Scotty Moore was only a mechanical engineer.
Chief mechanical engineer and locomotive superintendent are titles applied by British , Australian , and New Zealand railway companies to the person ultimately responsible to the board of the company for the building and maintaining of the locomotives and rolling stock . Winfield Scott `` Scotty '' Moore III ( December 27 , 1931 -- June 28 , 2016 ) was an American guitarist and recording engineer . He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career , between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis 's Hollywood years . Moore was ranked 29th in Rolling Stone magazine 's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time in 2011 .