RIP Duane Eddy

First of the great rock and roll guitarists dead at age 86. Rumble, Rockin' Rebel, the Peter Gunn theme (his version, Mancini wrote it). He sure could play.

 

Helluva long career and life. Early collaborators with Lee Hazlewood....married to Jessi Colter before she was with Waylon.....and later teamed up with Art of Noise (!). RIP.

 

Forty Miles of Bad Road was a great song.

RIP

 

I didn’t know that; and I knew Jessie Colter!

 

Been a hot minute since I last thought of Art of Noise. I always assumed that was a sample.

 

Great song title too.

I was working at a little newspaper years ago when the public library nearby held a used-book sale. In the rack of old LPs was Duane Eddy's "$1,000,000 Worth of Twang." I probably paid $1 for it. The gang in the newsroom had a yuk or two when I showed it off.

 

Instrumentals in the Top 40 have become extinct, which is too bad. Sometimes a well-written melody by itself is way better than banal lyrics.

RIP, Mr. Eddy. Your sound was unique.

 

Interesting (?) bit of instrumental trivia: Eddy's "Rebel Rouser" and Link Wray's "Rumble" were both released in the spring of 1958, "Rumble" on March 31 and "Rebel Rouser" in May (per Wikipedia).