In Memoriam
Link Wray
May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005 · aged 76
Rock and Roll · Instrumental Rock
If there is a ground zero for heavy metal, punk, and hard rock guitar, it can be traced back to a single instrumental track from 1958: 'Rumble' by Link Wray. Born in North Carolina in 1929, Wray accidentally revolutionized the electric guitar when he poked holes in his amplifier speaker with a pencil to create a distorted, gritty tone. The resulting track, 'Rumble', was so menacing and aggressive that it was banned from several radio stations out of fear it would incite juvenile delinquency—the only instrumental ever banned in the US for such a reason. Wray essentially invented the 'power chord', a technique that became the absolute foundation of modern rock guitar playing. Though he never achieved massive mainstream pop stardom, his raw, swaggering style influenced everyone from Pete Townshend to Jimmy Page. He passed away on November 5, 2005, at the age of 76, leaving behind a distortion-heavy legacy.
Milestones
Rumble, Raw-Hide, Jack the Ripper
Also remembered in 2005
- Chris LeDoux (1948–2005)
- Ibrahim Ferrer (1927–2005)
- Johnnie Johnson (1924–2005)
- Luther Vandross (1951–2005)