For many reaching the state of teenagehood during the late 1950s, in the temporal space between Elvis and the Beatles, the throb of Duane Eddy’s electric guitar – deep, dark and, above all, twangy – represented the wordless evocation of American dreams, the expression of a yearning for blue jeans, neon lights, candyfloss, and cars with chrome tailfins.
Eddy, who has died aged 86, exploited the popularity of instrumental music in that era to create a string of hits, which started in 1958 with Rebel-Rouser and went on to include Peter Gunn, Shazam, Forty Miles of Bad Road and Because They’re Young.
