Duane Eddy

One of the early rock'n'rollers, Duane Eddy's signature twanging, electric sound created some of the era's most distinctive riffs and made the New Yorker a great icon of the guitar. He first learnt to play guitar aged five and producer Lee Hazelwood discovered him at 16, helping him develop a unique style inspired by Chet Atkins, based on rockabilly, low-strung strings and heavy reverb. Eddy's instrumental jams caused a storm, producing the hit Rebel Rouser, Peter Gunn, Forty Miles Of Bad Road and the UK Number 2 singles Because They're Young and Pepe. He was voted The World's Number One Music Personality by NME readers in 1960 (ahead of Elvis Presley) and his successful albums Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel (1958), Especially For You (1959) and $1,000,0000 Worth Of Twang (1960) helped inspire The Shadows and The Beatles - paving the way for The British Invasion. Still regarded as one of the instrumental rock guitar greats, Eddy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and is still plucking away on his signature Gretsch hollow-body guitars, most recently touring with former Pulp star Richard Hawley.

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