Everyday Creation
Everyday Creation is about purpose, awe and good vibrations. The show's title refers to three types of creation: The ways we express ourselves (for example, with art, music and so many other pursuits fueled by purpose and passion); the parts of life that fill us with awe (birth, death, love, the big picture); and our personal power to create our best possible lives while also making the world a better place. Here, you’ll encounter interviews, essays and some episodes created simply for information and fun. I'm your host Kate Jones, welcoming you to Everyday Creation.
Everyday Creation
Guitarist Duane "Rebel Rouser" Eddy Influenced Hendrix, Springsteen and Many Others
Guitarist Duane Eddy, whose signature sound was known as twang, began playing guitar at age five and later became an early rock music influencer.
John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival referred to him as "the first rock and roll guitar god."
Eddy recorded "Rebel Rouser" in 1958. The song, which really shows off that signature twang, reached number six on Billboard's Hot 100. His highest charting song was "Because They're Young," which peaked at number four.
This episode's thumbnail photo is of Eddy performing in 2018. It's attributed to Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0. In the chapters, you'll see a Duane Eddy trading card from 1960. It was one of a series of recording artist cards issued by the gum manufacturer Frank C. Fleer Corporation. Both images are available on Wikimedia Commons.
To hear "Rebel Rouser," you can go to this video of Eddy performing with Paul Shaffer's band on "Late Night with David Letterman" in 1985. The comments are great. Here's one of them: "As soon as you hear that guitar you know who it is. An American legend. May he rest in peace."
To hear "These Boots Are Made For Walking," which Eddy recorded with his producer-songwriter Lee Hazlewood, you can go to this video.
This tribute is one of 41 stories that Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime journalist, has written and recorded in honor of the music notables who passed away in 2024. He's written tributes for other years as well. You can listen to the ones from 2023 on Everyday Creation. We'll have the 2022 tributes available later this year.
Sheldon also is the creator of Song of the Day, a story that he sends by email to a list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Audible, iHeart and Spotify.
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Sheldon:
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When Duane Eddy started playing the guitar at
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age 5,
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little did he know he would become one
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of the most influential
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guitarists
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of the early rock era.
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He had 16 top-40 singles between 1958
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and 1963.
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He had 27
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top 100 hits in his career.
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He did it without using his voice.
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He was serious when in a 1986
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interview, he said, "One of my biggest contributions
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to the music business is not singing."
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Eddy died April 30 in Franklin, Tennessee, from
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cancer.
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He was 86.
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The Song of the Day is paying tribute
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to the singers, songwriters, and musicians who died
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in 2024.
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Eddy influenced the second generation of guitar players
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like Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen and George Harrison.
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John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival
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on the Rhino Records website
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called Eddy "the first rock and roll guitar
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god." Eddy's guitar sound became known as twang.
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Most of his early albums had twang in
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the title.
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He mastered a distinctive
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sound based on the premise that a guitarist's
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bass strings
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sounded better on tape than the high ones,
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according to NPR's
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obit.
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Many of his songs,
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like "Peter Gunn" and "Because They're Young,"
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became themes for television
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and movies.
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He recorded
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"Rebel Rouser" in 1958.
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He recorded it with his producer-songwriter
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Lee Hazlewood
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of "These Boots Are Made For Walking" fame.
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The song reached number six on Billboard's Hot
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100.
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"Because They're Young"
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is the only song that did better,
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reaching number four.
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Eddy's popularity
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faded by the mid-1960s,
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though he would have a couple of successful
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comebacks.
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He mostly retired by the 1980s,
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living off his royalties.
Kate:
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That was Song of the Day creator Sheldon
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Zoldan,
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and I'm Kate Jones, host of Everyday Creation.
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Thank you for joining us today.
