Remembering 2024’s Music Losses: Duane Eddy

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Here’s someone who got bumped from the top ten due to a December death. That’s doubly sad: sad because someone else passed away; and sad, of course, because they’re both on the list. Get your guitars out and play along with one of the legendary guitarists in music who left us in 2024. Duane Eddy Twang. It means one thing when you’re talking about an old country singer, and quite another when you’re referring to Duane Eddy. His style was called “twang,” even though that term has been re-defined a number of times (for singers and guitarists) over the years. Eddy was one of a kind. Yes, that’s odd to say about someone who was mimicked a million times in subsequent recordings throughout the decades, but it had to start somewhere. Three big guitarists — Eddy, Link Wray (remember his “Rumble,” the only instrumental that’s ever been banned by radio?), and Dick Dale — put a powerful sound in the burgeoning rock and roll music. With hits ranging from “Rebel-Rouser” to the theme from Peter Gunn, Eddy made his mark, and he made it solidly. There’s a line in Bob Seger’s “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” about “all of Chuck’s children are out there, playing his licks.” The same can be said about Duane Eddy. He made playing the A and low E strings cool. Here’s a little trivia for you: Duane Eddy’s second wife was a lady by the name of Miriam Johnson. They divorced in the late 60s, and she married another musician. That musician was Waylon Jennings. You may know her better by her stage name, Jessi Colter. Duane Eddy’s legacy and influence will last forever, even though he’s left us. Duane Eddy Born April 26, 1938, Corning, New York Died April 30, 2024, Franklin, Tennessee (cancer) (age 86) HALLS OF FAME: Rock and Roll; Musicians Duane Eddy performing “Rebel-Rouser” on Letterman: