Brian May pens personal tribute to Duane Eddy, and reflects on the time Eddy played his Red Special
In recent days, countless guitar greats have paid tribute to Duane Eddy, who passed away last week (April 30) at the age of 86. One such guitar star was Queen's Brian May, who underscored Eddy's influence in a touching Instagram post.
One of the original guitar heroes, Eddy left an indelible mark on a generation of riffers in the late '50s and early '60s, thanks to hits like Rebel Rouser, and his take on the Peter Gunn theme.
In the post, May remembers meeting the guitarist in Nashville in 2017 – an encounter that saw Eddy pick up May’s iconic Red Special guitar.
Citing him as “an inspiration and hero to me and my dad” – the latter of whom famously helped his son build the Red Special guitar – May discussed how his “revolutionary” approach to the instrument breathed fresh, exciting life into what the humble electric guitar was capable of.
“Rebel Rouser was one of the very first solo rock guitar hits ever,” says May. “Duane's sound was distinctive, original, and completely cutting-edge.
“His style involved bending low strings of his guitar, an earthy, exciting innovation. The first note of the Rebel Rouser riff is a low F# on the bottom string of his guitar, hit, bent up to G, and back down again before the second note – the low E – is hit.
“It might sound like nothing out of the ordinary in these days of a million flashy electric guitar players, but at that time it was revolutionary – freeing the guitar from its former stiffness, and making it talk. For me and thousands of other kids at the time, it was joyous and inspiring. We all wanted that deep 'twang.’
The track, which Eddy co-wrote with Lee Hazlewood, was released in 1958, with Eddy's twangy guitar the dazzling centerpiece to the instrumental.
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It was loosely inspired by an old folk song, Who’s Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet, and tracked with a Gretsch 6120 played through a Magnatone amp.
“To me,” May’s post continues, “it's thrilling that he played my homemade guitar, all those years later. Legend! So sad to lose you.”
May also shared a series of pictures of himself and the change-making guitarist locked in an embrace. Taken backstage at a Queen show in 2017, May's admiration for Eddy is visibly etched across his face.
Having created Red Special replicas with esteemed luthier John Diggins – who died in January – and even released a Barbie-esque hot pink version last year, May is now working with Gibson.
While there have been no grand reveals as to what that means for the future of the Red Special, the news has certainly kickstarted the rumor/speculation mill...
