Duane Eddy. Photo: Courtesy of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s archive
Rock ’n’ roll Hall of Fame member Duane Eddy has died at age 86.
The Grammy Award-winning instrumentalist was famed for a series of reverb-heavy, twang-drenched recordings of the 1950s and 1960s. Easily the most prominent of the early rock guitarists, he influenced hundreds of stylists, including Georg Harrison, The Ventures, The Shadows, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen and Ry Cooder. A Nashville resident for more than 40 years, Duane Eddy was the most successful solo rock instrumentalist in history.
He was born in Corning, New York in 1938 and was playing guitar by the age of five. He debuted on local radio when he was 10. In 1951, the family moved to Arizona. Four years later, he began working with producer Lee Hazelwood, who shaped his distinctive style. Long before Hazelwood discovered Gram Parsons and worked with everyone from Nancy Sinatra to Ann Margret, Duane Eddy was the star maker’s first project.
Eddy and Hazelwood had their first recording session in 1956. Working in Phoenix, they crafted “Movin’ N Groovin,” “Rebel Rouser,” “Ramrod” and “Cannonball,” all of which hit the pop charts in 1958. Late that year, Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel was issued as Eddy’s debut LP.
His distinctive sound incorporated reverb-enhanced melodies played on the bass guitar strings, hand claps, rebel yells and saxophone wailing. His shy demeanor and striking good looks made him a teen heartthrob. Rock ‘n’ roll kingmaker Dick Clark featured him on his national American Bandstand TV series more than any other artist. He also put Eddy on the road in his famous “Caravan of Stars” rock ’n’ roll touring troupes. Unknown to the guitarist, Clark had a financial interest in Jamie Records, Eddy’s label.
Eddy’s band The Rebels featured such standouts as Al Casey, Steve Douglas, Jim Horn, Larry Knechtel, Plas Johnson and pioneering female instrumentalist Corky Casey. All of them later became topnotch L.A. session musicians.
Beginning in 1959, Duane Eddy’s records were massive successes in England, usually surpassing their U.S. chart peaks. “The Lonely Ones,” “Yep,” “Peter Gunn Theme,” “Forty Miles of Bad Road,” “The Quiet Three,” “Some Kind-a Earthquake” and “First Love, First Tears” all became U.K. hits that year, as did his second LP, Especially For You.
In an era when few teen artists issued LPs, Duane Eddy stood out. In 1960, he issued The Twang’s the Thang, his groundbreaking “unplugged” album Songs of Our Heritage and $1,000,000 Worth of Twang. The following year’s LP was Girls! Girls! Girls!, featuring him posing on the jacket with teen queens Brenda Lee and Annette. The hit singles continued with “Bonnie Came Back,” “Kommotion” and “Shazam!” The last named was drawn from the soundtrack of the Tuesday Weld movie Because They’re Young. Eddy also scored a hit with the film’s title tune. In addition, Duane Eddy and The Rebels appeared in Because They’re Young.
He moved to Los Angeles. Film soundtrack work continued with 1961’s “Ring of Fire,” which became a U.K. hit. It was the title tune of a David Janssen movie, which the guitarist scored. Some of his biggest hits were drawn from film or TV soundtracks, including Peter Gunn, Pepe, Gidget Goes Hawaiian and The Ballad of Palladin (Have Gun Will Travel).
In addition to 1960’s Because They’re Young, Duane Eddy appeared in A Thunder of Drums (1961), The Wild Westerners (1962), The Savage Seven (1968), The Kona Coast (1968) and Sing a Country Song (1973). He also appeared in two episodes of the hit TV western series Have Gun Will Travel.
In 1962, he married Phoenix singer-songwriter Miriam Johnson, his second wife. Following their 1968 divorce, she became Jessi Colter, married Waylon Jennings, moved to Nashville and had hits including 1975’s “I’m Not Lisa.”
Duane Eddy’s flurry of albums of the early 1960s included Twistin’ and Twangin’ (1962), Twangy Guitar Silky Strings (1962), $1,000,000 Worth of Twang Vol. 2 (1962), Twistin’ With Duane Eddy (1962), In Person (1963), Twangin’ Up a Storm (1963), Surfin’ With Duane Eddy (1963), Lonely Guitar (1964), Water Skiing (1964) and Twangin’ the Golden Hits (1964).
“Theme From Dixie,” “Drivin’ Home” and “My Blue Heaven” closed out his tenure with Jamie Records. He signed with RCA. The label teamed him with The Rebelettes (actually Darlene Love & The Blossoms), and he enjoyed a sting of 1962-63 singles with “Dance With the Guitar Man,” “Boss Guitar,” “Lonely Boy, Lonely Guitar” and “Your Baby’s Gone Surfin.’”
He also embarked on a series of “theme” albums. These included Twang a Country Song (1963), Duane A Go Go Go (1965), Duane Eddy Does Bob Dylan (1965) and The Roaring Twangies (1967).
By the close of the 1960s, Duane Eddy had placed 30 titles on the pop charts and had sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide. In 1972, he joined B.J. Thomas and The Blossoms on the hit single “Rock and Roll Lullaby.” The following year, he produced Phil Everly’s album Star Spangled Springer,” which contained the future Hollies hit “The Air That I Breathe.”
In 1975, Eddy scored a huge international hit with “Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar.” In 1977, he appeared on the country charts with “You Are My Sunshine,” featuring vocals by Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kin Vassy and his wife, Deed Eddy. In the wake of this encouragement, the couple moved to Nashville.
Duane Eddy returned to touring in the 1980s. His band at the time featured his admirer Ry Cooder on guitar. In 1986, a version of “Peter Gunn” recorded with The Art of Noise became an international hit and earned him a Grammy Award. His 1987 comeback album included appearances by Cooder, Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, John Fogerty, George Harrison, James Burton, David Lindley and Steve Cropper.
During the 1990s, Duane Eddy’s music appeared on the soundtracks of such prominent films as Forrest Gump, Natural Born Killers, Broken Arrow, Milk Money and Scream 2. His guitar collaboration with Doc Watson earned a country Grammy nomination in 1995.
Duane Eddy was inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. His influence continued when the Gretsch Guitar Company issued its Duane Eddy 6120 Signature Model, based on his specifications, in 1998. The Paul Revera Company issued its Duane Eddy Model amplifier the following year. In 2004, Guitar Player magazine honored the guitar superstar with its Legend Award. In 2008, he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame. Eddy appeared at the 2014 Stagecoach festival. Nashville admirer Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) enlisted Duane Eddy for his 2017 solo album Waiting on a Song.
The legendary guitarist died on Tuesday, April 30, after a battle with cancer. He survived by his wife Deed Abbate Eddy and by four children, five grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
