Guitarist Link Wray Dies at 76

[Rick Myers]

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Guitar master Link Wray, the father of the power chord in rock 'n' roll who inspired such legends as Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and Pete Townshend, has died. He was 76.

Wray died Nov. 5 at his home in Copenhagen, his wife and son said on his Web site. No cause of death was given, but his family said his heart was "getting tired." He was buried Friday after a service at Copenhagen's Christian Church.

"While playing his guitar he often told the audience, 'God is playing my guitar, I am with God when I play,'" his wife, Olive, and son, Oliver Christian, wrote. "We saw you go with God, you were smiling."

Wray, who played in his trademark leather jacket, developed a style considered the blueprint for heavy metal and punk music. He is best known for his 1958 instrumental "Rumble," 1959 "Rawhide" and 1963 "Jack the Ripper." His music has been featured in movies including "Pulp Fiction," "Independence Day" and "Desperado."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051121/ap_en_mu/obit_wray

[Rick Myers]

1. Godspeed Link!

Will never forget seeing him live in the late-70's with Robert Gordon! Heaven is gettin' a great band going!!!

[musette_sf]

10. at NYU in the late 70s

I saw Professor Longhair open for Robert Gordon & Link Wray. A kick ass night if there ever was one.

[henslee]

18. Hey, i think this could be a backstage foto from gig (w. the Boss)

[musette_sf]

22. hmmm... ya would think I would remember that...

it's possible this is the gig. two reasons why I might not remember Bruce that night: (1) I was with my ex, who was an "early leaver" at shows, he didn't want to hassle with traffic and ppl so he would miss the last few songs on purpose. I fought against this but this may have been one of those nights. (2) I had seen Bruce all close up at a gig at Max's several years before, and I was a bit jaded as regards The Boss.

probably (1) would be the reason.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

21. Now that makes me pea green with envy

For my tastes, it couldn't get much better than that. The Professor was already gone before I discovered him, to my dismay. We went to Tipitina's (New Orleans) in about '97 for "Professor Longhair night". About a dozen of the best piano players in NOLA turned up and played the professor's, and other of the boogie-woogie genre, music...Henry Butler and Carl Sonny Leyland were among the best--they were playing duets and jumping up on the piano bench. Wild and unforgettable. CLose as I will ever get to the real deal.

Last time we saw Link Wray (2003) his backup band, Jet City Fix, started the club ceiling on fire! Went out but the place was still on fire anyway. ;)

[mac56]

2. Damn. Sorry to hear it.

Rock'n'roll heaven.

[tularetom]

3. What a bummer

We all wanted to play the guitar like Link Wray. He had the coolest rock and roll haircut you ever saw also plus a really cool name. If you're curious you can buy all his old albums (I think even in vinyl) at sundazed.com

[...of J.Temperance]

5. I have some vinyl Link Wray LPs

You know he only had one lung. He got his guitar sound during some experiment whilst he was messing around with his amplifier, and the amplifier blew up...and I don't know the rest, because I'm not technical.

They banned his records from being played on the radio, because the Puritans thought his tunes sounded too menacing.

I can't handle many of his vocal tunes, except "Hidden Charms" which is Wray's cover of a Willie Dixon tune. Wray's version is just so fucked up from all angles that I like it. But his instrumental stuff is fab, "Genocide", "Jack The Ripper", "Growling Guts", "Ace Of Spades", "I'm Branded", "The Black Widow" and "The Sweeper"

Unfortunately a few years ago, Wray started to release albums again, albums that were VERY awful and he was re-recording some of his old tunes and they sounded real bad too. He should have just not even DONE this.

Unlike Dick Dale, who recorded FAB tunes in the 1960s, but had to retire because of some heart problem. Then in the late 1990s, Dale started to record tunes again, but they were NEW tunes that sounded similar to his old tunes and they're fab...and Dale also did a session for John Peel and also appeared at the Meltdown Festival.

Sorry...I got started on vinyl records there and instrumentals and kinda went off on one.

Ignore.

[High Plains]

4. Rumble on, Mr. Wray...

He was a great one.

[OneBlueSky]

6. he called his band Link Wray and the Wraymen . . .

and "Rumble" was an early favorite of mine . . . actually, I was always partial to guitar numbers, and spent a lot of time listening to the likes of Link Wray, the Ventures, and Duane Eddy . . .

RIP, Link . . . your music will live on . . .

[Skink]

7. He's going to meet that great 5TH in the sky.

:smoke:

[mitchum]

8. Rest In Peace

[grateful581]

9. Bummer man!

Rock on Link

[DBoon]

11. I'm glad I saw him last summer

I'd been meaning to catch a live show for years and finally got a chance.

Good luck Link!

[Raiden]

12. Rumble, Raw-hide

I love Link Wray!! :patriot:

[Dogmudgeon]

13. I just can't deal with this death thing

Seventy-six is just waaay too young for anyone to die.

So many excellent musicians have died recently, and I haven't been able to keep track.

It's gonna be mighty hard for this old fart/guitar dilettante to turn up the reverb for a long, long time.

--p!

[tuvor]

14. RIP, Link

I'm glad and lucky to have seen him kicking ass a few years ago in Vancouver.

[Bushy Being Born]

15. And Bob Dylan honors him by starting off his shows with Rumble!

For two consecutive nights in London now, Dylan has started his shows with Rumble! Granted, not the whole tune, just a segment. But still!

There are three more nights still left of his stay at the Brixton Academy, and for all you Bob fans on this board (I think there's probably a few), yesterday's show also saw the live debuts of Million Dollar Bash (from Basement Tapes) and Waiting For You (from the Ya-ya Sisterhood soundtrack), plus The Clash's London Calling! Gotta love Bob!

[Disturbed]

16. RIP Link Wray

Rumble was one of the 1st tunes that I learned.

[Enraged_Ape]

17. One of the greats. "Rawhide" and Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun"

You did know he played the guitar on Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun", didn't you?

Link Wray was the guitarist you emulated in high school if you wanted your band to sound REALLY cool and have that girl from homeroom that you liked look at you like you were some kind of guitar God. As far as I know, he still has that effect on people today.

God rest ye, Link. You will be sorely missed.

[quispquake]

19. RIP Link!

Crappy way to wake up...Link was one of the greats...time to pull out a coupla of my Norton reissues today...

[shenmue]

20. Thanks Mr. Wray

Rest in peace

x( :cry:

[LSDMTMA]

23. Any of his stuff from the 50s/60's rocks beyond belief. RIP Link.

Damn.