(PatriotWise.com) — Pioneering guitarist Duane Eddy, who inspired countless musicians, including Bruce Springsteen and George Harrison, died on Tuesday at the age of 86.
The early rocker, known for his guitar playing on such instrumental hits as “The Theme from Peter Gunn” and “Rebel Rouser,” passed away at a Franklin, Tennessee, hospital following a battle with cancer.
Eddy, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, sold over 100 million records featuring the distinctive “Twang” sound that defined his style, starting with his 1958 debut album “Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel.”
Eddy recorded over 50 albums and was at his peak from the late 50s to the early 60s. By 1970, Eddy began to slow down, and by the 1980s, he worked very little, saying in a 1986 interview that he was “living off my royalties.”
Born in Corning, New York, in 1936, Eddy began playing guitar when he was five, after his family moved to Phoenix.
In his early twenties, Eddy signed with the Philadelphia label Jamie Records, releasing his first single, “Rebel Rouser,” in 1958.
He later joined Dick Clark’s “Caravan of Stars” tour and was even featured in some films, including “Thunder of Drums” and “Because They’re Young.”
Eddy’s music is also featured on the soundtracks of “Forrest Gump,” “Natural Born Killers,” and “Broken Arrow.”
Country Music Hall of Fame CEO Kyle Young said in a statement following Eddy’s death that the legendary guitarist’s sound would “forever be stitched into the fabric of country and rock & roll.”
Young added that instrumentalists like Eddy rarely become famous but explained that his electric guitar had “a voice all its own.”
In a 1986 interview, Eddy admitted he was no singer, saying his “biggest contribution” to music was “not singing.”
According to Kyle Young, Eddy’s style was the inspiration for “thousands of hillbilly cats and downtown rockers,” including George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen, the Ventures, and Marty Stuart.
The Kinks founder Dave Davies paid tribute to Eddy in a post on X, saying that the guitarist was “one of my most important influences.”
Copyright 2024, PatriotWise.com
