Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel is the debut album by the guitarist Duane Eddy. It was released in 1958 on Jamie Records, as JLP-3000. There were five charting singles and a B-side of an additional charting single taken from this album.
Jamie Records released the album again in 1999 on compact disc, as Jamie 4007-2, with three bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are, in order, "Up and Down", "The Walker" and "Mason Dixon Lion".
Background After releasing a couple of successful singles, Eddy released his first album, Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel on January 9, 1958. It is a mix of early rock & roll, swing, country and blues, and contains several covers as well as original compositions. He and the band known as The Rebels — Al Casey on rhythm guitar, his wife Corki Casey also on rhythm guitar, Steve Douglas on saxophone, Buddy Wheeler on bass guitar, Mike Bermani and Bob Taylor on drums — who along with several guest musicians were joined by The Sharps (later known as The Rivingtons), who contributed non-lyrical vocals, whoops and hollers. The album spent 82 weeks on the Billboard charts during 1959-1960, reaching a high of #5. Five singles released both before and after the album was released, charted in the Billboard Hot 100. Eddy would go on to release nine more charting albums and 26 more charting singles in the next five years.
Critical reception MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide called the album "one of the keystones of modern rock guitar."
Track listing All songs written by Duane Eddy and Lee Hazlewood unless noted. "Lonesome Road" (Gene Austin, Nathaniel Shilkret) — 3:09 "I Almost Lost My Mind" (Ivory Joe Hunter) — 2:18 "Rebel Rouser" — 2:23 "Three-30-Blues" - 3:33 "Cannonball" — 1:55 "The Lonely One" — 1:42 "Detour" (Paul Westmoreland) — 2:12 "Stalkin'" — 2:27 "Ramrod" (Al Casey) — 1:42 "Anytime" (Herbert "Happy" Lawson) — 2:19 "Moovin' 'N' Groovin'" — 2:05 "Loving You" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) — 2:10
Personnel The Rebels Duane Eddy – guitar Al Casey – electric bass, piano, rhythm guitar Steve Douglas – saxophone Corki Casey O'Dell – rhythm guitar Buddy Wheeler – electric bass Bob Taylor – drums Mike Bermani – drums
Guest musicians Plas Johnson – saxophone Gil Bernal – saxophone Ike Clanton – bass guitar Jimmy Simmons – upright bass Jimmy Wilcox – bass guitar Donnie Owens – rhythm guitar The Sharps – backing vocals
Technical Lee Hazlewood – producer Lester Sill – producer Jack Miller – engineer Eddie Brackett – engineer Greg Vaughn – mastering Tom Moulton – mastering Ben Demotto – liner notes
Chart positions Year Title U.S. Billboard 200UK Albums ChartLabel and catalogue 1958Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel56Jamie JLPS-3000
Singles Year TitlesBoth sides from that album except where indicated Chart positions BillboardCashboxUK 1958 "Moovin' N' Groovin' "b/w "Up and Down" (From $1,000,000 Worth of Twang, Volume II) 7254- "Rebel Rouser"b/w "Stalkin'" 6719 "Ramrod"b/w "The Walker" (Non-LP track) 2733- "Cannonball"b/w "Mason Dixon Lion" (Non-LP track) 151622 1959 "The Lonely One"b/w "Detour" 2319-
References
External links Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel Duane Eddy | Way Back Attack