Rock legend who popularized the reverberant “twang” guitar sound has died at age 86 of cancer
Musician Duane Eddy, a pioneering guitarist whose reverberating guitar tone on 1950s instrumental rock classics like “Rebel Rouser” and “Peter Gunn” influenced generations, died of cancer Tuesday (4/30) at Williamson Hospital Health of Franklin, Tennessee. He was 86 years old.
The guitarist had a five-year commercial peak between 1958 and 1963, but only slowed in the 1980s, when he began “living off my royalties,” as he put it in 1986.
The sound of the guitar “twang”.
Blending country and rock’n’roll with recordings of twangy rhythms, background screams and handclaps, Duane Eddy has sold more than 100 million records. Much of this success was due to his distinctive guitar sound, based on the idea that low strings sounded better on recordings than high strings.
“I had a signature sound that people could recognize, and I stuck to that. I’m not in any way one of the best technical guitarists; I just know how to sell the right sound,” he told the Associated Press in a 1986 article. interview.
His playing style got a name: “Twang”, an onomatopoeia representing the sound he made from the guitar. The name was used from their 1958 debut album, “Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel,” through their 1993 compilation, “Twang Thang: The Duane Eddy Anthology.” “It’s a silly name for something serious,” Eddy told the AP in 1993. “But he’s haunted me for 35 years, so it almost has sentimental value, if nothing else.”
Big influence on rock
Eddy created “Twang” with the help of producer Lee Hazlewood. And Hazlewood himself adapted the idea later in the production of Nancy Sinatra’s biggest hit, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'”, in 1965. The Beatles also adopted the reverb guitar technique, which was a craze especially among surf rock instrumentals. music in the early 1960s and even reached new wave defining the B-52’s style.
Admitted fans, Paul McCartney and George Harrison even recorded with the guitarist. Eddy played on McCartney’s song “Rockestra Theme” and featured Harrison on his album “Duane Eddy & The Rebels”, both released in 1987. But his most unusual collaboration was with the synthpop band Art of Noise, on a re-recording of “Peter Gunn” which combined guitar and synthesizers. The version became a big hit in 1986.
Film career
Even without singing, Eddy recorded more than 50 albums, including appearances on film soundtracks such as “Como São Jovens” (1960), “Pepe” (1960) and “Férias no Hawai” (1961). But he anecdotally said that he refused to compose the James Bond theme song because there weren’t enough guitars in the arrangement.
He also appeared in films such as the drama “Como São Jovens” and the westerns “Estrondo de Tambores” (1961) and “No Tempo dos Pioneiros” (1962), as well as the series “Paladino do Oeste”, whose original title (” Have Gun Will Travel”) inspired the name of his first album. His film career ended with two films in 1968: the thriller “The Savage Seven”, featuring bikers, and “Bloody Coast”, starring Richard Boone (the “Paladin of the West”).
Latest works
Duane Eddy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. That same year, he teamed up with another legend, rockabilly singer and guitarist Carl Perkins, to record the benefit album “Red Hot + Country,” featuring growing sales. towards the cure of AIDS. Eddy was also the lead guitarist of the hit “Until the end of Time”, by the band Foreigner, in 1995. And the following year he played on the soundtrack of the film “The Last Threat” (1996), at the invitation of composer Hans Zimmer.
In 2004, Eddy was honored by Guitar Player magazine with the “Legend Award”, becoming the second recipient of the trophy, after Les Paul, which named the manufacturer Gibson’s most famous guitar.
His latest album, “Road Trip”, was released in 2011, and its promotion included a show at the famous Glastonbury Festival in the United Kingdom.
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
