the title was a play on the Union Avenue location of Sun Records’ fabled studio.

The 1997 album “All the King’s Men” found him working with Presley’s former drummer D.J. Fontana and such stars as Keith Richards and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones, Levon Helm of the Band, and guitarist Jeff Beck.

Services were scheduled for Thursday in Humboldt, Tennessee, for Moore, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, the Commercial-Appeal reported.