Link Wray

There are those who claim that Link Wray invented heavy metal, an accusation based on his 1958 million-seller "Rumble", an intense, moody guitar instrumental intended to capture the feel of a gang fight. This brilliantly simple track has influenced everyone from The Kinks down to PJ Harvey, and it set the essential Link Wray style - rather than a lead line, Wray favoured a slow drag across distorted strings in an elementary chord progression. Though he was capable of more dextrous playing, Wray was a visionary who understood that, in rock, simplicity was best.

North Caroline-born Link's first dive in to professional music came in the early '50s with his brothers Vern and Doug (and later bassist Shorty Horton) around the Portsmouth, Virginia, area under snazzy names like "The Lazy Pine Wranglers" and "Lucky Wray and Palomino Ranch Hands". When the family moved to Washington D.C. Vern Wray has some solo success on the Cameo label. While Vern's star shone on a string of commercial releases Link, Shorty and Doug continued to rattle the floorboards in and around D.C., although with rock & roll in full swing, the band's sound took on a much grittier edge. They also ditched their outdated hayseed moniker for a more streamlined jet-age handle - The Raymen. Under the management of Milt Grant (whose popular TV dance show made him D.C.'s answer to Dick Clark), The Raymen made a local name for themselves blastin' crude rock and roll.

"Rumble" changed all that as Link recalls. "Somebody asked for a stroll and I didn't know one som I kinda just start playin' and the kids really dug it". They recorded it the next year. The demo was presented to Archie Bleyer of the Cadence label, which was ridin' high with the Everly Brothers. Bleyer was actually nonplussed by "Rumble". It was his teenage daughter which was so nuts for the demo. The release was the biggest non-Everly rock and roll hit on the Cadence label, reaching #16 in the Billboard charts. The only problem was that this was the only instrumental hit ever which was banned as too suggestive ! Bleyer expressed no long term interest in Link Wray and gave Grant the green light to take the Raymen elsewhere.

With some new demo's they get a three year contract by Epic. The first release was "Rawhide"/"Dixie doodle" which reached #23 on the Billboard charts. Other releases failed to chart. Following the success of "Rumble", Wray milked the formula for some years - notably on "Jack The Ripper" and, "The Shadow Knows" - before the more melodic instrumental styles of Duane Eddy and The Ventures made him sound primitive and dated. He then abruptly shrank from the spotlight, publicly renouncing music in 1965 to become a farmer.

Fortunately Wray continued to record in the three-track he had built on his farm, and in 1971 he produced the glorious Link Wray. A blend of country, gospel and blues, it presented the kind of trans-American vision that critics have long claimed to be the property of The Band, but surpassed even their best work. The song titles occasionally sounded like old-time Link Wray - "Crowbar", "Black River Swamp" - but there was no other connection with his earlier incarnation. Though a lung condition had always precluded too much singing, here he let loose, revealing a hoarse, beautiful voice that creaked with authority. The effect was almost that of the land itself speaking.

A second album from the same sessions, Beans And Fatback, was released by Virgin in 1973; though, like Link Wray, it was roundly ignored by the public. A couple of early 70s albums on Polydor also failed to connect, and Wray again faded from view.

In the late 70s, Robert Gordon, erstwhile singer for New York punks The Tuff Darts, brought Wray out of retirement for his new rock'n'roll revival project. Link played on two excellent albums and even toured with Gordon a bit, keeping his back to the audience in an effort to keep the focus on Gordon. Wray has also been rediscovered by The Cramps and their fellow psychobillies, though among knowledgable musicians he has never needed any introduction.

He continues to record to this day, the latest offerings being Shadowman (Ace 1997) and a gloriously fiery live set Walking Down A Street Called Love (Visionary 1997). Pushing 70 years of age obviously isn't going to stop him.