Link Wray R.I.P. (?)

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"