Editing Link Wray (section)

==Career==
Building on the [[Distortion (music)|distorted]] electric guitar sound of early records, Wray's first hit was the 1958 [[instrumental]] "[[Rumble (instrumental)|Rumble]]". The record was first released on [[Cadence Records]] (catalog number 1347) as by "Link Wray & His Ray Men". "Rumble" was banned in New York and Boston for fear that it would incite teenage gang violence, "rumble" being slang for a gang fight.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/link-wray-rumble |title="Rumble" Riles Censors |website=Pophistorydig.com|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>

Before, during, and after his stints with major labels [[Epic records|Epic]] and [[Swan Records|Swan]], Wray released 45s under many names. Tiring of the corporate music machine, he began recording albums using a three-track studio he converted from an outbuilding on his brother's property that his father used to raise chickens, in [[Accokeek, Maryland]]. He wrote and recorded the LP ''[[Link Wray (album)|Link Wray]]'' (1971), on which he wrote about his frustrations. The [[Neville Brothers]] have recorded two tracks from it, "Fallin' Rain" and "Fire and Brimstone".<ref name="hisway"/>

While living in the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1970s, Wray was introduced to [[Quicksilver Messenger Service]] guitarist [[John Cipollina]] by bassist [[James "Hutch" Hutchinson]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bayareabands.com |title=The Leading Bands Site on the Net |website=BayAreaBands.com |access-date=2013-08-09}}</ref> He subsequently formed a band initially featuring special guest Cipollina along with the rhythm section from Cipollina's band Copperhead, bassist Hutch Hutchinson, and drummer David Weber. They opened for the band [[Lighthouse (band)|Lighthouse]] at the [[Whisky a Go Go]] in Los Angeles from May 15–19, 1974.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chickenonaunicycle.com/Whisky-A-Go-Go%201971-1975.htm |title=Whisky A-Go-Go Show List 1971-1975|website=Chickenona unicycle.com |access-date=June 14, 2017}}</ref> He later did numerous concerts and radio broadcasts in the Bay Area, including at [[KYLD#KSAN|KSAN]] and at promoter [[Bill Graham (promoter)|Bill Graham]]'s [[Winterland Ballroom]] venue, with Les Lizama later replacing Hutchinson on bass.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/link-wray/ |title=Link Wray |publisher=wolfgangsvault.com |access-date=2012-08-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625232448/http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/link-wray/ |archive-date=2012-06-25}}</ref> He toured and recorded two albums with retro-[[rockabilly]] artist [[Robert Gordon (singer)|Robert Gordon]] in the late 1970s.<ref>Prown, Pete & Newquist, HP (1997). ''Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists'', p. 25. Hal Leonard Corporation.</ref> The 1980s to the present day saw a large number of reissues as well as new material. One member of his band in the 1980s, session drummer [[Anton Fig]], later became drummer in the [[CBS Orchestra]] on the ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]''. In 1994, Wray played on four songs of the album ''[[Chatterton (album)|Chatterton]]'' by French rocker [[Alain Bashung]].<ref name="Chatterton_booklet">{{cite AV media notes |title=Chatterton |others=[[Alain Bashung]] |year=1994 |type=album booklet |publisher=[[Barclay Records]] |id=523 111-2}}</ref>  He went on to release two albums of new music: ''Shadowman'' (1997) and ''Barbed Wire'' (2000).

In November 2017, Easy Eye Records announced the future release of two recently discovered recordings, "Son of Rumble", presumably a follow-up to 1958's "Rumble", and "Whole Lotta Talking", recorded in 1970. The recordings were issued as a 45rpm single in April 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2017/11/29/news/dan-auerbachs-easy-eye-sound-label-releases-never-before-heard-link-wray-song-son-of-rumble/ |title=Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound Label Releases Never-Before-Heard Link Wray Song "Son of Rumble" |author=<!--Not stated--> |newspaper=MXDWN Music |date=29 November 2017 |access-date=March 2, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/link-wray-son-of-rumble-recently-discovered-1958-59-recording.748754/ |title=Steve Hoffman Music Forums |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Forums.stevehoffman.tv |access-date=March 2, 2021}}</ref>
Easy Eye released another 45rpm single of newly discovered/unreleased material for RSD 2019, "Vernon's Diamond" b/w "My Brother, My Son". "Vernon's Diamond" was recorded circa 1958-59 and is an early version of "Ace of Spades", and "My Brother, My Son" was recorded at the same sessions as "Whole Lotta Talking" in 1970. {{citation needed|date=December 2021}}