Rock ‘n’ Roll Icon Duane Eddy Passes Away At 86

Duane Eddy, the twangy guitarist who influenced generations of rock ‘n’ roll stars since the 1960s, has died at 83.

The early guitar hero died of cancer Tuesday at the Williamson Health hospital in Franklin, Tennessee, his wife Deed Abbate told the New York Post. He was known for injecting twang, reverberation, and other new timbres into early rock hits of the 1950s and 60s including “Rebel Rouser” and “Peter Gunn.” In doing so, he leaves behind a legacy that touches nearly every genre of popular music today.

“Duane inspired a generation of guitarists the world over with his unmistakeable signature ‘Twang’ sound. He was the first rock and roll guitar god, a truly humble and incredible human being. He will be sorely missed,” a rep said in a statement to Variety.

(BREAKING: Glenn Beck sounds the alarm on the American economy – prepare yourself now)

“I had a distinctive sound that people could recognize and I stuck pretty much with that. I’m not one of the best technical players by any means; I just sell the best,” he told The Associated Press in a 1986 interview. “A lot of guys are more skillful than I am with the guitar. A lot of it is over my head. But some of it is not what I want to hear out of the guitar.”

Eddy’s first album, “Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel,” was produced on the premise that a guitar’s lower base strings sounded better in recorded material. Playing alongside his Rebels bandmates — Al Casey on rhythm guitar, his wife Corki Casey also on rhythm guitar, Steve Douglas on saxophone, Buddy Wheeler on bass guitar, Mike Bermani and Bob Taylor on drums — Eddy’s 1958 hits spent 82 weeks on the Billboard charts and reached a high of #5. The rocker released nine more charting albums over his career.

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Duane Eddy. As a legendary guitarist, he inspired generations with his pioneering twangy sound and musical innovations. His sound will forever echo in the halls of rock ‘n’ roll history. Rest in peace, Mr. Eddy, you will be missed. pic.twitter.com/WimwCVecsw

— Gretsch Guitars (@GretschUSA) May 1, 2024

Born in 1938 near Corning, New York, Eddy largely taught himself guitar beginning at the age of five following his family’s move to Tucson, Arizona. Though he never learned to read music or scores, his ear for pop melodies led to the riffs for hits like “Forty Miles of Bad Road” and “Because They’re Young.” He was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

In a 2013 interview with Guitar Player Magazine, Eddy referenced how his unconventional searches for new sounds helped intensify his playing. One example the New York Times cites is the time Eddy brought a 2,000 gallon tank of water into the studio and placed a speaker inside it to simulate the sound of an echo chamber. “I like exploring different textures on tracks in the studio, and different arrangement ideas,” he said.

“For me,” Mr. Eddy went on, “it’s not just playing the instrument, it’s also making the record. I guess a better way of explaining it is that I don’t write or arrange songs as such. Instead, I think of it as writing or arranging records. My sound is the common denominator that pulls all the threads and knits them together.”

(BEWARE: Here’s how to shield yourself from Biden’s collapsing economy)