Duane Eddy

"'I have never met Duane Eddy but he remains one of my greatest heroes. At times of stress our home throbs to his 'Hard Times', 'Movin N' Groovin' or 'Three-30-Blues'. (Duane Eddy: More New Numbers, Less Old Hat'', Independent On Sunday, 8 April 1990, as reprinted in Olivetti Chronicles, Corgi edition, p.96)." Duane Eddy (1938- ) is a guitarist from New York with a distinctive and much copied 'twangy' sound, produced by playing lead on a guitar's bass strings. His LP The Twang's The Thang gave JP a ready-made catchphrase, and he has had equal chart success in the US and USA with a succession of memorable instrumentals, including Movin' N' Groovin and Rebel Rouser (both 1958), Forty Miles Of Bad Road, Because They're Young (long used as Johnnie Walker's theme tune) and most famously Peter Gunn. The latter, in a duet with the Art Of Noise, became a worldwide hit in 1986 many years after the original and introduced Eddy to a new audience. John was smitten with Peter Gunn, citing Duane's solo entry mid-record as one of the greatest moments in popular music, but as professed above, he found great solace in Eddy's style in general. His later efforts in the wake of Gunn's latter-day success did not please him: 1987's Duane Eddy employed a star-studded line-up to, John felt, no good effect: "'When the LP was released it sold well but since first putting on my metaphorical wellingtons for a tentative tiptoe through the celebs, I have never listened to it again.' (Duane Eddy, Independent On Sunday, ibid.)"

Festive Fifty Entries

 * None

Peelenium

 * 'Peter Gunn' (Peelenium 1959)

Sessions

 * None

Other Shows Played
This list is of other Eddy material not covered by Peter Gunn
 * 21 October 1981: 'Shazam'
 * 04 May 1982: 'Tiger Love And Turnip Greens (LP-The Twang's The Thang)'
 * 04 May 1982: 'Blueberry Hill'
 * 17 May 1984: 'Movin' N' Groovin'
 * 30 May 1984: 'Hard Times'
 * 09 July 1993: 'Cannonball (LP-Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel)' (Jamie)
 * 16 July 1994 (BFBS): 'The Girl On Death Row' (with Lee Hazlewood)
 * 13 January 1995: 'Mason Dixon Lion (5xCD-Twangin' From Phoenix To LA)' (Bear Family)
 * 13 January 1995: 'I Almost Lost My Mind (5xCD-Twangin' From Phoenix To LA)' (Bear Family)
 * 23 March 1999: plays Phil Everly track from LP produced by Duane
 * 18 April 2000: 'Theme From Dixie (LP-A Million Dollars Worth Of Twang Vol.II)' (Jamie)
 * 24 February 2004: 'Lonesome Road (5xCD-Twangin' From Phoenix To LA)' (Bear Family)
 * 22 June 2004: plays track by Al Casey which imitates Eddy's style: in fact, JP adds that some people believed he was on some of Duane's earlier records