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Link Wray
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Fred Lincoln ‘Link’ Wray Jr (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was a rock and roll guitar player most noted for introducing a new sound for electric guitars in his major hit, the 1958 instrumental “Rumble”, by Link Wray and his Ray Men. Before Rumble, electric guitars were used to produce clean sounds and jazz chords. Wray made a new sound by inventing fuzz-tone, adding feedback, distortion and noise. He also pioneered the power chord.
The menacing sound of “Rumble” (and its title) led to a ban on several radio stations, a rare feat for a song with no lyrics, on the grounds that it glorified ‘juvenile delinquency’. Nevertheless it became a huge hit, not only in the United States, but also Great Britain, where it has been cited as an influence on the The Who, among others. Pete Townshend stated in liner notes for a 1974 Wray album, “He is the king; if it hadn’t been for Link Wray and ‘Rumble,’ I would have never picked up a guitar.” Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan, Neil Young and Bob Dylan have all cited Wray as an influence. He was named as one of the hundred greatest guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, but still has not yet been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is, however, a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
The menacing sound of “Rumble” (and its title) led to a ban on several radio stations, a rare feat for a song with no lyrics, on the grounds that it glorified ‘juvenile delinquency’. Nevertheless it became a huge hit, not only in the United States, but also Great Britain, where it has been cited as an influence on the The Who, among others. Pete Townshend stated in liner notes for a 1974 Wray album, “He is the king; if it hadn’t been for Link Wray and ‘Rumble,’ I would have never picked up a guitar.” Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Marc Bolan, Neil Young and Bob Dylan have all cited Wray as an influence. He was named as one of the hundred greatest guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, but still has not yet been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is, however, a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Top Albums
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The Original Rumble
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Rumble! The Best of Link Wray
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Guitar Preacher: The Polydor Years (Disc 1)
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Link Wray
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Rumble
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Jack the Ripper
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Ace of Spades
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Run Chicken Run
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Deuces Wild
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Shoutbox
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Everett_Ruess wrote:
His version of Girl From The North Country > every other version ever recorded...it should be way higher!
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Wytchhammer wrote:
Deuces Wild is one of the most ripping things I've ever heard. Scary thought considering it was released in 1964.
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KlaY-de-12 wrote:
link wray changed my life
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cookielephant wrote:
link wray is god
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uturnaround wrote:
Link Wray was a genius. That much should go without saying.
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pistol-b wrote:
real monster of rock n roll!
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eppelpai wrote:
great stuff
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PThomasAnderson wrote:
Que tio.
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ukulelelab wrote:
legend
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willywonka091 wrote:
ROCK N' ROOOOOOOOOLL.
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shawnevans wrote:
The more famous version of Rumble was from the 60's.
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betobilly wrote:
moster fuzz
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mandryka wrote:
«If it hadn't been for Link Wray and "Rumble", I would have never picked up a guitar.» - Pete Townshend
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smlpurple wrote:
Love this stuff! Awesome!
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Lobsterdeth wrote:
If it wasn't for him music wouldn't be what it is today. Pay him his due respect, people. Long live Wray.
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shawnevans wrote:
True Definition of the Word "Cool".
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Travis187 wrote:
greate sound !
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Anarchaotical wrote:
this man... is metal.
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AlrightKid wrote:
Even if if he had never recorded anything but Rumble, Link Wray would still deserve a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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johntardsbaby66 wrote:
the most brutal rock and roll ive ever heard.
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Recent Activity
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mishkaness and TerrapinT added Link Wray to their libraries. yesterday evening
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zues connected Link Wray to the group Saccharine Underground. yesterday afternoon
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Protel and dcgoodma1206 added Link Wray to their libraries. yesterday morning
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ElSnarkkos tagged Link Wray with rock, surf, surf rock and one other tag. Wednesday evening
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michaelhucko, RockMaBilly, specialfxlady and 3 other people added Link Wray to their libraries. Wednesday morning
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Ulgan tagged Link Wray with rock and roll and rock. Saturday evening
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m_maruyama added Link Wray to m_maruyama’s library. Saturday evening
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tuRRtuRR tagged Link Wray with hard rock and rock and roll. Saturday afternoon
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alsmackmadam, CrummyLank and valgran added Link Wray to their libraries. Saturday morning
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stevenwolf1 tagged Link Wray with beach music, 60s, 50s and 2 other tags. Friday afternoon
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Groups (39)
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Surf Music
846 members
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Surf Punk
198 members
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Rockabilly
1,496 members
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basically, I just wanted my own group.
574 members
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The Sopranos
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