Musical Instruments Museum

Guitarist Duane Eddy created a lasting influence on rock and roll music.

Eddy began playing in Phoenix bands in the mid-1950s. By experimenting with melodies in the low register of the guitar and by adding tremolo, vibrato, and echo effects, he developed a "twangy" tone that would launch him to stardom.

With cowriter and producer Lee Hazlewood, Eddy scored an international smash hit with the 1958 instrumental "Rebel 'Rouser." A long list of chart-topping successes followed, popularizing the electric guitar as a solo instrument in rock and roll, and influencing notable musicians such as George Harrison, John Fogerty, and Bruce Springsteen. A Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Eddy has sold more than one hundred million records around the world. He continues to record and tour.

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