Link Wray Trail Of The Lonesome Pine

[Renhjarta]

I wonder if he used that Danelectro guitar on the original recording...! Very cool tone

[journeyquest1]

1:16 oops i dropped my pick.

[39franklin]

I use to Listen tO Jack Spector out of WPTR in Albany New York back in the late 50's... Can any one verify that.

[GoodNoteDJ]

I assume that's the same Jack Spector who later was one of the "Good Guys" rock'n'roll DJs on NYC's WMCA (570 AM) -- the station I grew up with. Spector was one of those incredible guys who was 100% articulate even when talking a mile a minute!

[kylebook]

@GoodNoteDJ The very same Jack Spector. He DJed at WPRO radio in Providence, RI, as well as hosting this show, prior to his "Good Guy" days at WMCA.

[silkcitycd]

I think it's hilarious that even though he's "lip-synching" he reaches down out of the frame to pick up the guitar pick that he dropped instead of just being cool and faking it...

[malejock68]

I was there on that show as a regular dancer for two years while Jack hosed the show. Link Wray was a great guest, and if you look closely at the video, I am dancing in the middle with the gal with the white hoop skirt. I had a blast on that show. Jack spector was the greatest DJ!. Im 69 years old now, so this video was a blast to see. The whole show is available to purchase at the video beat. Oh the 50's-60's!! Cheers

Don Gillis

Cranston, Rhode Island

[kylebook]

@malejock68 That's a great story! Being a dancer on TV every week must have given you a license to steal all the young ladies! :-) Not to mention that you've got the same name as a prominent Boston TV sportscaster from that era!

Anyway, getting responses like this are one of the great things about YouTube. You made my day! Cheers, Kyle

[malejock68]

@kylebook The teen years awesome, and your right - I had my pick of your females - but oddly married my HS sweetheart.  Don Gillis, the radio announcer was very well known - but were are not related. Boston is only 38 minutes from my house.

Cheers to you also Kyle!

Don

[pomp55able]

the guy beside Spector in the stripes is none other than Bob Crewe who is currently part of broadway's JERSEY BOYS (lyricist for 4 Seasons)

[kylebook]

@pomp55able Crewe was one of the performers on this show, lipsynching to his latest single prior to Link's appearance.

[pomp55able]

Are you able to put Crewe's performance on U-tube?

....

[gfirefrosting]

that guitar is damn sexy

[Bongobobby9]

this is really cool...

[longboardssurf]

excellent!!

[potheadj]

he dropped his pick

[shub10]

This sounds exactly like the version on the Slinky! sessions cd.  Could Link be not even actually playing here? I know others back then did... Link is still the man either way.

[kylebook]

It's a "lip synch". Very common on TV appearances for music artists into the 1970s.

[PsychedOut17]

the host calls Link's accent cute

:)

[KatradioNY]

WOW! I knew that Jack Spector had a music show on WPRO..just never saw it 'til NOW! Leave it to Jack..to have hosted Link Wray..he loved breaking artists and their hits! Jack Spector was also a WMCA "Good Guy"..for years and was on air at all of NYC's heavy hitter radio statiions. His last was to be WHLI on Long Island..he passed while on the air. A wonderful story teller..joke teller..a sweet and gentle man. I was blessed to call him friend. Jack's closing: "Look Out Street..Here I Come" RIP

[12stringsforme]

Someone like Bear Family or Rhino should do a big box set of the Rayman.

[Cortexmelon]

Yeah, Bear family has released a lot of link wray stuff, but i wish they'd just a nice big complete set of his 50's-60's time.

[seljuk1969]

Cool, you saw him four days after I saw him at the Lanes (May 6) Saw Dick Dale 2 weeks later at the Lanes, that was a months worth of good music!

The Link Wray show in NYC was sometime in '02 or '03 somewhere in the Village, can't remember the place.

Too bad Link never wote a autobiography, it would have been a great read!

[seljuk1969]

Saw him twice in the last few years of his life, once in NYC and once in Asbury Park.

The show at the Asbury Lanes was his best, him and the band really rocked out! Sadly, later that year he passed on.

Interesting to note that the Danelectro he played in that clip was made in Neptune, NJ. Right next door to Asbury Park.

[kylebook]

I caught Link, for the 1st & last time, in NYC on May 10, 2005 at BB King's club on 42nd St. Given his age, as well as the energy & chops supporting band behind him, it was one of the most ass-kicking rock n' roll shows I've ever witnessed. Link is greatly missed in this corner!

[RexSand]

I believe this is the only surviving clip of him in this period

[kylebook]

Unless someone from Channel 5 in Washington, DC comes up with kinescopes of Link on the "Milt Grant Show".

[aucksmix]

These have all been lost, unfortunately.

[Cortexmelon]

Well, actually, he appeared on American Bandstand twice, so their is more out there!

[kylebook]

Good luck prying it from Dick Clark's clutched hands!

[Cortexmelon]

Yeah, thats the only problem, well, hes near his death bed hopefully.

[daveschaeff14]

This is a RAD vid

[lordritchie]

definately not a teen idol,and that's just what makes this so great.

[thenewhughreview]

I wonder where that priceless guitar is now,and his SG! If you told me what pawn shop it landed in I would have raced over there with the cash!

[wfd57fatman]

Golly Gee, this was swell!

[Celomalabit]

Oh shit! come on rumble ! riplink

[4321Blastoff]

Would have been funny if he hit the guy in the face with his guitar at the end like I thought he was going to.

[pinetreeshaw]

Trail Of The Lonesome Pine

[arriva424]

Laurel and Hardy version is better and funnier!

[wingobingo]

heh heh dropped his pleccy doh!

[reaperpro]

Ahh, but his tone and playing are still killer here. He's an unstoppabe force.

[darrenhindmarsh]

Watching this clip makes you think that this can't be the same man who gave us the mighty RUMBLE!!

[kylebook]

"Trail Of The Lonesome Pine" comes from Link's short, unhappy stint with Columbia's Epic Records, who tried to tone him down, and clean him up into the semi-respectable teen guitar picker you see here. Wish there were some clips out there of Link on the "Milt Grant Show" in DC...

[thomasanddiesel]

it sounds a bit simalar to the laurel and hardy one

[martincq]

I Like this song...First time I heard it was here. I'm a Danelectro freak, so seing a Longhorn was really cool

[JohnnyCashLive]

I really like this song. I just wish i could find it in studio version.

[kylebook]

This song is available on the Link Wray double CD set "Slinky! The Epic Sessions"

[JohnnyCashLive]

Looks like I'll have to go buy that set. Just recently became a link wray fan, so all i got is a couple "borrowed" songs.

[kylebook]

Link's best stuff was the instrumentals he recorded for Swan Records from 1963 - 1966. Get the Rhino records CD "Rumble: The Best Of Link Wray" for an overview of those, and if you want to dig deeper (trust me you will!), check out Norton records & Ace records CDs, which have a slew of rare lp, single & previously unreleased tracks. Enjoy!

[JohnnyCashLive]

Sounds great. Its too bad footage from 50-60's are so rare for Link Wray (This is the only one i've even heard of).

[laydjay]

Great clip, even tho it's not my fave Link tune. He looks great and the interview made me chuckle. Got any more?