Dune Eddy’s use of dramatic single-note melodies on the lower strings of his guitar, pronounced tremolo and vibrato, and liberal doses of echo produced a signature sound. He became the most successful instrumentalist in rock history, charting 15 Top 40 singles from 1958 through 1963 and selling more than 100 million records worldwide. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; received Guitar Player magazine’s “Legend” award in 2004; was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2008; and received The Lifetime Achievement Award for Instrumentalist from The Americana Music Association in 2013. The guitar hero began playing at age five, emulating his cowboy hero Gene Autry. His 1958 debut album Have ‘Twangy’ Guitar, Will Travel was a Rock ‘n’ Roll milestone. It charted for 82 weeks, contained six instrumental hits and was the start of a trend in which Eddy’s album titles often punned on the word twang, such as The Twang’s the Thang (1960), Twistin’ ‘n’ Twangin’ (1962) and Twangin’ Up a Storm! (1963). His many hits bore evocative titles such as “Rebel Rouser,” “Forty Miles of Bad Road,” “Cannonball,” “The Lonely One,” “Shazam” and “Some Kinda Earthquake.” The singles started in 1958 with “Moovin’ and Groovin,’” and all were filled with rousing rebel yells and brilliant sax breaks. He recorded a collection of instrumental Bob Dylan songs in 1965; produced albums for Phil Everly and Waylon Jennings in the 1970s; and had a 1977 hit country single “You Are My Sunshine” featuring Jennings and Willie Nelson.
rockhall.com/inductees/duane-eddy
