LINK WRAY 77

[surethang27]

Dick Dale does the best cover of Rumble

[billybuie]

amen

[linkwrayrules]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, LINK WRAY RULES!!!

[anbanana89]

link should be making love to me <3

[raymartin10]

you shouldnt be allowed to form a rock n roll band till you've heard this performance at least once. it is the most perfect rock n roll performance of all time.

[shadywilder]

Wow.

[beavisthejedi69]

Link was a legend he set the groundwork and influenced so many bands to come. you dont have to be technically skilled in the guitar to be a great a guitarist. There's a lot of guitarist out there who use the less is more philosophy and it usually works for them. I will say if it wasnt for link there probably wouldnt be any WHO, AC/DC, Stones, or alot of other great bands. God bless you LINK and RIP.

[PsychedelicFerret]

fuck elvis!! Link is the king of rock :)

[thepagodas]

Link Ray, like Dick Dale, was an astounding force of nature. We played with Dale not too long ago.

[TONYMONOPOLY]

Jimmy Page pays homage to Link in the film It Might Get Loud and now I can see why. This guy puts the oooh in COOL

[gropulus]

That guy can rock Bro saw him a few back at age 72 and he completely rocked out! Small club in cleveland and he was so hot!

[djsundancekid]

Ten years at least ahead of his time for sure!

[reiargutua]

Wonderful!!!

[chrook]

Born the same day as my old man - 5/2/29.

[linkwrayrules]

One of the BEST videos on youtube. Thank you for posting this...Link Wray Rules!

[markdrums1]

I knew Link, his brother Doug gave me my first real drumkit, Link was staying with us in 77....he was a cool guy, and a guitar legend

[CusterFlux]

Holy shit - dad found my stash and picked up my ax!

Guys, for his day, this killed, there was nothing else like it ... but take away the context, and that's just some guy with a guitar that's almost in tune.

Christ, I think my old manager was trying to organize a tour with him at some point

[ktwheels44]

This song is from 1958, and the reason it is so influential is the way he beats the crap out of that Gibson SG through a Marshall stack. Link Wray influenced Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, etc... He is also part Native American-and even though this song sold multi-millions (instrumental) he is still not in the R+R Hall of Fame. Brilliant video!

[BonerLips2]

What gives? That IS a very old SG. An SG is the guitar he is playing...

[spittinslim]

is the bass player Jon Paris?

[PeterVonRock]

Yes, it's Jon Paris !!!

[hugodaniel2222]

REAL ROCKIN´SOUND !!!!!!!!!!

[damaster59]

this guy doesnt get enough crdit for his contributions to music. he basically started the whole greaser/50s hoodlum scene with his music and took music into another direction. i honestly believe he pioneered rock n roll. of course, him and his ray men....as billy connolly once said teenagers were invented in the 50's

[vans1107]

anyone know where can i find a good recording of this version??...i like this one better than the original, sounds awsome!!

[heymarlarae]

super cool...

glad to have stumbled on your vid....

:)

[StuBri1964]

Love it, i dint even know who he was-is!!!, tops man...

[actooon]

Very old SG.... hahahha, from museum!!!

[laukemp1]

It may be old.....BUT, it's still light years better then the crap trying to pass as rock-n-roll these days. OH Fuckin Yeah!!! Ha HA HA

The shit going out these days is a friggin joke, pushed by big buck a-holes that only care about the bottom line.

[jonmurdock]

Link Wray is the definition of cool

[deathpigeon69]

Can't tell whether that's an early 60's 'Les Paul' or it's after they changed the name to SG......?

[rrwjw]

Hung out off and on with Link back in the day in NYC. words can't describe his power. Link is STILL THE MAN!!!!!

[strangersound]

Awesome!

[ziggykelly]

Link Wray is cooler than any of us will ever be.

[GeorgeDeadsonTV]

this is true

[PeterVanRock]

Link Wray NOT in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame!...???

Nah... It's just a silly dream and soon I will wake up!

???

WAKE UP!!!

???

Oh no... Stupid reality!

[djtet53]

Saw Link with Robt. Gordon late 70s. Dude was 50 yrs. old and put on incredible show. The moves and tude may look forced to some in a little uTube vid, but live the guy was 100% authentic. The fact that anyone can play Rumble is kind of the point - democratic apprentice to the true cool of rock. LW did not invent guitar distortion though. Many players in the 50s had rough means of getting dirtier sound, pencil holes in speaker cones, loose tubes... going back to W, Kizert in '52 on Rocket 88.

[djsundancekid]

It's now really hard to find a pure rocker like Link was. without doubts He's a Legend.Still and always on fire

[baschten]

He even pour water on the tubes to make the amp dist,the inventor of the "dirty sound".

[ktwheels44]

He did not! where did you hear that one- in the douche bag hall of Fame?

[MightyAlz]

I must say, although Link is a GENIUS, I'm sick of this song.

It's like three chords over and over at slow=tempo. I mean, I love how he spruces it up with feedback and beating the shit of his guitar, but it's still quite a dull song.

I'd love to see a video of him doing Raw-Hide or Deuces Wild or something.

[oftheguard]

for 1958 it was a smack in the face of popular bubblegum pop and was even banned from radio. Link Wray is the true rock n' roll rebel. Channel greats like him if you can...

[MightyAlz]

Did I disagree with any of that?

[hornwell]

rhetorical question.

[GrampaGoalie]

@MightyAlz

Then you missed the feeling and attitude of the song. Understanding or experiencing the social context makes a big difference, some of us are old enough to remember, others are young enough to think they know as much as we have forgotten.

[PM1970]

Such a fantastic gutsy piece of guitar - very sexy!

[thenewhughreview]

Rock and or Roll!!!

[rstavenhagen]

Is he wasted?

[MightyAlz]

Probably.

[eusephus]

Unspeakably cool.

[marleebartman]

ORGASEM

[hogcontroller]

Link kicks everybody's ass. Can you name another quitarist who faced his Marshall full stack at the wall, away from him, and miked it at the back of the cabinet. I can't think of any, and he was doin it till he died. Excellent.

[tulsaslim]

Link is the coolest guitar player who ever lived. He can play out of tune & still come across as slick. There's more mojo in every note than anybody else I can think of. He is (was)indeed 'the shit'.

[Tubyubber]

hats off to the King Of Rock 'N' Roll

[nadasafari]

R.I.P. LINK WRAY

maintaining the cool!

[Tubyubber]

Link Wray = the sound of fire, the sound of pouring magma.

I don't care about every other guitarist, seriously, I realized this man played fewer notes than most of them and yet, none of them where as 'Rock N Roll' as this right here. He was truly the first and the best.

[bodiddley88]

Fuck your RORY GALLAGHERs and Mark Knopflers, Link Wray's the shit. Man had a rock n roll heart

[problem49]

Michael Jackson's chimp could probably play "Rumble", but there's only one man who played it first. RIP Link.

[nickw66]

every one has there own opinion,whether it be about abortion, death penalty, religion, etc... who is right, who is wrong? In the case were talking about here is about Link Wray's music. I think he is a great player, no question. But there are many better players, I like to listen more often. Check out a fella named RORY GALLAGHER, just to name one. This guy is fucking amazing. Blow your mind if you never heard him play...

[mickd01]

Artists you mention aren't even the same type of music. His music was for the juvenile delinquents. I admire Link Wray immensely. He invented the power chord. And one of Pete Townshends biggest influences, who can argue with that. I sure am glad I got to see him, about 3 years before he left us. RIP Link, Guitar King!

[petetownshendjr]

i was just about to leave the same comment then i saw Mickd01's comment and it hits the nail on the head. Pete Townshend is my biggest influence and when i started getting in touch with earlier rock and roll i discovered link wray and was instantly hooked. whod of thought he was Pete's biggest influence huh? lol

[MasterOfSparks]

Nick doesn't understand. When Link Wray started playing like this he actually had to stick a sharp pencil through his speaker cone to get a fuzz tone sound. That was state of the art technology at the time. Rory Gallagher would slap Nick for talking smack about Link Wray. Though I gotta tell ya RG's song "Heaven's Gate" is some of the best music ever recorded. But it never would have happened without Link's influence.

[HQMEYSNQQP]

he also created distortion by poking holes in his amplifier.

[hornwell]

I heard he created turbulence by passing gas

[nickw66]

allright

[nickw66]

great song, but yawn

Listen to some muddy waters,T bone walker, chuck berry, same era, late 50's, and much better players.

[PunkRotter69]

You are completely missing it!!! It's got nothing to do with how well you can play, it's all about Rock N Roll, and this is a classic.

[myroncope]

All those are great, and they broke ground, and link came around and broke some newer ground.

[MasterOfSparks]

I forgot to mention "Rumble" holds the distinction of being the only INSTRUMENTAL in history to be banned by New York City. It seems that the mayor was afraid the music sounded so tough it would instigate gang fights.

[petetownshendjr]

wasnt just new york city! most of amercian southern radio too!

[MasterOfSparks]

When Pete Townsend (of the Who for those of you too stupid to know that) met Link Wray Pete got down on his hands and knees and kissed LW's feet. True story. This guy is over rated like oxygen is over rated.

[petetownshendjr]

it is a true story

[thenewhughreview]

If you are cool,you know about him! Mr. Moon was the BUMBLE BEE man!!! LOL,LOL,LOL,LOL!!!!

[nickw66]

allright , but YAWN, I can play this and iam not great player. only been playing for well, 6-7 years. Over rated, Good player dont get me wrong, But not Great. Chuck Berry much more talented on the Guitar, prob best ever after Hendrix of course....

[koshercow]

You fucking suck dude!!! This guy wrote the future for black sabbath, and every band who used and recorded careers using power chords!!!Imagine if this guy never recorded rumble, or the batman theme!!!! Your crazy! HE is anything but OVERRATED.

[mccrabapple]

Saying "I can play this" shows just how much you don't understand about music. Music isn't about difficulty... it's not a sport. Less is more. Yeah, maybe you could play it... but you could never have written it! A thousand guys can play like Eddie Van Halen or whoever, but one in a thousand can THINK to play like Link Wray or George Harrison. Simple, raw, powerful, memorable, honest!

[gordonbennet]

exactly. its not about playing ability. its about what you can write. and you need a good ear to be able to write something good.

[myroncope]

I've been playing for 20 years, neither you, nor I, can play like Link. It's about more than just notes, bubba.

[bufton6]

A-fucking-men. People need to ask themselves one simple question: Who would they rather listen to, Link Wray or the unspeakable wanker that is Malmsteen? If the answer is the latter, throw yourself out of a helicopter.

[bjslaca]

Nickw66: And what have you EVER written yourself?

Lou Reed once said: "I write all my tunes so that any kid who knows a couple chords can play them..." Did you write "Sweet Jane"?! Did you write "Rumble"? Nah...you're just a novice who thinks cheap imitation means something.

[GeorgeDeadsonTV]

your a real piece of shit

[Hugh69]

you wanna race?

[bhfinbar]

great footage...he was the shit thats for sure

[ausgang]

I had the privilege of seeing Link Wray at Bimbo's in SF in the late '90s, backed by two members of Agent Orange. He was the LIVING SHIT!! He was playing some cheap guitar through a Marshall half-stack with the speakers pointed away from the audience and miked at the back of the cabinet. The sound was PURE FILTH! The entire audience GOT FUCKED! By a 70 YEAR OLD man! The only other guy I've seen do that was Jerry Lee. RIP you fucking degenerate!

[bjslaca]

Ausgang: Um, that was a rather beautiful description. Ahahahaha. "The entire audience got fucked...by a 70-year-old man..." My late fiance and I danced around at a show he did in Arizona and when we left sweat-covered and exhausted, it was as if we had just left a 110-degree orgy.

[sickboy4755]

Yeah, we should tell Link Wray how to play: The man IS Rock n Roll.

Forever missed...

[bricitybrac]

Would be so much better with out the solo that starts at 3:20 or so. Kind of kills it, he totally drops the rhythym and goes for metal style solowankery.

[gordonbennet]

muthafucka roolz

[Arturs2657]

The most important and revolutionary guitar player ever!

[taxiboy2]

it´s a jimmy reed blues `Baby what you want me to do´. Everyone´s played it sometimes

[metalscumfuc]

what is the name of the second song in this clip? it is really awesome and i would like to get the album it appears on if any.

[davidharte]

This song is called "Baby, What You Want Me To Do", and was written by Jimmy Reed. Elvis performed it as part of his "68 Comeback show. To the best of my knowledge, Link hasn'recorded it. I could be wrong, though !

[stupidxx]

Cool and Camp and Rock and Roll - The Maestro

[Hugh69]

he played the belly up tavern in san diego,ca. I shook his hand,and he was all smiles the whole show, A true rock star! RIP buddy!

[Hugh69]

not bad for one lung! one bad ass mother fucker!!!

[Balertwine]

Link Wray was one bad-ass hood. This video is great. Rumble is hot, and the second song, which Link sings, rocks also. Yeah, Link Wray wrote young rebel songs that ushered in a new era of electric rock guitar and of rock music in general. Music wasn't the same before him, and music wasn't the same after him either.

[Hornilope]

does anyody know wether duane eddy's moovin' n' groovin' was released before or after wray's rumble? (they where released the same year)

[Hornilope]

Rock and Roll hall of fame is a joke. It doesn't include the people who invented Rock and Roll either.

[chiko316]

what a cool mawfucka!

[Schmoogee]

Not only does it sound cool, but anyone with minimal guitar playing ablity can play it!

[JackReinhart]

Link Wray and Dick Dale have yet to be inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame"... WTF!!!!

[CaptainMahrvell]

Do you have the rest of the video with Robert Gordon singing,Alligator?

I would love to see it.

[reelden]

Awesome!! The true original!

[RegisteredTrademark]

You know he got that sound by poking holes through his amp speakers with a pencil, lol.

[gordonbennet]

my fav you tube clip

thanks

[everestthunders]

The best. RIP Link Wray.

Gracias alligatordevil

[CaptainMahrvell]

Link is from the Shawnee tribe.

His guitar playing was revolutionary.

[ianbollock]

I love the 2nd song too !! It rules !!!

[madamerotten]

Definitely pwns (slang for "rocks.")!

[johnnylively]

link wray!!!! YESSSS!!!!

[Elek50]

"The Rumble"!!This tune was banned for years in the States in the 1950s for causing rebelliousness. Link Wray was an innovator and not just another poser. He looked like a show off but this was his style, anyway he had cause to be. Looks he has Jon Paris on bass who went on to join Johnny Winter. Remember this was 1977 when alot of bands looked camp and OTT. Punk was the scene in 1977 but Link Wray was the original punk rebel a long time before. Links got a killer tone on his Gibson SG.

[dvriot]

Uhh, how do you look ridiculously cool without being ridiculous? Ask Link! So cool that it is hard to watch! RIP Mr Wray!

[Elek50]

This Cherokee Indian child influenced so many from Pete Townsend to Robbie Robertson and Neil Young. Fairly camp on this one but brilliant nonetheless ..you can see where The Ramones got their look from.

[Elesaar27]

my guitar idol. ive been listening to link wray since i was a small child. thanks to my dad. Link is the best damn guitar player ever as far as im concerned.

[eels05]

If this is Link Wray in 77 then he'd of already been playing this song for almost 20 years..no way could he be trying to look cool,more like living the song.

[deckelmaho]

Cool, thanx....

[retinasoup]

I wish I could get his guitar sound sometimes. He is like the Elvis of guitar.

[timmehfz3]

that's the man right there. he's not trying to look cool. he wrote the book on cool.

[av1d]

Uggh, Link is one of my favorite musicians ever but they're trying to hard to look cool in this vid... it's very pretentious

[bjslaca]

Someone who thinks about "trying to look cool" never is. Write that down, stick it in your pocket, and smoke it. Cool is cool. And no matter what Link did, He was Cool. Those who sit back and judge just aren't. End of story, Skippy.

[Bietel]

Anyone got any footage from the 1996-1997 Shadowman tours in Europe and Australia?? Threepiece band that kicked some major bottom, with Mr Wray still in very, very good shape (and no mrs Wray with a tambourine on board)

[dahliafully]

he's so ridiculous! link ray's skills at getting something across with the guitar about self-styled bad ass aggression, regression, and repression is liberating. rock and roll gets out the grit.

note to posers: go ahead and try it at home but keep it out of the public until you find your own thing like he did and can express it as such. ahh..actually, maybe just don't even try it at home.

[zombiereagan]

this video pwns

[LasterBlaster]

this is bad too the bone bad! link wray will always be. rock on guitar preacher!

[dvriot]

This is truly the coolest thing I've ever seen. Watch it a couple of times a day, everyday. RIP MR Wray!

[Soul74]

Oh yeah. Just look at him. He knows he's cool!

[dvriot]

This is INSANE! I've never seen footage of Mr Wray before. This f-in kills! Long live Link!

[diseasedone]

RIP. attitude.

[yootoobdotcom]

this is great

[jeffkahl]

punk rock Link! this is awesome! he will be sorely missed! a true genius!

[bigrocco]

Thank you! The baddest of the bad muddas. He will be missed, but lives on here.