Scotty Moore with Elvis Presley before the guitarist grew tired of what he referred to as ‘Elvis economics’.

Scotty Moore, 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, has died on Tuesday at 84.

Moore died in his home in Nashville, his biographer and friend James Dickerson said.

The member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was the last survivor of a combo that included Presley, bassist Bill Black and producer Sam Phillips.

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

The incredible music that Scotty and Elvis made together will live forever

Presley was a self-effacing, but determined teen anxious to make a record. Moore’s bright riffs and fluid solos – natural complements 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. 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.

Hip-shaking Presley soon rose from regional act to superstardom. Elvis was the star, but young musicians listened closely to Moore’s contributions.

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 in 1956, while Presley became a millionaire.

“We couldn’t go talk to Elvis and talk about anything,” Moore, who along with Black left Presley’s group, told The Tennessean newspaper in 1997.

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. 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.