Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and vocalist who first came to popularity in the late 1950s.
Building on the overdriven, distorted electric guitar sound of early electric blues records, his 1958 instrumental hit "Rumble" by Link Wray and his Ray Men introduced "the power chord, the major modus operandi of modern rock guitarists,"[1] making possible "punk and heavy rock."[2] Rolling Stone placed Wray at number 45 of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
Early life[]
Wray was born in Dunn, North Carolina, to Fred Lincoln Wray,Sr. and his wife, Lillian M. Coats.[4][5]
Wray served in the US Army during the Korean War and contracted tuberculosis which laid him up in a hospital for a year. His stay concluded with the removal of a lung, which to doctors meant he would never be able to sing again.[6]
Career[]
After his initial hits, Wray's career had periods of retirement followed by renewed popularity, particularly in Europe. To escape the "trap" of big business involvement in music, he began recording albums using a three-track studio he converted from a chicken shack.[6]
While living in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1970s, Wray was introduced to Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist John Cipollina by bassist James Hutchinson.[7] He subsequently formed a band initially featuring special guest Cipollina along with the rhythm section from Cipollina's band Copperhead, bassist Hutch Hutchinson, and drummer David Weber. They opened for the band Lighthouse at The Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles from May 15–19, 1974.[8] He later did numerous concerts and radio broadcasts in the Bay Area including KSAN (FM) and the Bill Graham venue, Winterland Ballroom with Les Lizama later replacing Hutchinson on bass.[9] He toured and recorded two albums with retro-rockabilly artist Robert Gordon in the late 1970s.[10] The 1980s to the present day saw a large number of reissues as well as new material. One member of his band in the 1980s, drummer Anton Fig, later became drummer in the CBS Orchestra on the Late Show with David Letterman. In 1994, he played on four songs of the album Chatterton by French rocker Alain Bashung.[11]
Later life[]
[1][2]The grave of Link Wray in the crypt of the Christian's Church in Copenhagen.
Wray moved to Denmark in the 1980s after marrying his wife Olive, a Danish student who had been studying Native American culture. He spent his last years on a Danish island, touring frequently until he died of heart failure at 76 in 2005 at his home in Copenhagen. He was buried in the crypt of the Christian's Church, in the Copenhagen borough of Christianshavn.[12]
Legacy[]
Jack Rose cited Wray as an influence,[13] as did Iggy Pop.[14]
Discography[]
Singles[]
| Release date | A-side | B-side | Label | Catalog number | US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1958 | "Rumble" | "The Swag" | Cadence | 1347 | 16 |
| January 1959 | "Raw-Hide" | "The Dixie-Doodle" | Epic | 5-9300 | 23 |
| June 1959 | "Comanche" | "Lillian" | Epic | 5-9321 | |
| October 1959 | "Slinky" | "Rendezvous" | Epic | 5-9343 | |
| 1959 | "Vendetta" (as Ray Vernon) | "Roughshod" | "Scottie" | NRS-3020 | |
| March 1960 | "Trail Of The Lonesome Pine" | "Golden Strings" (based On A Chopin Etude) | Epic | 5-9361 | |
| October 1960 | "Ain't That Lovin' You Babe" | "Mary Ann" | Epic | 5-9419 | |
| July 1961 | "Jack The Ripper" | "The Stranger" | Rumble | 1000 | 64 |
| August 1961 | "El Toro" | "Tijuana" | Epic | 5-9454 | |
| 1962 | "Big City After Dark" | "Hold It" | (as Ray Vernon & the Raymen) | Mala | |
| March 1962 | "Big City Stomp" | "Poppin' Popeye" | Trans Atlas | ||
| March 1963 | "Rumble Mambo" | "Hambone" | Okeh | 4-7166 | |
| April 1963 | "The Black Widow" | "Jack The Ripper" | Swan | S-4137 | |
| September 1963 | "Week End" | "Turnpike U.S.A." | Swan | S-4154 | |
| November 1963 | "Run Chicken Run" | "The Sweeper" | Swan | S-4163 | |
| March 1964 | "The Shadow Knows" | "My Alberta" | Swan | S-4171 | |
| July 1964 | "Deuces Wild" | "Summer Dream" | Swan | S-4187 | |
| February 1965 | "Good Rockin' Tonight" | "I'll Do Anything For You" | Swan | S-4201 | |
| 1965 | "I'm Branded" | "Hang On" | Swan | S-4211 | |
| 1965 | "Girl from the North Country" | "You Hurt Me So" | Swan | S-4232 | |
| 1965 | "Ace of Spades" | "The Fuzz" | Swan | S-4239 | |
| 1966 | "The Batman Theme" (with Bobby Howard) | "Alone" | Swan | S-4244 | |
| 1966 | "Ace of Spades" | "Hidden Charms" | Swan | S-4261 | |
| 1967 | "Let the Good Times Roll" (with Kathy Lynn) | "Soul Train" | Swan | S-4273 | |
| 1967 | "Jack The Ripper" | "I'll Do Anything For You" | Swan | S-4284 | |
| 1977 | "Red Hot" | 83 | |||
| May 1979 | "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" | "Just That Kind" | Charisma | CB-333 |
[15]
Albums[]
| Release date | Title | Label | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 US | Link Wray & The Wraymen | Epic | LN 3661 |
| 1962 US | Great Guitar Hits by Link Wray | Vermillion | V-1924 |
| 1963 US | Jack The Ripper | Swan | S-LP 510 |
| 1964 US | Link Wray Sings and Plays Guitar | Vermillion | V-1925 |
| 1963/2006 | Link Wray Early Recordings | Rollercoaster/Ace | |
| 1971 US | Link Wray | Polydor | PD-24-4064 |
| 1971 US | Mordicai Jones (w/ Bobby Howard) | Polydor | PD-5010 |
| 1972 US | Be What You Want To | Polydor | PD-5047 |
| 1973 US | Beans and Fatback (rec. 1971) | Virgin | V-2006 |
| 1974 US | The Link Wray Rumble | Polydor | PD-6025 |
| 1975 US | Stuck in Gear | Virgin Records Ltd | Stereo 27 266 XOT |
| 1979 US | Bullshot | Visa | VISA 7009 |
| 1979 US | Live at the Paradiso | RCA | PL-44012 |
| 1990 UK | Apache | ||
| 1990 UK | Wild Side of the City Lights | ||
| 1993 DE | Indian Child | Sony Music | EPC 473100 2 |
| 1997 US | Shadowman | ||
| 1997 UK | Walking Down a Street Called Love - live | ||
| 2000 US | Barbed Wire |
Compilation albums[]
| Release date | Title | Label | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 US | Yesterday and Today | Record Factory | LP 1929 |
| May 1993 | Rumble! The Best of Link Wray | Rhino Records | |
| 2002 | Mr. Guitar | Norton Records | |
| 2003 | Hillbilly Wolf - Missing Links Volume 1 | Norton Records | |
| 2003 | Streets of Chicago - Missing Links Volume 4 | Norton Records | |
| 2006 | Big City After Dark - Missing Links Volume 2 | Norton Records | |
| 2006 | Some Kinda Nut - Missing Links Volume 3 | Norton Records | |
| 2007 | King of the Wild Guitar | Ace Records UK | B000PATZPQ |
With Robert Gordon[]
| Release date | Title | Label | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 UK | Robert Gordon w/ Link Wray | ||
| 1978 UK | Fresh Fish Special | Private Stock | PS 7008 |