Born in Corning, New York, he began playing the guitar at the age of five. In 1951 his family moved to Tucson, and then to Coolidge, Arizona. At the age of 16 he obtained a Chet Atkins model Gretsch guitar, and formed a duo, Jimmy and Duane, with his friend Jimmy Delbridge (who later recorded as Jimmy Dell). While performing at local radio station KCKY they met disc jockey Lee Hazlewood, who produced the duo's single, "Soda Fountain Girl", recorded and released in 1955 in Phoenix. Hazlewood then produced Sanford Clark's 1956 hit, "The Fool", featuring guitarist Al Casey, while Eddy and Delbridge performed and appeared on radio stations in Phoenix before joining Buddy Long's Western Melody Boys, playing country music in and around the city.
Eddy devised a technique of playing lead on his guitar's bass strings to produce a low, reverberant "twangy" sound. In November 1957, Eddy recorded an instrumental, "Movin' n' Groovin'", co-written by Eddy and Hazlewood. As the Phoenix studio had no echo chamber, Hazlewood bought a 2,000 gallon water storage tank which he used as an echo chamber to accentuate the "twangy" guitar sound. In 1958, Eddy signed a recording contract with Lester Sill and Lee Hazlewood to record in Phoenix at the Audio Recorders studio. Sill and Hazlewood leased the tapes of all the singles and albums to the Philadelphia-based Jamie Records.
"Movin' n' Groovin'" reached number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1958; the opening riff, borrowed from Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," was itself copied a few years later by The Beach Boys on "Surfin' U.S.A.". For the follow-up, "Rebel 'Rouser", the record featured overdubbed saxophone by Los Angeles session musician Gil Bernal, and yells and handclaps by doo-wop group The Rivingtons. The tune became Eddy's breakthrough hit, reaching number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It sold over one million copies, earning Eddy his first gold disc.
Eddy had a succession of hit records over the next few years, and his band members, including Steve Douglas, saxophonist Jim Horn and keyboard player Larry Knechtel would go on to work as part of Phil Spector's Wrecking Crew. According to writer Richie Unterberger, "The singles - 'Peter Gunn,' 'Cannonball,' 'Shazam,' and 'Forty Miles of Bad Road' were probably the best - also did their part to help keep the raunchy spirit of rock & roll alive, during a time in which it was in danger of being watered down." On January 9, 1959, Eddy’s debut album, Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel, was released, reaching number 5, and remaining on the album charts for 82 weeks. Eddy's biggest hit came with the theme to the movie Because They're Young in 1960, which featured a string arrangement, and reached a chart peak of number 4 in America and number 2 in the UK in September 1960. It became his second million selling disc. Eddy's records were equally successful in the UK, and in 1960, readers of the UK's NME voted him World's Number One Musical Personality, ousting Elvis Presley.
In 1960 Eddy signed a contract direct with Jamie Records, bypassing Sill and Hazlewood. This caused a temporary rift between Eddy and Hazlewood. The result was that for the duration of his contract with Jamie, Eddy produced his own singles and albums.
"Duane Eddy and the Rebels" became a frequent act on The Dick Clark Show.
During the 1960s Eddy launched an acting career, appearing in such films as A Thunder of Drums, The Wild Westerners, Kona Coast, The Savage Seven, and two appearances on the television series Have Gun–Will Travel. He married singer Jessi Colter in 1962 and that same year he signed a three-year contract with Paul Anka's production company, Camy, whose recordings were issued on the RCA Victor label. It was in the early days of recording in RCA's studios that he renewed contact with Lee Hazlewood, who became involved in a number of his RCA released singles and albums. Eddy's 1962 single release, "(Dance With) The Guitar Man", co-written with Hazlewood, earned his third gold disc by selling a million records.
In the 1970s, he produced album projects for Phil Everly and Waylon Jennings. In 1975, a collaboration with hit songwriter Tony Macaulay and former founding member of The Seekers, Keith Potger, led to another UK top ten record, "Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar". The single, "You Are My Sunshine", featuring Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, hit the country charts in 1977. He also recorded an album of completely acoustic music, Songs of Our Heritage.
In 1986, Eddy recorded with Art of Noise, remaking his 1960 version of Henry Mancini's "Peter Gunn". The song was a Top Ten hit around the world, ranking number 1 on Rolling Stone's dance chart for six weeks that summer. "Peter Gunn" won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental of 1986. It also gave Eddy the distinction of being the only instrumentalist to have had Top 10 hit singles in four different decades in the UK. (Although his 1975 top 10 hit featured a female vocal group).
The following year, Duane Eddy, was released on Capitol. Several of the tracks were produced by Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, Ry Cooder, and Art of Noise. Guest artists and musicians included John Fogerty, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ry Cooder, James Burton, David Lindley, Phil Pickett, Steve Cropper, and original Rebels, Larry Knechtel and Jim Horn. The album included a cover of Paul McCartney's 1979 instrumental, "Rockestra Theme". In 1992 Eddy recorded a duet with Hank Marvin on Marvin's album Into the Light, with a cover version of The Chantays' 1963 hit "Pipeline".
In the spring of 1994, Eddy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Eddy's "Rebel Rouser" was featured that same year in Forrest Gump. Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers used "The Trembler", a track written by Eddy and Ravi Shankar. Also in 1994, Eddy teamed up with Carl Perkins and The Mavericks to contribute "Matchbox" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization. Eddy was the lead guitarist on Foreigner's 1995 hit "Until the End of Time", which reached the top ten on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. In 1996, Eddy played guitar on Hans Zimmer's soundtrack for the film Broken Arrow.
On 5 April 2000, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, the title "Titan of Twang" was bestowed upon Eddy by the mayor.
In 2004, Eddy was presented with the Guitar Player Magazine "Legend Award". Eddy was the second recipient of the award, the first being presented to Les Paul. Among those who have acknowledged his influence are George Harrison, Dave Davies, Hank Marvin, the Ventures, John Entwistle, Bruce Springsteen, Adrian Belew, Bill Nelson, and Mark Knopfler.
In October 2010, Eddy returned to the UK at a sold out Royal Festival Hall in London, at which he was given a standing ovation before he had played a note or spoken a word. Following the concert an equally appreciative ovation was bestowed upon him.
This success promulgated the subsequent album for Mad Monkey/EMI, which was produced by Richard Hawley in Sheffield, England. The album, Road Trip, was released on 20 June 2011. Mojo placed the album at number 37 on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011." Eddy performed at the Glastonbury Festival on 26 June 2011.
Eddy was the first rock and roll guitarist to have a signature model guitar. In 1960, Guild Guitars introduced the Duane Eddy Models DE-400 and the deluxe DE-500. A limited edition of the DE-500 model was reissued briefly in 1983 to mark Eddy's 25th anniversary in the recording industry. The Gretsch "Chet Atkins 6120" model has long been associated with Eddy. In 1997, Gretsch Guitars started production of the Duane Eddy Signature Model, the Gretsch 6120-DE. In 2004, The Gibson Custom Art and Historic Division introduced the new Duane Eddy Signature Gibson guitar. A new Gretsch G6120DE Duane Eddy Signature model was released in Spring 2011.
Awards
Number One World Musical Personality in the NME Poll (UK: 1960)
Grammy Winner - Best Rock Instrumental - "Peter Gunn" (1986)
Grammy Nomination - Best Country Instrumental - (Doc Watson album) (1992)
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member (1994)
Rockwalk Induction (1997)
Presented with "Chetty" award by Chet Atkins (2000)
Guitar Player Magazine Legend Award (2004)
Musicians Hall of Fame Member (2008)
Mojo Icon Award (UK: 2010)
Pepe
Duane Eddy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(He’s a bird)
A very funny joker
(He’s a bird)
But when he jokes my honey
(He’s a dog)
His jokin’ ain’t so funny
(What a dog)
(He’s a bird dog)
Johnny sings a love song
(Like a bird)
He sings the sweetest love song
(Ya ever heard)
But when he sings to my gal
(What a howl)
To me he’s just a wolf dog
(On the prowl)
Johnny wants to fly away and puppy-love my baby
(He’s a bird dog)
Hey, bird dog get away from my quail
Hey, bird dog you’re on the wrong trail
Bird dog you better leave my lovely-dove alone
Hey, bird dog get away from my chick
Hey, bird dog you better get away quick
Bird dog you better find a chicken little of your own
Johnny kissed the teacher
(He’s a bird)
He tiptoed up to reach her
(He’s a bird)
Well he’s the teacher’s pet now
(He’s a dog)
What he wants he can get now
(What a dog)
He even made the teacher let him sit next to my baby
(He’s a bird dog)
Hey, bird dog get away from my quail
Hey, bird dog you’re on the wrong trail
Bird dog you better leave my lovely-dove alone
Hey, bird dog get away from my chick
Hey, bird dog you better get away quick
Bird dog you better find a chicken little of your own
He’s a bird
He’s a dog
He’s a bird
The song "Pepe" by Duane Eddy is a playful and lighthearted take on the classic trope of a love triangle. The lyrics describe Johnny, the "bird dog," who is trying to steal the singer's girlfriend away. He is depicted initially as a joker, but as the song progresses, it becomes clear that his intentions are not entirely innocent. Despite his charming love songs, his real nature is that of a "wolf dog on the prowl." He even goes as far as kissing the teacher to get to the singer's girlfriend, indicating his relentless pursuit.
The chorus is a plea to Johnny to "get away" and "find a chicken little of your own." The singer has had enough of Johnny's antics and wants him to leave their relationship alone. The lyrics cleverly use bird and dog imagery to describe Johnny's two-faced nature. He is a "bird" when he sings his love songs, but a "dog" when he tries to steal the singer's girlfriend. Overall, the song is a catchy and fun take on a common theme in pop music.
Line by Line Meaning
Johnny is a joker
He's a silly guy
(He's a bird)
He's carefree
A very funny joker
He's hilarious
But when he jokes my honey
But when he flirts with my girlfriend
(He's a dog)
He's disloyal
His jokin' ain't so funny
His teasing is annoying
Johnny is a joker that's a'tryin' to steal my baby
Johnny is trying to steal my girlfriend
(He's a bird dog)
He's a flirt
Johnny sings a love song
Johnny serenades
(Like a bird)
Gracefully
He sings the sweetest love song
He sings beautifully
(Ya ever heard)
Have you heard before?
But when he sings to my gal
But when he sings to my girlfriend
(What a howl)
What a terrible noise
To me he's just a wolf dog
To me he's a player
(On the prowl)
Looking for trouble
Johnny wants to fly away and puppy-love my baby
Johnny wants to run away with my girlfriend
(He's a bird dog)
He's a player
Hey, bird dog get away from my quail
Hey, you player, leave my girlfriend alone
Hey, bird dog you're on the wrong trail
Hey, you're going after the wrong girl
Bird dog you better leave my lovely-dove alone
Stop flirting with my girlfriend, you player
Hey, bird dog get away from my chick
Hey, you player, leave my girlfriend alone
Hey, bird dog you better get away quick
Hey, leave fast
Bird dog you better find a chicken little of your own
Find another girl, leave mine alone
Johnny kissed the teacher
Johnny kissed his teacher
(He's a bird)
He's carefree
He tiptoed up to reach her
He approached her quietly
(He's a bird)
He's carefree
Well he's the teacher's pet now
Now he's the teacher's favorite
(He's a dog)
He's disloyal
What he wants he can get now
He can get whatever he wants now
(What a dog)
What a player
He even made the teacher let him sit next to my baby
He even made the teacher let him sit next to my girlfriend
(He's a bird dog)
He's a player
He's a bird
He's carefree
He's a dog
He's disloyal
He's a bird
He's carefree
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: HANS WITTSTATT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1961 {January 29th} covered instrumental version of "Pepe"* by Duane Eddy peaked at #2 {for 1 week} on United Kingdom's Official Top 50 Singles chart, for the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "Are You Lonesome Tonight" by Elvis Presley...
Also at the time, "Pepe" was at #20 on the U.S. Billboard's Top 100 chart, the following week it would peak at #18 {for 1 week}...
Between 1958 and 1986 the Corning, New York native had twenty-four records on the U.K. Singles chart, nine made the Top 10 with his two biggest hits both peaking at #2, the above "Pepe" and "Because Their Young" for one week in September of 1960...
One of his twenty-four charted records was a duet with The Art of Noise, a re-mix of "Peter Gunn", it peaked at #8 in 1986...
Duane Eddy celebrates his 83rd birthday in three months on April 26th, 2021...
* The original vocal version is from the 1960 movie of the same name, with vocals by Shirley Jones...
And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the U.K. Singles Top 10 on January 29th, 1961:
At #3. "Poetry In Motion" by Johnny Tillotson
#4. "Sailor" by Petula Clark
#5. "Portrait of My Love" by Matt Monro
#6. "You're Sixteen" by Johnny Burnette
#7. "Counting Teardrops" by Emile Ford & The Checkmates
#8. "I Love You" by Cliff Richard & The Shadows
#9. "Rubber Ball" by Bobby Vee
#10. "Buona Sera" by Mr. Acker Bilk
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1961 {January 29th} covered instrumental version of "Pepe"* by Duane Eddy peaked at #2 {for 1 week} on United Kingdom's Official Top 50 Singles chart, for the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "Are You Lonesome Tonight" by Elvis Presley...
Also at the time, "Pepe" was at #20 on the U.S. Billboard's Top 100 chart, the following week it would peak at #18 {for 1 week}...
Between 1958 and 1986 the Corning, New York native had twenty-four records on the U.K. Singles chart, nine made the Top 10 with his two biggest hits both peaking at #2, the above "Pepe" and "Because Their Young" for one week in September of 1960...
One of his twenty-four charted records was a duet with The Art of Noise, a re-mix of "Peter Gunn", it peaked at #8 in 1986...
Duane Eddy celebrates his 83rd birthday in three months on April 26th, 2021...
* The original vocal version is from the 1960 movie of the same name, with vocals by Shirley Jones...
And from the 'For What It's Worth' department, the remainder of the U.K. Singles Top 10 on January 29th, 1961:
At #3. "Poetry In Motion" by Johnny Tillotson
#4. "Sailor" by Petula Clark
#5. "Portrait of My Love" by Matt Monro
#6. "You're Sixteen" by Johnny Burnette
#7. "Counting Teardrops" by Emile Ford & The Checkmates
#8. "I Love You" by Cliff Richard & The Shadows
#9. "Rubber Ball" by Bobby Vee
#10. "Buona Sera" by Mr. Acker Bilk
@allumst
Brilliant...what a blast from the past..Havent heard this for forty years!!
@jimcrawford5039
Marvellous! Takes me back to my young days!
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1960 {November 9th} Duane Eddy performed "Pepe" on the late Dick Clark's 'American Bandstand'... One month later on December 19th it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #18 and spent 12 weeks on the Top 100... It reached #2 on the United Kingdom's Singles chart... It was the theme song for the movie "Pepe" starring Cantinflas, the film had its world premier on December 21st, 1960 in NYC... R.I.P. Mr. Clark {1929 -2012} and Cantinflas {1911-1993}...
@bearmanz
A nice shot of the "Especially For You" Lp cover. The featured song, "Pepe" was originally released as a 45 rpm in 1960, with the B side, "Lost Friend". Both songs were later included on Duane's 1962 Lp, "$1,000,000 Worth of Twang", Vol. 2
@vincentboes9719
Over the years I've been very busy playing Guitar's of different types. When I met Duane and Jimmy Dell I was on top of the world. I'm very glad to meet the both of these fine gentleman. Vincent Boes
@annblack8115
great song brings back memories of my childhood
@MrRobangelo
This was the first record I ever bought. (age 9)...........it blew me away. ....when I found out that we had the same birthday (april 26).....I nearly died.....
@chairmanphil
pity there wasnt a video of this i remember seeing duane on tv doing this he looked as happy as all the dancers!
@raymondmalcuit8361
This Song Went To Number 18 On The Billboard Hot 100 Chart In 1961.