When Link Wray recorded “Rumble” in early 1958, most rock-and-roll guitarists were doing everything they could to avoid distortion. Wray did the opposite, unabashedly leaning into it and, in the process, creating rock and roll’s seminal distorted-guitar instrumental. Unlike any song before it — and like few since — “Rumble” captured the raw essence of adolescence. It was the perfect soundtrack for a ballroom brawl or a backseat bump.
Wray’s ambitions for a singing career had nearly been derailed when he contracted tuberculosis. He spent a year in the hospital and had one lung removed. Though he eventually developed a distinctive, rough-edged vocal style, in the months that followed, he focused on his guitar playing. It was during that period, one night at a sock hop, that he spontaneously wrote “Rumble.”
Wray’s use of distortion, his primitive energy, and his do-it-yourself ethic inspired countless guitarists. His legacy stretches from ’60s British rock — Dave Davies followed Wray’s DIY path to distortion on early Kinks hits — through ’70s punk and metal, into ’80s thrash and hardcore, and on to ’90s grunge. Along the way, distortion became available as a pedal effect, putting it within reach of every young rebel eager to follow in Wray’s footsteps… read more >
