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Duane Eddy
American guitarist (1938–2024)
Duane Eddy was an American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" guitar sound, including "Rebel-'Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young".
He had sold 12 million records by 1963. His guitar style influenced the Ventures, the Shadows, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, and Marty Stuart.
genres: instrumental rock, rockabilly, rock and roll, surf music, country music
awards: Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Instrumentalist, MOJO Awards, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance
plays: guitar
member of: Duane Eddy and The Rebels
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
rockabillyrock & rollrock and rollsurf rockcountryeasy listening
The Elsewhere GazetteExtra
Early life
Eddy was born in Corning, New York, on April 26, 1938. His parents were Lloyd and Alberta (née Granger) Eddy. Eddy's father drove a bread truck and later became the manager of a grocery store. He began playing the guitar at the age of five, after hearing the cowboy singer Gene Autry. In 1950, at the age of 12, Eddy made his first on-air radio appearance when he performed "The Missouri Waltz" on a station in Hornell, New York.
In 1957, Eddy had a weekly showcase on radio station KCKY and then a slot on a weekly hit parade television show in Phoenix, where he met Arizona-based disc jockey, songwriter and music publisher Lee Hazlewood. Hazlewood produced the duo's single, "Soda Fountain Girl", recorded and released in 1955 in Phoenix, Arizona. They performed and appeared on radio stations in Phoenix and joined Buddy Long's Western Melody Boys, playing country music in and around the city.
Among those who have acknowledged Eddy's influence are George Harrison, Dave Davies, Hank Marvin, the Ventures, John Entwistle, Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, Adrian Belew, Bill Nelson, Mark Knopfler, Steve Earle, Marty Stuart, Ritchie Blackmore, and Ben Vaughn. Eddy's playing inspired some of the lead guitar playing on Springsteen's 1975 hit "Born to Run".
Guitarist with a distinctive twangy sound (his own description). Born in Corning, New York, USA, on April 26, 1938, died of cancer April 30, 2024, in Franklin, Tennessee, USA.
He was one of the foremost instrumental performers of the late 1950s and early 1960s with a string of hits on both sides of the Atlantic.
He was married to Jessi Colter they have a daughter Jennifer Jennings. He is the grandfather of Struggle Jennings and great grandfather of Brianna Harness.
Inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 (performer).
Also known as: Brother Duane, D Eddy, D. Eddi, D. Eddy, D.Eddy
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
Duane Eddy, the records, oldest first
Have ‘Twangy’ Guitar Will Travel
1958 album
wanted
Twangy
1960 ep
Songs of Our Heritage
1960 album
Because They're Young
1960 ep
Girls! Girls! Girls!
1961 album
Twangy Guitar Silky Strings
1962 album
Twistin' 'N' Twangin'
1962 album
Dance With The Guitar Man
1962 album
Chitarra Uragano
1963 album
"Twang" a Country Song
1963 album
"Twangin'" Up a Storm!
1963 album
Lonely Guitar
1964 album
Water Skiing
1964 album
Twangsville
1965 album
Duane Eddy Does Bob Dylan
1965 album
The Biggest Twang of Them All
1966 album
The Roaring Twangies
1967 album
Tokyo Hits / Dynamic Guitar in Tokyo
1967 album
Pure Gold
1973 album
Guitar Man
1975 album
Duane Eddy
1987 album
Road Trip
2011 album
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"Rebel-'Rouser" is an instrumental song written by Duane Eddy and Lee Hazlewood and originally released on Jamie Records in 1958 by "Duane Eddy and his 'twangy' guitar" as a single as the 'B' side with the song 'Stalkin' listed as the 'A' side. Both tracks were produced by Lester Sill and Lee Hazlewood.
In an interview with Radio DJ 'Wild' Wayne from Connecticut, Duane said that when the song was released the record company was pushing "Stalkin' as the 'A' side despite Duane's preference for Rebel Rouser. Eddy went on to say that Dick Clark was at a local dance in Philadelphia there to play records for the kids to dance to.
