The King of Twang is dead. The pioneering rock’n’roll guitarist Duane Eddy has passed away at the age of 86. His wife Deed told the Associated Press that he died of cancer on 30th April in Franklin, Tennessee.
A representative for the musician said (via Variety): “Duane inspired a generation of guitarists the world over with his unmistakable signature ‘Twang’ sound. He was the first rock and roll guitar god, a truly humble and incredible human being. He will be sorely missed.”
Duane Eddy achieved solo stardom in the late 1950s and early ‘60s with a string of instrumental hits including ‘Rebel Rouser’, ‘Cannonball’, ‘Forty Miles of Bad Road’, ‘Because They’re Young’, and the theme to the TV series, Peter Gunn. ‘Peter Gunn’ was also a hit in 1986 for the British synth-pop outfit Art of Noise when they collaborated on the song with Eddy.
Between 1958 and 1963, with his distinctive guitar sound, Duane Eddy had no less than 16 singles in the American Top 40 Charts, thus affording him his legendary rock’n’roll status.
His chart success was to wane thereafter though he did launch an acting career in the early ‘60s before going on to produce album projects with Don Everly and Waylon Jennings in the early ‘70s. He also reached no. 9 in the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with ‘Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar’, with vocals by the Rebelettes.
After seemingly disappearing from public view for almost a quarter of a century, Duane Eddy was finally enticed back into the studio by Richard Hawley in 2011 for Road Trip. This was to be his 23rd and final studio album.
In June of that year at Glastonbury Festival I had the great fortune to see Duane Eddy perform on the West Holts Stage. For the song ‘Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar’, the role of the Rebelettes was taken by Tina Peacock and Louise Thompson, once of Sheffield girl group Supersister. And keeping that Sheffield connection going, Richard Hawley joined Eddy for a version of the 1958 Sandford Clark Top Ten hit ‘Still as The Night.’
Photos of Duane Eddy taken on 26th June 2011 at Glastonbury Festival by Simon Godley
