Duane Eddy

Duane Eddy (born April 26, 1938) is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He's been called "Rock and Roll's all-time, #1 instrumentalist".

Born in Corning, New York, in 1938, he began playing the guitar at the age of five. His family moved west to Arizona in 1951.

Music

In early 1954, in Coolidge, Arizona, Eddy met local disc jockey, Lee Hazlewood, who would become his longtime partner, co-writer and producer. They moved to Phoenix. His first album, Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel, contained six hit singles, and remained on the charts for 82 weeks.

John Fogerty wrote in Rolling Stone about his style, "His sound is one of those untouchable, unique things...Duane Eddy was the front guy...the first real guitar god in rock & roll."

Eddy's song "Some Kind-a Earthquake" was the shortest song to ever break into the Top 40, clocking in at 1:17. His band, The Rebels, featured several notable musicians, including Steve Douglas and Jim Horn, pianist Larry Knechtel, and guitarist Al Casey.

On January 9, 1959, Eddy’s debut album, Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel, was released, reaching #5, and remaining on the album charts for 82 weeks. In 1960, the UK's "New Musical Express" voted him World's Number One Musical Personality, ousting Elvis Presley. That same year, he appeared in and recorded the theme for the movie Because They're Young. The song became Eddy's biggest success, peaking at #4. "Rebel 'Rouser" peaked at #6, and "Forty Miles Of Bad Road" peaked at #9 in 1958 and 1959, respectively.

Eddy recorded an album of completely acoustic music, Songs Of Our Heritage.

During the 1960s Eddy launched an acting career, appearing in the films A Thunder of Drums, The Wild Westerners, Kona Coast, The Savage Seven, and two appearances on the television series Have Gun — Will Travel. In the 1970s, he produced album projects for Phil Everly and Waylon Jennings. In 1975, a collaboration with hit songwriter Tony Macaulay and former founding member of The Seekers, Keith Potger, led to a worldwide top ten record, "Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar". The single, "You Are My Sunshine", featuring Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, hit the country charts in 1977.

In 1986, Eddy recorded with Art of Noise, remaking his 1960 version of Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn. The song was a Top Ten hit around the world, ranking #1 on Rolling Stone Magazine's dance chart for six weeks that summer. "Peter Gunn" won The Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental of 1986. It also gave Eddy the distinction of being the only instrumentalist to have had Top 10 hit singles in four different decades in Great Britain.

The following year, a new album, the self-titled, Duane Eddy, was released on Capitol. Several of the tracks were produced by Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, Ry Cooder, and Art of Noise. Guest artists and musicians included John Fogerty, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ry Cooder, James Burton, David Lindley, Steve Cropper, and original Rebels, Larry Knechtel and Jim Horn.

In the spring of 1994, Eddy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Eddy's was featured that same year in Forrest Gump. Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers used "The Trembler", a track written by Eddy and Ravi Shankar.

In 1996, Eddy joined Hans Zimmer on the soundtrack of Broken Arrow.

In spring, 1997, Eddy was inducted into the Rockwalk, placing his handprints and signature into cement.

In 2004, he was presented with the Guitar Player Magazine "Legend Award". Eddy was the second recipient of the award, the first having been presented to Les Paul. Among those who openly acknowledge his influence are George Harrison, Dave Davies (The Kinks), Hank Marvin (The Shadows), The Ventures, John Entwistle (The Who), Bruce Springsteen, Adrian Belew, Bill Nelson (Bebop Deluxe), and Mark Knopfler.

Signature guitars

The Gretsch "Chet Atkins 6120" model has long been associated with Eddy.

Awards

• Number One World Musical Personality in the NME Poll (UK) 1960
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member 1994
• Grammy Winner Best Rock Instrumental Peter Gunn 1986^[4]
• Grammy Nomination Best Country Instrumental (Doc Watson album) 1992
• Rockwalk Induction 1997
• Presented with "Chetty" award by Chet Atkins 2000
• Guitar Player Magazine Legend Award 2004
• Musicians Hall of Fame Member 2008

Discography albums:

• Have "Twangy" Guitar—Will Travel (#5) -- Jamie JLP-3000 (Mono)/JLPS-3000 (Stereo) -- 1958

Original album covers are white with Duane Eddy sitting on guitar case and LP title in white. 2nd pressings show the same cover with LP title in green and red; 3rd pressings are red album covers with Duane Eddy standing Note: It is very likely that so called "original" version white letter covers do not exist.

• Especially For You (#24) -- Jamie JLPM-3006/JLPS-3006—1959
• The "Twangs" the "Thang" (#18) -- Jamie JLPM-3009/JLPS-3009—1959
• Songs of Our Heritage -- Jamie JLPM-3011/JLPS-3011—1960

Original copies feature gatefold covers, later replaced with regular covers. Also pressed in limited quantites of red vinyl and blue vinyl

• $1,000,000.00 Worth of Twang (#10) -- Jamie JLPM-3014/JLPS-3014—1960
• Girls! Girls! Girls! (#93) -- Jamie JLPM-3019/JLPS-3019—1961

Front cover features photos of Duane with Brenda Lee and Annette Funicello

• $1,000,000.00 Worth of Twang, Volume 2 -- Jamie JLPM-3021/JLPS-3021—1962
• Twistin' With Duane Eddy -- Jamie JLPM-3022/JLPS-3022—1962
• Twistin' 'N' Twangin (#82) -- RCA LPM-2525 (Mono)/LSP-2525 (Stereo) -- 1962
• Twangy Guitar - Silky Strings (#72) -- RCA LPM-2576/LSP-2576—1962
• Surfin' -- Jamie JLPM-3024/JLPS-3024—1963
• Duane Eddy & The Rebels—In Person -- Jamie JLPM-3025/JLPS-3025—1963
• Dance with the Guitar Man (#47) -- RCA LPM-2648/LSP-2648—1963
• "Twang" a Country Song -- RCA LPM-2681/LSP-2681—1963
• "Twangin'" Up a Storm! (#93) -- RCA LPM-2700/LSP-2700—1963
• 16 Greatest Hits -- Jamie JLPM-3026/JLPS-3026—1964
• Lonely Guitar (#144) -- RCA LPM-2798/LSP-2798—1964
• Water Skiing -- RCA LPM-2918/LSP-2918—1965
• Twangin' The Golden Hits -- RCA LPM-2993/LSP-2993—1965
• Twangsville -- RCA LPM-3432/LSP-3432—1965
• The Best of Duane Eddy -- RCA LPM-3477/LSP-3477—1965
• Duane-A-Go-Go -- Colpix CP-490 (Mono)/CPS-490 (Stereo) -- 1965
• Duane Eddy Does Bob Dylan -- Colpix CPL-494/CPS-494—1965
• The Biggest Twang Of All -- Reprise R-6218 (Mono)/RS-6218 (Stereo) -- 1966
• The Roaring Twangies -- Reprise R-6240/RS-6240—1967
• The Vintage Years -- Sire SASH-3707-2—1975
• Pure Gold -- RCA ANL1-2671—1978
• Duane Eddy -- Capitol ST-12567—1987

Film appearances

• Because They're Young (1960)
• A Thunder of Drums (1961)