The Elvis of rock guitarist has left the building

[Martyj]

Link Wray died yesterday. In his seventies. Living in Sweden for the past few decades.

Maybe his name isn't too familiar in the rock and roll God patheon, but what this guy did in the fifties pretty much created what we know as rock and roll guitar playing. He built upon Les Paul's innovations, and made it all about the amplifier, baby. He opened a door that Hendrix, Page, Clapton and everyone else walked through.

No one gave rockabilly a harder edge...a crunch, if you will, than Link Wray (by the way, I always thought Link was an odd name. It wasn't until I just read his obit that I learned his full name was Lincoln..hence, the Link nickname.)

[grogg]

I lived through the late 1950s where I saw a bunch of Sci-Fi movies at the Sunday matinees. Naturally I though the name Link Wray and the Wraymen was a very cool name for a band.

Never knew til years later the cool ending for Rumble was actually because his amp was just about toast.

RIP Link.