LINK BIO
Read the below for a brief overview on Link's career.
For the absolute best bio on Link - bar none - CLICK THIS LINK to read Jimmy McDonough's tribute to Link.
Frederick Lincoln Wray, Jr. was born on May 2, 1929 in Dunn, North Carolina. Link's family was very poor. As Link has said, "Elvis came from welfare, I came from below welfare." Link's mom was Shawnee Indian and his interest in music began when Link was 8. He was sitting in the porch trying to play guitar when an old black guitar player named HAMBONE walked by and taught him the sound of the blues. Link has said when HAMBONE started playing bottleneck slide guitar, he was hooked. He knew what he wanted to do. At age 13, Link's family moved to Portsmouth Virginia.
Link's first band was in the late 40's with his brothers Doug and Vernon, playing Western Swing, or as Link puts it "rock and roll before it was rock and roll." Vernon ("Lucky") Wray was the lead singer. This band also included Wray's good friend (and later Wrayman) Brantley "Shorty" Horton, as well as Dixie Neal (some articles spell his name Neale). The band became popular in town, backing many Country and Western artists of the day who came through town playing the various fairs and daily AM radio shows. At first, the band was called Lucky Wray and the Lazy Pine Wranglers, later they were the catchier Lucky Wray and the Palomino Ranch Hands.
Link's music career was interrupted when he was called up to serve two years in the US Army during the Korean War. During this time, he contracted tuberculosis, which was not discovered until the family moved to Washington DC in 1955. This illness cost him a lung. Link has often said at this time he was in the "death house" and if it were not for his Guardian Angel, he would have been dead.
In 1955, the Wray's moved to the Washington DC area. Longtime country and western artists, they fast became influenced with the Big Beat. Link, hampered a bit in singing by his one lung, became the anchor of the band through his heavy guitar work. With Doug's heavy drumming, they were on to something new. They were regulars among the DC club circuit, playing such clubs as Stick's, Ray's Bar and Grill, Benny's Rocket Room and the Ozark Club.
Like many DC artists of the day, Link and his brothers were taken under the wing of Milt Grant, DC's version of Dick Clark. Milt hosted the weekly "MILT GRANT SHOW", a record hop shown on WTTG, Channel 5 in DC. At some point around this time, Vernon began a recording studio in DC, and his involvement in performing took a back seat to production work and artist management. The band now consisted of Link, his brother Doug on drums, and Shorty Horton on bass. The "Wraymen" became the house band on the Milt Grant Show, backing many national rock and roll artists of the day.
It was at a Milt Grant Record Hop in Fredericksburg Virginia that the most famous instrumental in rock and roll was first heard.
The legend goes that the Wraymen were backing up The Diamonds for one of Grant’s Record Hops, at the Fredericksburg Arena, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Link has said, when the band was onstage, Grant asked them to play a stroll. (“The Stroll” was one of The Diamonds’ hits.) Link said, “I don’t know no stroll,” but Doug started playing a stroll beat on the drums. According to Link, he said it was then that his “Jesus God” zapped “Rumble” into his head. The crowd went wild and the band played the instrumental four times that night.
How'd The Diamonds do that night? Didn't matter. The kids went crazy over the new song Link and the boys just played. In fact, they played it four times that night!
Realizing that they were on to something, Vernon had the Raymen attempt to put the song down on tape. They originally named it ODDBALL. But, in the studio, Link just couldn’t get that “dirty sound” he’d gotten onstage. Link felt that it had something to do with the amps. So, he took a pencil and punched holes in his amps’ tweeters. The Fuzztone was born!
Grant took the demo to Archie Bleyer of Cadence Records. He hated it.
His teenage daughter on the other hand, loved it. The original song title was "Oddball", but Bleyer named it RUMBLE, as his daughter said it reminded her of West Side Story. It was banned in several cities on the East Coast, as it was deemed to "suggestive." (pretty amazing for a song with NO words!) It sold 4 million copies.
Link and the Wraymen recorded many other instrumental hits, including “Rawhide” in 1959 and “Jack the Ripper” (which was released on Link and Vernon’s own RUMBLE RECORDS in 1960 and then nationally on Swan in 1963). These recordings led to more appearances on TV with Dick Clark. Other classics such as Ace of Spades, Run Chicken Run, and others were released, but none were as commercially successful as “Rumble.”
In the early 60's Link still played regularly in Washington DC at Vinnie’s, the 1023 Club in Southeast and many others. He was also touring heavily during this time up and down the East Coast, and playing the Ivy League College Circuit
He also played several Southern Maryland roadhouses such as the Wigwam, 301 Restaurant and Stardust in Waldorf. Slot machines were legal in Southern Maryland at that time (there were more there than in Vegas at the time!), making the Wraymen very much in-demand at these places. One interesting gig included backing Southern Maryland rockabilly Vince Maloy at a wedding reception at the Brandywine Firehouse in Brandywine, Maryland.
In the mid-60's Link retreated to the family farm off Livingston Road in Accokeek Maryland. He continued to play local DC and Southern Maryland taverns and bars and release the occasional self produced and recorded 45’s and a few LPs.
Link, still with Doug, as well as Ed Cynar (who replaced Shorty on bass in 1964), Chuck Bennett, Jack Van Horn and others including Elwood Brown, Johnny Sneed and more, stilll cranked out many hours of music, recording at a converted chicken coop on the Wray Family Farm, dubbed WRAY'S SHACK THREE TRACKS (from where this web site gets its name)
Then, in 1970, Link was “rediscovered” and signed to a 3 record deal with Polydor. Link released a “back to the roots” type of record, playing from the heart and with whatever could be found around the house. They used everything from their own feet to stomp a beat on the floor to a tin can full of nails. This resulted in the critically acclaimed self titled Polydor LP, LINK WRAY.
To enhance the “back to the roots” promotion of Link, Polydor said the record was recorded in a converted chicken coop on the rural Wray Farm in Accokeek. It was actually a small house converted into a studio by Vernon, who moved his recording studio from DC to the “shack” out back in Accokeek. He dubbed it WRAY’S SHACK 3 TRACKS.
Shortly thereafter Link and Vernon moved out west. Realizing what a special place the Shack was, Vernon cut off the back wall and took it to Arizona. It was used as a cornerstone of sorts…to “reconstruct” that “shack out back”, where it continued as an active place or recording by the Wray Brothers, Kris Kristofferson and others, all the way up to the late 1970’s. It has also been long rumored that when Vernon sold the Wray home, he took reels and reels of unreleased tape and buried them on the property.Brother Doug stayed behind and became a successful businessman in Waldorf Maryland, while still playing frequent solo gigs at local clubs.
Link later moved to California. While there, Link went on to release two more albums for Polydor, the country rock themed “Be What You Want To” featuring Jerry Garcia, Commander Cody and others. He then went back to his roots with “The Link Wray Rumble” with liner notes by Pete Townshend.
Moving on to the mid 1970's, Link teamed up with DC hometown boy Robert Gordon on a few neo-rockabilly releases on Private Stock Records, such as FRESH FISH SPECIAL and ROBERT GORDON W/LINK WRAY.
By the late 70's, Link had the urge to strike out on his own again. He released BULLSHOT on Visa Records. Unknown at the time, this was to be Link's last US release of new material until 1997. It was during this time that Link did his first overseas tour of places such as Amsterdam and Denmark.
It was during this time that Link released LINK WRAY LIVE AT THE PARADISO. It was not available in the US, forcing state side Link fans to scour the import shops. Sad, but with the exception of Norton Records, US labels in the states have all but ignored Link for the past 21 years.
During the early 1980's, Link married Olive Poulsen, and had a son, Oliver. Link moved to an island off the coast of Denmark, living the life of a recluse. Gigs during the 1980's were too few and too far between.
Link toured the states in January and February of 1985, which was captured on the record LIVE IN '85. This tour also saw Link's last gig in the DC area, at the Wax Museum. The tour culminated with an appearance on MTV, on the one hour GUITAR GREATS special. Two songs were broadcast, RUMBLE and the vocal TRYING TO FIND YOUR LOVE, which later appeared on the 1993 overseas release INDIAN CHILD.
Link's new material continued throughout the late 80's and into the 90's, with releases on overseas labels such as Sony, Big Beat and most notably, Ace Records. Link's classic material was packaged and repackaged by many labels over the years.
During the 1990's, Link finally started to receive his long overdue recognition in the US as a true rock and roll legend. His music has been featured in such big budget movies as BREATHLESS, DESPERADO, INDEPENDENCE DAY, 12 MONKEYS, THIS BOY'S LIFE and PULP FICTION, BLOW, as well as the low budget classic JOHNNY SUEDE starring Brad Pitt. His music has also been used in a TACO BELL commercial in the states. Most recently, THE SWAG was featured in the George Clooney movie, CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND.
Link has become much more active, playing gigs in 1996 in the UK. These showed up on the WALKING DOWN A STREET CALLED LOVE CD and the great video RUMBLEMAN, which have recently been re-released on Cherry Red Records. He also did a two week tour in Australia. TV appearances were made on both continents.
In 1997, a new US Link release finally saw the light of day. SHADOWMAN was release on Hip-O Records, followed by Link's first stateside tour in almost 15 years.
To ring in the new century, Link released BARBED WIRE on Ace Records. One of Link's most interesting releases to date - it includes several songs with Link "unplugged" - just Link playing an acoustic guitar and singing - almost half a century after his TB doc said he'd never sing again.
With the new record, Link toured the US in September of 2000. This was followed by a week in Spain with rockabilly guitarist Deke Dickerson.
That fall, Link was to have returned to the states for a few gigs at the Continental Club, followed by a reunion with Robert Gordon in New York. These gigs were cancelled for reported health reasons.
In July of 2002, Link returned to the states for a month long tour. I had the honor of catching him on his tour opener in Columbus Ohio on July 3, 2002. (only a 1000 mile round trip in two days!)
Keeping busy, Link had scheduled a few gigs on the West Coast with Big Sandy and the Fly Rite Boys, but these were also cancelled due to reported eye surgery for Link.
In the early months of 2003, he's back at it again, with a six week tour of the US. Link is accompanied on this tour by the Seattle band The Jet City Fix. Two of the band's members back Link on his set. Link looks better than ever, and many concert goers report that with the new back-up band he's got an even heavier sound (is that even possible?!!?) and this energizes him and he's playing better than he ever has.
In 2004, Link's popularity seems to be stronger than ever! In the past year, he's been mentioned in The Washingtonian and the US edition of MAXIM magazine. We've seen the release of GUITAR ACE, a Link Wray tribute CD, SLINKY a great double CD set of Link's Epic years, a UK release of BE WHAT YOU WANT TO on CD, and another Swan Records compilation is in the works. Link was also inducted into the Washington (DC) Area Music Association Hall of Fame.
Remarkably, Link continues to tour. in 2005 Link completed a two leg US tour - hitting the East Coast in April and May of 2005, then he's back for a week along the West Coast and Canada in July! While other seniors are playing checkers and eating yogurt, Link is tearing up the stage, running circles around rock stars half a century younger. You can check out his tour schedule here.
On November 5, 2005 Link Wray passed away at his home in Denmark. The cause of death is reported to be heart failure.
During Link’s career, he has shared the stage with Patsy Cline, Bruce Springsteen and just about everyone in between. He lived the life he loved, recording and playing music for his fans all over the world.
As an example of Link’s lengthy rock and roll career, in 1958 you could buy Rumble on a 78 rpm record. In 2005 you can buy the Link documentary THE RUMBLE MAN on DVD.
Link has influenced people such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young and thousands of other guitarists the world over. Pete Townshend has said “He’s the king, if it wasn’t for Rumble, I’d have never picked up the guitar”.
Punk rock, grunge, garage, heavy metal and “rock guitar” in general…they can all trace their roots to Link Wray.
-Greg Laxton
(special thanks to Ed Cynar for clarifying some of this info!)
