Link Wray R.I.P. (?)

La De Da

Here's a song from his first polydor record, the first track on the 2CD collection Link Wray Guitar Preacher, The Polydor Years. I think it was written by his producer, but features some incredible vocals (and guitar) by Link.

http://s40.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3J09Q8B6ENP0Y27I3JKK3QU36G

Not sure exactly what this is, but I love it. My father recorded with Ray Vernon in the '60s, and Link was around (I think the studio was actually in their house). This is supposedly from 1963 and marked as "Link #2".

http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3QXD4MGJJATGG2YH8R3UGRWO77

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=69765

I spent a few days on the road with link back around 1998, he was a sweetheart. And a maniac. The best combination.

Yeh, it's brilliant. I've never heard dirtier hillbilly skronk.

http://s43.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=09BK19IY32SBJ08UHU2YYVIHIX

i also posted three more tunes over at the blog: www.imbidimts.blogspot.com

Rest in peace, my man.

At least we still have Dick Dale......

it's a bummer, but he was at a ripe ol age. he lived a good life. and he only had one lung!

"Hidden Charms" is forkin awesome. and "Ain't that Lovin You Babe". yeah he sure did get a lotta mileage out of that one lung.

"Super 88" might be my personal fave. those Polydor years, while not really what's he's known for, are pretty underrated.

although, yeah, not so sure this is exactly the tragedy it's made out upthread. He was certainly well-loved and had a hell of a ride.

Got to see him on one his first mid-90s "comeback" tours and he was awesome. He did a full set including all the biggies, then came out and encored with repeat performances of a few songs including "Rumble" and the great "Run Chicken Run", which was a real treat. What a showman. ("RCR" is probably my fave non-"rumble" track of his. although, sure, "Hidden Charms" is jaw-dropping; not hard to hear why the Gories covered it - he basically invented 'em there.)

That Missing Links series of 4 cds that Norton put out is totally worth hearing. Chock full of the good stuff.

Eric - basspayer
(on Shadowman and others)

By Dennis McLellan

Los Angeles Times

Link Wray, the rock guitar pioneer who gave birth to the aggressively primal sound known as the power chord on his 1958 instrumental hit ``Rumble'' and influenced two generations of rock guitarists, has died. He was 76.

Mr. Wray died Nov. 5 at his home in Copenhagen, Denmark, his family reported on his Web site. Although no cause of death was given, his wife, Olive, and son, Oliver, wrote that the North Carolina native's heart was ``getting tired.''

On stage, the rebel Mr. Wray never tired of wielding his ax.

``He just loved playing,'' said Michael Molenda, editor-in-chief of Guitar Player magazine, who saw Mr. Wray perform in July at Slim's in San Francisco.

``He was certainly a young soul, very gracious, kind of like a punk to the end,'' Molenda told the Los Angeles Times on Monday. ``He wasn't like a guy who was 76 years old. He was like a 19-year-old in a 76-year-old body.''

Supercharged sound

Robert Hilburn, the Times' pop music critic, said Monday that Mr. Wray ``was one of the key figures who helped establish the guitar as the instrument of choice in rock.''

Mr. Wray, Hilburn said, ``was someone who turned the sensuality and mystery of the blues into a supercharged sound that was both eerie and anxious. His key works were powered by a force and, even at times, a brutality that encouraged generations of musicians to explore the extreme boundaries of human emotion and sonic possibility.''

Indeed, the legendary three-chord riff that Mr. Wray used in ``Rumble,'' his signature tune and biggest seller, has reverberated through the decades.

``Without the power chord, punk rock and heavy metal would not exist,'' Dan Del Fiorentino, historian for the Museum of Making Music, in Carlsbad, told the Times on Monday.

Countless musicians, including Jimmy Page, Bruce Springsteen and Jeff Beck, are said to have been influenced by Mr. Wray.

Del Fiorentino said the raunchy sound of Mr. Wray's guitar in ``Rumble'' represented a different attitude in rock music. ``It added more of a zing, more of a delinquency, if you will, to rock 'n' roll.''

And Mr. Wray, the 1950s performer, personified his sound.

``Who else in rock and roll had a leather jacket and was smoking cigarettes, with sunglasses on in the middle of the night? That was him,'' said Del Fiorentino.

Citing the impact of ``Rumble,'' Molenda wondered what it must have been like ``to hear that big, distorted, evil ferocious chord for the first time.''

Sexy and aggressive

``Fifties rock was pretty clean, and you've got this guy -- he's got a leather jacket, he looks scary -- and all of a sudden he plays this loud chord that practically tears your eyebrows off your face,'' Molenda said. ``It was extremely sexy and aggressive, and it kind of paved the way for the next level of rock and roll.''

Mr. Wray's legendary sound originated at a record hop hosted by a local DJ in Fredericksburg, Va.

Making it up

In an interview with Guitar Player in June, Mr. Wray said that when the kids at the hop asked him to play a ``stroll,'' a popular, slow line dance, ``I just made up something on the spot, because I didn't know any stroll tune.''

And because there was no vocal on the song, Mr. Wray's brother Vernon thought they should spotlight the guitar.

``So he took the mike and put it in front of my amp, which just distorted the heck out of the small PA speakers,'' Mr. Wray recalled.

The young crowd went wild for the sound. When it was recorded and named ``Rumble,'' the instrumental reached No. 16 on the national charts and sold more than 1 million copies -- that after being attacked for promoting teen gang warfare and being banned from the airwaves in Boston and elsewhere. But, as Mr. Wray later said, that ``just made it sell more.''

Half Shawnee Indian, Mr. Wray was born in Dunn, N.C., in 1929. At age 8, a traveling guitarist named Hambone introduced him to the blues, giving him lessons on his front porch. He served four years in the Army, and during the Korean War contracted tuberculosis, which required the removal of one of his lungs.

Mr. Wray followed up the success of ``Rumble'' with the more modest hits ``Rawhide'' (1959) and ``Jack the Ripper'' (1963). Among his other songs are ``Black Widow,'' ``Big City After Dark,'' ``Run Chicken Run'' and ``Switchblade.'' In recent years, his music has been featured in movies such as ``Pulp Fiction,'' ``Independence Day'' and ``Desperado.''

Mr. Wray moved to Denmark in 1978 into a house on an island where Hans Christian Andersen once lived.

========
In addition, his last two albums were excellent.

ok random question but does anyone know offhand what album "Climbing Up a High Wall" is from??
it's on the Rumble comp, but i've forgotten where it originally appeared and can't get much info on it.

i've got all of the Missing Links series and yes it's divine.

i'm looking for Beans and Fatback on soulseek right now.

http://www.rockometer.com/photos/linkwray/link_wray_2.jpg

Yeah, I was a bit confused by that, and also the "legendary three chord riff" thing, that would be "two chord riff" surely? There are at least 4 chords in the whole track anyway - D, E, A, B(7?)

http://www.gazette.net/stories/011106/entemus152009_31901.shtml

‘‘The Wray family is going to do ‘Will the Circle be Unbroken,’” he says. ‘‘And Chris Webb, Link’s grandson, will be getting up with the Wraymen.”

Well, not quite. All three Wray bothers have passed away, but Link Wray’s sidemen Ricky Mitchell, Ed Cynar and Johnny Sneed will be there, plus Robert Gordon, Eddie Angel, Billy Hancock and Joe Stanley.

There’s even a version of Jack Casady & the Triumphs featuring Casady, Ron McDonald, Sneed and Stanley.

The Triumphs opened for Wray long ago at D.C. clubs like the Cellar Door, until Casady and his bandmate Jorma Kaukonen headed for the West Coast to found a band called Jefferson Airplane. Lee points out that it has been 45 years since any kind of Triumphs reunion has taken place.

‘‘It’ll be good loud instrumental rock and roll, built on the Link Wray tradition,” he says.

Sheets of sound

Exactly what that tradition is may not be easy to explain, but it sure is fun. Lee’s co-producer Melissa Avery says ‘‘He invented that style of electric guitar music ... not fancy or jazz-oriented, but a more dirty sound. He actually took his amp and poked holes in it.

‘‘They say he was the originator of the power chord,” she adds. ‘‘And he influenced every guitar player who came after him.”

With his 1958 instrumental hit ‘‘Rumble,” Wray burst on the national scene — and not totally in a good way.

‘‘You gotta remember,” says Laxton, ‘‘in 1958, it was Pat Boone and ‘Lollipop, Lollipop.’ [This was a] nasty, raunchy guitar sound, something totally different.”

Indeed, he adds, when the song first came out, it was banned in some areas.

‘‘They said it would incite teenage gang violence,” he chuckles, still finding it hard to believe. ‘‘It was an instrumental!”

But what an instrumental — it still sounds cool.

‘‘The thing about him,” says Anton Fig, who played with Wray in the late ’70s, ‘‘he was an incredible driving force when he played: such commitment and power! Offstage, he kept up a sunny disposition, but he was really intense onstage.”

Fig replaced Wray’s drummer when he ‘‘went off to the Dylan gig,” and he has a nice gig himself these days, drumming for David Letterman’s Late Night Band. He’s a solo artist, too, with a CD called ‘‘Figments,” but he’ll be at the tribute on Sunday.

‘‘Link’s playing was just ... sheets of sound,” says Fig. ‘‘It had a whole sonic realm. And he was very open, very encouraging to me; he never restricted me at all. He made me feel good about myself, which is a great gift.”

The gift for lightness ran counter to his music.

‘‘For years, people just saw that dark, brooding image of him,” says Lee, ‘‘but he was the sweetest guy. A funny kind of guy – unsophisticated, a hillbilly — but a gentleman.

‘‘It’s been a long time since anyone’s seen him play, but we owe him a big debt.”

A debt they’ll try to pay back on Link Wray Day, performing the music local crowds always loved.

‘‘He’s starting to be a lot more appreciated,” says Laxton. ‘‘He’s getting the respect in death he never really got when he was alive.”

A tribute concert in honor of Link Wray will be held Sunday, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., at El Boqueron II, 1330 Gude Drive, Rockville. Tickets are $25, $20 in advance at www.dc-rock-and-roll.org. Call 301-315-2235.

www.spinoutmusic.com

SPINOUT RECORDS ROCK-N-ROLL PACKAGE TOUR Featuring some of our faves:
Eddie Angel
Kaiser George
The Hi-Risers
february:
14tues......Cafe 9, New Haven, CT
15 wed.....Midway Cafe, Boston
16 thurs....The Scenic, NYC
17fri......Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ
18sat....The Mojo, Baltimore
19sun....The Blue Comet, Phila
20mon.....The Iota, Arlington, VA (DC)
22wed....Ale House, Troy, NY
23thurs....The Bug Jar, Rochester, NY
24fri....The Beachland Tavern, Cleveland
25sat....The Dive, Dearborn, MI (Detroit)
26, 27, 28s/m/t....The Oneida Casino, Green Bay, WI
March:
1wed....Lee's Liquor Lounge, Minneapolis, MN
2thurs....off (chicago)
3fri.... TBA, Grand Rapids, MI
4sat....Fitzgeralds, Berwyn, IL (chicago)

Excerpted here, and compared to scenes from a Pelecanos novel...
http://blogs.citypages.com/pscholtes/2006/04/link_wray_the_m.asp

Link Wray's Raymen, reunited at the tribute to Link in January, are seeking a vocalist and/or a lead guitar player/vocalist to join the group. The guitar player is needed primarily to back the vocals. Most of the instrumental presentations will be handled by current group members. The intent of this endeavor is to perform Link's music, both instrumentals and vocals, to preserve his distinctive sound and innovations for his many fans. Ideally, these musicians should themselves be Link fans and familiar with his music and style. The current group is composed of two of Link's Raymen, a drummer who played with Link many times, and Link's grandson, Chris Webb. The repertoire will be limited to material that Link released and the songs that he usually performed live. Rehearsals are normally in the Falls Church, VA area.
Anyone interested in discussing this opportunity should contact Ed Cynar either by e-mail at: teleman2@cox.net or by phone at: (703) 532-1076.
Also, anyone having knowledge of the whereabouts of former Rayman Chuck Bennett (Charles Avery), is urged to make contact.
Chuck was an extraordinary vocalist and showman, and one of the hardest working musicians I have known. The last we heard many years ago was that he was driving a cab in Alexandria. I have been unable to find him or any helpful leads.
The other thing is that if we cannot locate Chuck, we are seriously looking for a vocalist who can handle Link's songs, and for a guitar player who can fit in and who can back the vocals in Link's style. We have the instrumentals pretty much covered, but the vocals (and there are some great songs of Link's that we want to include, like Fire, Goodtime Joe, Super 88, etc.) are a problem for us. Our objective is to present Link's music as closely as possible to the way he played it, not merely to play another "interpretation" as most bands do. If you know of anyone who has the ability and might be interested in getting involved with this endeavor, we would appreciate it if you could pass on my contact information or let us know.

MES: "You're alright, Link, man.

The late Link's bass player from his days in DC, Chuck Bennett, just died.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803307.html?wprss=rss_metro/obituaries

As Chuck Bennett, his stage name, Mr. Avery had been a singer and bass player with Link Wray and the Raymen, a hard-rocking Washington band of the 1950s and 1960s known for the menacing sound it produced on "Rumble" and "Jack the Ripper," songs that influenced hard rock, grunge and punk.

"Chuck had an unbelievable voice and an unbelievable amount of energy, kind of like James Brown," musician Elwood Brown recalled. "He'd glide across the floor, down on his knees; he had great moves."

I'm Chuck Bennett's daughter...did you know my dad, curmudgeon, or just because he played with Link?

I'm listening to "Be What You Want To" at this very moment.

x-post. Sorry I never knew your dad. Read the obit and I thought he deserved some attention.

BLANG BLANG BLANG

BLANG BLANG BLANG

BLANG BLANG BLANG

BLANG BLANG BLANG

BLANG BLANG dum B-d-d-ling

dew-dew-dew-dew-dew-dew-dew-new-new-new-new duh

BLANG BLANG BLANG

it's almost... too... good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00XZFPXPo4I

Holy shit

Tick.jpg

Here's a tale, from the year he passed as well:

For real: @signifyingwolf & I opened for @Link_Wray in Paris 2005.
Rumor was he’d had trouble with the cops & might not make the show.
He arrived radiant, right before set time, gave me a fist bump on the way to the stage, & 1 minute into “Rumble” threw his guitar into the crowd.

— matt sweeney (@theheavyjamz) May 2, 2019

Link Wray stood with both fists above his head watching his unmanned guitar howl feedback and ride over the churning crowd while the hired band vamped to its screams until it was thrown back into his hands, and Rock’s King ripped the last run of “Rumble” and left the building. 👑

— matt sweeney (@theheavyjamz) May 2, 2019

was listening to the '64 swan demos today, really enjoyed the tenderness of this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o81VdufMcr4
"my alberta"