Harnett County native Link Wray to be inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Myron B. Pitts, Fayetteville Observer
Updated ·2 min read
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Link Wray, a late rock musician and native of Dunn, has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The ceremony for the 2023 class will stream live on Disney+ at 8 p.m. on Friday. On Jan. 1, ABC will air a three-hour special of the ceremony.

Wray's biggest single was the 1958 instrumental “Rumble,” a Top 20 song known for an aggressive, distorted guitar technique that influenced a generation of rock and rollers.

Seminal rock and roll guitarist Link Wray, who was born in Dunn, popularized the 'power chord' used by most modern guitarists.
Seminal rock and roll guitarist Link Wray, who was born in Dunn, popularized the 'power chord' used by most modern guitarists.

Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr. was Native American, and his background influenced his music — he has cited the Ku Klux Klan's targeting of Native Americans during his youth, including Klansmen terrorizing his family home. His big hit is the inspiration for the title of a PBS documentary about Native American influence on music, “Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World.”

He died in 2005 at age 76.

Guitar growl: Holes in the amplifier

According to the Financial Times, which in 2021 described Wray’s influence, Wray and his band Wray Men first achieved the guitar growl at a concert by placing a vocal microphone in front of a guitar amp. The move was to help Wray’s guitar rise above the extraordinarily loud drumming by his brother, Doug, another member of the band, the Financial Times wrote.

In the studio, Wray reproduced the sound by punching holes in the amplifier.

“The raw guitar sound was unlike anything heard before,” the story said, “and (Wray) has been cited by generations of musicians, including Pete Townshend, Jimmy Page and Iggy Pop, as the catalyst for them to pick up a guitar or microphone. From one punctured amplifier, a thousand distortion pedals bloomed.”

More famous Carolina musicians: Photos: 90 legendary, famous and influential musicians from the Carolinas

Despite being an instrumental, “Rumble” was once banned from radio because of fears it would spark youth violence.

For the rock hall, Wray will be posthumously honored in the Musical Influence category.

Musical influence category

He will join a class of 2023 that includes a fellow musical influence inductee, DJ Kool Herc;  performer inductees Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine and the Spinners; and Musical Excellence inductees: Chaka Khan, Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin.

Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Link Wray inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame tonight