If you love rock’n’roll, punk, heavy metal, or anything with an aggressive guitar sound, then you should be saddened to learn that Link Wray has passed away. Who is Link Wray? Well, in a nutshell, he is generally considered to be the inventor of the power chord and just all around bad ass. The 60’s image of the rock 'n' roll rebel, decked in a leather jacket and smoking cigarettes? Link Wray. “Rumble” is his signature tune, but the vast majority of his stuff is excellent. My personal favorite is the goofy, up-tempo “Run Chicken Run” and “Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby”, which shows of his raspy voice. He was 76, and still playing until earlier this year.
This isn’t a post to make you feel bad about not knowing about this guy and look how cool I am because I do. I didn’t even discover him until about ten years ago. That’s the beauty of music, it’s never too late to appreciate something. It lives on after its creators die. So if you’re not familiar with Link Wray but are interested in the history of rock’n’roll, here is where to start learning about Mr. Wray.
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