Link Wray may not be a household name. He may may not even be well-known among "serious" rock fans. He is seldom played on the radio anymore, only had two top-40 hits in his prime, and quite possibly will never be elected to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.
Nontheless, Link Wray's contribution to rock was a significant one, and one that continues to endure to this day. On his biggest hit, "Rumble", an instrumental which reached #16 in 1958, he singlehandedly popularized the power chord; a staple of rock music that sustained the careers of everyone from the Kinks and The Who through Cream and heavy metal. Wray gets credit for the power chord's very invention; modern rock guitar would be inconceivable without it.
This crucial contribution to rock's evolution is often overlooked; most analysis of rock's evolution draws a tidy line from blues to heavy metal. Wray wasn't a blues artist; he was firmly rock 'n' roll, in the traditional 1950's sense. However, the mutation of blues makes a stop at Wray before travelling across the ocean to the blues-influenced British Invasion guitarists. Pete Townshend credits Link Wray and "Rumble" with inspiring him to play guitar in the first place.
Part Native American, the son of preachers in the Holiness Church, Fred Lincoln Wray Jr.'s career dates back to the very end of the pre-rock era, making his emergence roughly simultaneous with Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Lee Lewis. His earliest recordings are from 1955, as a member of Lucky Wray and the Palomino Ranch Hands, who recorded a few sides for Starday records, located in Texas. Lucky Wray and the Palomino Ranch Hands were originally based in Wray's home state of North Carolina (Wray's birthyear has been reported as both 1929 and 1935 in the town of Dunn, NC; the former date is probably more accurate). The band was a hellbent country outfit, not unlike any number of rough pre-rockabilly outfits, and included his brother Vernon "Lucky" Wray on vocals, brother Doug Wray on drums, Shorty Horton on bass, and Link on guitar. With the help of some local songwriters they put together a solid set of hillbilly proto-rock which gained them enough local notice that by the end of 1955 they relocated to Washington DC; their first EP was released on the local Key label.
Vern "Lucky" Wray got some recognition as a singer, and subsequently recorded some solo sides for Cameo records; undaunted, Link, Doug, and Shorty contined to rattle the walls with their unkempt hillbilly country, often working on instrumental tunes in the absence of Vern. Link had contracted tuberculosis in the Korean War which had cost him a lung; on his doctor's orders, he avoided singing much, despite an adequate voice, and instead focused on finding voice through his guitar playing. It was during 1956-1957, with Vern often unavailable for singing duties, that Link Wray's signature style of playing developed.
Article comments
1 - Rob
Another great overview. Once again, I'm interested in hearing music by an artist I knew little about. Thanks!
2 - uao
Thanks Rob.
I should probably have mentioned that many of Wray's riffs may be familiar; "Rumble" was in Pulp Fiction (but not on the CD), and "Jack In The Box" was in Breathless, plus others have been used in a lot of films.
3 - Al
Great write up. An old friend of mine was heavily into rockabilly, surf rock, and local garage bands. Alot of these guys attributed their love of guitar to Link Wray.
4 - uao
Thank you too, Al. I heard Wray for the first time after I had been into rock music for a pretty long time; when I heard "Rumble", 25 years after it was recorded, it spun my head around. Here was the ultimate distillation of all, and not only was Wray equally master of the central-nervous-system approach to guitar as Jimmy Page was, his band had a swinging, jazzy, country danger to them, too.
The Robert Gorden years are quite different in their own way, recasting Wray as rockabilly punk; hats off to Wray for re-defining rockabilly punk guitar forever. Not only did Gordon learn something, so did the Cramps and Gun Club.
He was the real deal; a revelation for anyone checking him out for the first time.
5 - The Duke
If you are ever in the Pizza Hut at Gloucester Point Virginia, they still have rumble in the juke box. Amazing.
The Wray "3-track chicken shack" was a D.C. area haunt for quite a few folks back in the late 60's and early 70's.
I don't why, but I bought that 1971 release when it came out. It was pretty good, got a lot of local write up and had drive.
I think the famous Washington D.C. underground paper (the Quicksilver Times) published an extensive article on Link.
The City paper in D.C. also ran an impressive historical piece on the Southeast DC music scene of the 60's
The music scene of southeast D.C. in the '60s was hillbilly driven. Lot's of Nashville stars came up in that area. Roy Clark, Jimmy Dean... eventually Danny Gatton, and Roy Buccanan surfaced... the D.C. scene was pretty cool, but lacked the PR to really get it (or the artists) off the ground. However many artists came from around the area, but migrated to the locals which would support them and where the industry was located. It might still be the same now, but with the advent of digital tech, a lot can be done in the comfort of your own home, without relocating to LA and banging on studio doors.
and yes I am a geezer who has invaded your space. Sorry (not really).
6 - uao
Geezers always welcome, Duke, especially when they bring colorful and interesting anecdotes such as yours.
Thanks!
7 - Tube
Uao, which scene in Pulp Fiction was his song?
8 - uao
"Rumble" is in the Jackrabbit Slims' scene during the "uncomfortable silence" moment.
It is included in the "collectors edition" CD.
9 - Gary
You should review artist CESAR. Please go to his website
He is a tru amazing talent. (Frank Sinatra, Paco de Lucia, Al Dimeola, recording his new album w/ American Idol Star Mario Vazquez, etc)
10 - Alisha
Does anybody know of his aleged death this past week? Rumor or truth...? No news here in U.S.A.
11 - uao
I first got wind something was up a few days ago when someone googled my blog via the keywords "link wray dead", but I found no news then.
Now the news is everywhere, including here.
Link was a national treasure; it's a sad loss.
12 - Randy Dash
Informative peice! Link Rules