Duane Eddy, ‘Peter Gunn’ Guitarist, Dead at 86

Duane Eddy, the Grammy-winning guitarist known for hits like “Rebel-‘Rouser” and “Peter Gunn,” has died. Eddy passed away of cancer at the Williamson Health hospital in Franklin, Tennessee, on Tuesday, April 30, his wife, Deed Abbate, told the Associated Press. Eddy was 86.

“Duane inspired a generation of guitarists the world over with his unmistakeable signature ‘Twang’ sound,” a representative told Variety. “He was the first rock and roll guitar god, a truly humble and incredible human being. He will be sorely missed.”

Born in Corning, New York in April 1938, Eddy began playing guitar when he was just 5, moving on to the lap steel at 9 and beginning to perform on local radio shows. After moving with his family to Arizona when he was 13, and acquiring his red Gretsch axe, Eddy met DJ Lee Hazlewood, who cut a single with Eddy and his friend Jimmy Delbridge. In 1957, when he was just 19, Eddy issued his first solo single, “Movin’ n’ Groovin’,” which made the lower reaches of the national Hot 100.

The following year, Eddy released “Rebel Rouser,” which DJ and dance show host Dick Clark began playing on his ABC network show American Bandstand. The single peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been streamed over 28 million times on Spotify, per the Independent. He released his debut album, Have ‘Twangy’ Guitar Will Travel, later that same year.

Throughout his decades-long career, Eddy sold more than 100 million records worldwide and secured 27 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. “Forty Miles of Bad Road” peaked at No. 9 in 1959, according to Billboard, with “Because They’re Young” reaching No. 4 in 1960. He also had 10 albums chart on the Billboard 200. He quickly became known as the King of Twang, a style he said was influenced by musicians including Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Fogerty, and others.

Eddy’s instrumentals made their way to the screen. In 1959, he scored yet another hit with his version of Henry Mancini’s theme song to the private-eye television show Peter Gunn. He also worked on music for movies including 1960’s Because They’re Young, the 1960 release Pepe, and 1961’s Gidget Goes Hawaiian.

Eddy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and won his first-ever Grammy nomination in 1987 as a featured artist on The Art of Noise’s remake of “Peter Gunn” in the best rock instrumental performance category. He went on to win another Grammy as a featured artist on Doc Watson’s “Thunder Road/Sugarfoot Rag” for best country instrumental performance.