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Legendary rock guitarist Duane Eddy passed away on Tuesday (April 30) in Franklin, Tennessee. He was 86.
According to a report from Variety, the artist was surrounded by his family at the time of his death. A representative for the musician shared, "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.”
The artist found fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s, having coined a style of guitar playing that has widely been described as "twangy". Early on in his career, he had a string of hits that would become standards like 'Rebel-'Rouser,' 'Peter Gunn', 'Cannonball' and 'Forty Miles of Bad Road'. In just a short amount of time, he sold millions of records and garnered dozens of charting singles.
From there, his success-riddled run slowed, until the artist saw a resurgence in the 1980s. A reworking of 'Peter Gunn' by the synth-pop group Art of Noise would catapult Eddy back into the spotlight, earning him the 1986 Grammy Award for best rock instrumental. He would see induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Throughout the years, his classic works have continued to be used across television and film, but the virtuoso's sound will forever be remembered for having changed the game and for influencing generations of players across genres.
In a statement from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, CEO Kyle Young shared of the legendary guitarist, “His sound was muscular and masculine, twangy and tough ... But more importantly, his style inspired thousands of hillbilly cats and downtown rockers — the Ventures, George Harrison, Steve Earle, Bruce Springsteen, Marty Stuart, to name a few — to learn how to rumble and move people to their core. The Duane Eddy sound will forever be stitched into the fabric of country and rock & roll”.
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