DUANE EDDY
Born 26 April 1938 in New York USA.
The Legendary “ Twangy “ guitar sound of Duane eddy has made him one of Rock
and Rolls most famous Instrumental artists.
His sound was created after hearing Bill Justis’ famous “ Raunchy “. Together with his producer Lee Hazlewood Eddy co wrote many of his hits, using the Bass strings of his Gretsch guitar recorded through an echo chamber.
His backing group – the Rebel Rousers was a tight experienced band with a prominent saxophone sound, played by Jim Horn and Steve Douglas. Some of his greatest hits were : “ Rebel Rouser “ , “ Peter Gunn “ and “ Theme from Dixie “. One of Eddy’s most memorable hits was the superlative theme music from the film
“ Because they’re Young “ – brilliantly combining his Bass notes with evocative strings. That song has been used by the UK Disc Jockey Johnny Walker as his theme song for over 25 years.
Eddy’s ( Dance with the ) “ Guitar Man “ was another major hit, which was unusual in the fact that the song had lyrics, sung by a female backing group.
His hits dried up in 1964 at the dawn of the Beatles invasion. In 1975 Tony Macauley wrote “ Play me like you play your old guitar “ for Eddy so – after more than a decade he was back in the Top 10. During those 10 years Eddy had played the revival circuit both in USA and the UK – where he always found an appreciative audience.
He returned to the charts in 1986 when he was very pleased to be asked to play with the band “ Art of Noise “ – where it was great that they chose to record his song
“Peter Gunn “.
I was able to see him a couple of times – always a great show. On the last time at the Royal Albert Hall his wife was the backing vocalist on “ Guitar Man “.
Chunky
Read more articles in Chunky's Rock Corner.
If you have any memories of the rock 'n' roll era and would like to share them with us then please contact Chunky's Rock 'n' Roll Corner with your memories or any questions, he would love to hear from you at chunky@musicbeesknees.com .
| 
