Obituary, musician Link Wray, 76

Copenhagen, Denmark — Guitar player Link Wray, who invented the power chord, the major modus operandi of modern rock guitarists, has died. He was 76.

A native of Dunn, North Carolina, Wray's style is considered the blueprint for heavy metal and punk music.

Wray's is best known for his 1958 instrumental Rumble, 1959's Rawhide and 1963's Jack the Ripper. His music has appeared in movies like Pulp Fiction, Independence Day and Desperado.

His style is said to have inspired many other rock musicians, including Pete Townsend of the Who. David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Steve Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen have also been quoted as saying that Wray and Rumble inspired them to become musicians.

“He is the king; if it hadn't been for Link Wray and Rumble, I would have never picked up a guitar',” Townsend wrote on one of Wray's albums.

Neil Young once said: “If I could go back in time and see any band, it would be Link Wray and the Raymen.”

According to Wray's official website, he invented the fuzz tone by deliberately punching holes in his amplifier speakers.

In 2002, Guitar World magazine elected Wray one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

Wray, known for his trademark black leather jacket, toured the United States and Canada from 1997 to 2002. He was half Shawnee Indian.

Denmark's Politiken newspaper said his funeral had already taken place in Copenhagen's Christian Church. No dates were given.

His family could not be reached for comment. His official site does not mention his death.

I saw him twice this year in the same week. At the second show (sponsored by the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame) he played shortly after Scotty Moore & DJ Fontana.

All the other times I had seen Link, he took the stage playing Rumble (no introductions).

This time he took pause to say that if it wasn't for Scotty, and DJ and Elvis all those years ago, none of "this" would be happening today. That's not to say that Elvis invented rock and roll, but those guys did take it to the masses.

I still look in the bins at music stores for something I may not already have and I discovered such an album (released last year). I recommend the "unreleased" Candence sessions title "They're Outta Here", Says Archie. You may have these songs, but not like this. Rewrites whole chapters in the history of rock and roll. Much better than the album Epic eventually released.

I also recommend this collection which has his earliest Starday sides:

Some quotes

The man who taught Koody how to play power chords before they had a name for 'em. Thanks, Link... - Cub Koda (Brownsville Station)

Link Wray played the most important D chord in history. It opened "Rumble" and signaled the birth of the power-chord. With "Rumble" the guitar arrived as an instrument of pure menace. - Colin Escott (rock and roll historian)

The greatest rock 'n' roll guitarist ever. - Lemmy (Motorhead,Hawkwind)

"Rumble" is one of my all time favorite instrumentals. - Elvis Costello

"Rumble" is the best instrumental ever. - Bob Dylan

That's him! That's him! This is the guy! "Rumble" "Rumble" Keith Moon (The Who - while running around naked at the Record Plant studio in New York, 1974)

Gene Vincent and Link Wray, two of the greatest unknowns in rock 'n' roll. - John Lennon (The Beatles, Plastic Ono Band)

It'd be next to impossible to begin listin' all the string scratchers Link Wray has influenced. Really, anybody who's whacked a chord any harder than Al Caiola owes a supreme hat tip to the "Rumble" Man. - Billy Miller (The A-Bones, The Zantees, Norton Records)

Link is a quiet man to meet - easy and courteous. His music, though, betrays that deep inside he gets very very mean very often... I remember being made very uneasy the first time I heard Link Wray's "Rumble", and yet excited by the guitar sound. And his voice! He sounds like a cross between Jagger and Van Morrison, even sometimes like Robbie Robertson. We met him in New York in 1970 while recording "Who's Next"... this later inspired the b-side "Wasp Man", a tune we dedicated to Link Wray. - Pete Townsend (The Who)

The family has issued a statement:

http://www.linkwraylegend.com/

Welcome to the only authorized Link Wray Website.

Link Wray
Native-American Rock Guitar Instrumentalist has died, 76 years of age.

It is with the deepest sorrow that we have to inform Links dear fans that our beloved husband and father Link Wray has deceased November 5. 2005

In respect of Links wishes, he was buried in silence and privacy from the historic protestant Church: Christians Church in Copenhagen Denmark, Friday 18th of November 2005. with attendance of his family Olive and Oliver Wray.

Link passed away in their arms, safely in his home in Copenhagen, not ever aware that his heart was getting tired. This was the way he had told us, he wanted it.

Born May 2nd, 1929 in Dunn, North Carolina, Link is three quarters Shawnee Indian. At the age of eight, he learned to play the guitar from Hambone, an african-american man who was travelling with Barnum and Bailey’s circus. He noticed Link on the porch banging his Maybelle-guitar.

At the age of fifteen, Link paid twenty dollars a night to sit in with the country and western musician Tex Ritter (High Noon) in order to further his musical knowledge. He also played with Wild Bill Elliot.
Link played with his brother Doug and first cousin Shorty Horton in his band: Link Wray and the Wraymen.

He played at the Hank Williams memorial in 1953.

Link is known for his instrumental hit single Rumble. And to quote Uncut magazine, who voted Link #33 of the 100 best guitarist list in the World as the composer of the worlds most threatening instrumental: “The violent intimations of Rumble so struck sensitive late 50s sensibilities that it was banned by many radio stations. Not bad for an instrumental. Rumble will outlive us all”.

Link Wray is known for being the first musician to experiment with the sounds that pioneered rock and roll and punk styles. Link virtually invented fuzz tone by deliberately punching holes in his amplifier speakers. He was also a true pioneer of the use of distortion on instrumental rock recordings.

In the spring of ’58, Rumble was released and quickly rocketed to the top 20. Voted the #1 Rock Instrumental of all time by the Book Of Rock Lists (Dell/Rolling Stone Press)
It was a 4 million seller.

Again in 1959 his single hit Rawhide sold 1 million.

Link himself was influenced by, and admired guitarists like: Tal Farlow, Chet Atkins, Django Reinhard, Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Frank Zappa and artists like Elvis Presley & Hank Williams.
Off today’s musicians he admired: Neil Young, Bob Dylan, David Gilmour, David Bowie, and Bruce Springsteen among others.

Link was a musician’s musician:
Elvis Presley invited him home in the 50s.
Bowie, Dylan, Van Zandt and Springsteen attended Links concerts since their early youth.
John Lennon carried Links music on his travel jukebox.
Jerry Garcia played on Links record in the 70s.
Pete Townsend wrote liner notes.
In the mid 70s Link was recording in England with Richard Branson at his Virgin Records.
2004 presidential candidate John Kerry’s college band album featuring the senator as bassist was re-released to the public featuring a version of Rawhide.

Link’s original sound is timeless, as evidenced by the inclusion of many of his guitar instrumentals in some of the best motion pictures of the last decade. Some of these releases include:
Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino)
Desperado, (Robert Rodriguez) as well as in Road Racers (Robert Rodriguez)
Independence Day, (Steven Spielberg)
Confessions of A Dangerous Mind,
Breathless,
12 Monkey’s & Blow.

The legendary film composer/writer/arranger Jack Nitzsche released a big band recording of Rumble complete with a full horn section.

Sadly Link was cheated out of his 50s music-rights, although he never signed them over to anyone.
Link was always laughing about it though, because he knew and always told us that anyone could hear it was his sound.

Link fell in love with Olive Julie Povlsen, a Danish student of Native American culture, in 1979 and has been living privately in Denmark since 1980 with her, and their son Oliver Christian Wray, born in 1983. Link appointed Olive manager in 1981.
Until that day he had been managing himself. From the late 90s she has also played percussion with him on tour.

Link’s impact has been felt throughout almost every genre of music for the last five decades. His original sound influenced future styles like: Country, Instrumental music, Rockabilly, Rock and Roll, Surf, Heavy Metal, Punk, Grunge, Garage, Lounge etc.

Since the mid nineties, Link and Olive has toured all over the US, playing for audiences aged 18 and up. Although some of the youngest fans weren’t completely familiar with many of his earliest hits, they remained strongly drawn to his devotion, love of music and true original sound.

Link toured to the very last.
This year he toured America playing 40 concerts. The two last festivals of his tour were in California in July: Hootenanny & Glendale Cruise Night, Link headlined both.

Link Wray has to this day respected and had nothing but devotion towards his fans. While playing his guitar he often told the audience: “..God is playing my guitar, I am with God when I play”.

We saw you go with God, you were smiling.

You will forever be in our hearts.

Olive & Oliver Christian Wray

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