May 26,2023 Remember first hearing his amazing playing back in 1961 Rebel Rouser as an oldie on 1050 Chum Toronto and then was blown away by his Peter Gunn. Like the killer Jerry Lee one of a kind and so glad at 75 to see he still appreciated. Twang man. Rock on and on.
If there was justice in the world, Duane Eddy would be playing at venues like Madison Square Garden and L.A. Forum instead of holes in the walls like this one.
This guy was my guitar hero at age 12, maybe around 1959. Peter Gunn was a bad ass tune. I had it on his album, I think titled Especially For You. My granny had this "new age" stereo phono system and she'd let me visit to play this album. I'd sit there for an hour and dig it all, especially bad ass Peter Gunn theme. Combat in Vietnam tried to take that away, but it's still bitchin' to revisit today. Thank God for Duane Eddy. RS the Vet.
First thing I learned to play on guitar, 13 years old, 1960. It was that sound! Of course, I had no idea what made that sound, especially the Bigsby whammy bar. But that, Honky Tonk (Bill Doggett) and Link Wray, Rumble got me started down the rock path. Or, “Hell,” as my father called it. No prob, dad. Still doin’ it 63 years later.
Exactly sixty years ago today on October 29th, 1960 the 'Dick Clark Caravan of Stars' played the Memorial Auditorium in Utica, New York... Duane Eddy was one of the acts* to appear, at the time his covered version of "Peter Gunn" was at position #41 on Billboard's Top 100 chart, three weeks later it would peak at #27 {for 1 week}, and it spent nine weeks on the Top 100... Between 1958 and 1986 the Corning, NY native had twenty-eight records on the Top 100 chart, three made the Top 10, "Rebel-'Rouser" {#6 in 1958}, "Forty Miles of Bad Road" {#9 in 1959}, and "Because They're Young" {#4 in 1960}... His last charted record was a re-mix of his "Peter Gunn" with the British trio, the Art of Noise, it peaked at #50 in 1986 on the Top 100 {reached #8 in the U.K.}... Duane Eddy will celebrate his 83rd birthday in six months on April 26th, 2021... * Some of the other acts on the bill were Fabian, Brenda Lee, Chubby Checker, Freddy Cannon, Jimmy Clanton, and Jimmy Charles...
Yep. I emailed him several years ago to ask who played the sax on Peter Gunn. He replied with a complete list of all of them on all his singles! He didn't have to do that. A true gent and a mighty artist.
I love his guitar and the whammy bar reminds me of a gear shifter. I remember a time in the 70 when it wasn't cool to have a whammy bar. Was it because it was redundant? Because you can almost get the same sound putting pressure on the neck and body!
My favourite of all those players that came out of the 50's The way he hasn't moved on to fender and the way he uses the talent arm with his left hand.
I think if you do a bit of research you'l find that he started with Fenders. I no longer have my DE vinyl collection but I have a clear recollection of the guitars on his definitive stuff in the early 60s being labelled as on Fenders and Fender basses.
Who could dislike this smh probably people who came on accident, idiots, don't realize Metallica Black Sabbath led Zeppelin Cream Aerosmith the Beatles Rolling Stones the Kinks Jimi Hendrix ect all carried on the torch that Dwane, Link Wray Ike Turner Chuck Berry Les Paul lit, without them rock would not be what it is today! I don't really like metal, but anyone who does would be hard pressed not to see how people like Dwane influenced shredding especially Les Paul, if you don't believe me take a listen to his music the influence is uncanny IMO cheers, John
Back in the late50sin the UK when I was at school rebal rouser and later becouse there young and Shazam ring of fire, oh could go on and l am 73 now and you are still great take care Duane Thanks for the memoirs
I'm sorry, I just don't get the infatuation with Duane Eddy. I have students who could do what he did after just two (2) lessons. I must be missing something....,i
You are missing something critical. And ... you need to learn it before you teach another kid. Feel. Pocket. The guitar becomes a human voice and reaches into the emotion. We play notes from our frontal (temporal) lobe of the brain, but people EXPERIENCE music from the lower brain stem. Primal. Duane moves millions because he knows how to play with tempo in a way that lights up the brains of most humans. Stop thinking. Start feeling the time. Then teach that.
Yes! Joe dumb public don't understand virtuoso! They only want simple and this has a good memorable beat! Status Quo three easy chords took them a long long way!!!
You are. As they say " More isn't always better, sometimes it's just more". I listen to some fabulous musicians play a LOT of notes on a solo today, but when it's over it made no sense. A solo needs to transition from the song to the solo. An entrance, theme, possible variations on the theme and a nice exit back to the song. NOT just as many notes as you can fit in the time allowed. If what you said is memorable you've done a good job. BB King could take one note, bend it add vibrato and when that one note stops sounding, have you know everything he had to say. In case you weren't aware; George Harrison thought enough of Eddie to have him play the solo on "Something" (which George wrote and produced), since he was a bit tied up producing when it was recorded. I don't know if it was planned or if Duane just happened to be there on recording day, but George could have just overdubbed the solo if he wanted to, but chose Duane to play. He was one of the masters of the fewest notes saying the most. I've played a little and taught a few and my highest compliment to some one has always been "You've got touch".
Loved the original 60s track. I learned that solo. Sounded great with four mics and two sound systems. One night the plaster fell off the ceiling. Always got good applause. LoL
