Editing Link Wray

{{short description|American guitarist (1929–2005)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Link Wray
| image             = Link Wray in Seattle 2005 (1).jpg
| landscape         = yes
| caption           = Wray performing in July 2005
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_name        = Fred Lincoln Wray Jr.
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1929|05|2}}
| birth_place       = [[Dunn, North Carolina]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|2005|11|5|1929|05|2}}
| death_place       = [[Copenhagen]], Denmark
| origin            = [[Portsmouth, Virginia]], U.S.
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Rock and roll]]|[[Country music|country]]|[[rockabilly]]|[[Surf music|surf]]|[[garage rock]]|[[country rock]]|[[swamp rock]]|[[hard rock]]|[[Instrumental rock]]}}
| occupation        = {{flatlist|
*Musician
*songwriter
}}
| instrument        = {{flatlist|
*Guitar
*vocals
*[[steel guitar]]
*bass guitar
}}
| years_active      = 1955–2005
| label             = 
| associated_acts   = [[Robert Gordon (singer)|Robert Gordon]]
| website           = {{URL|http://www.linkwray.com/}}
}}

'''Fred Lincoln''' "'''Link'''" '''Wray Jr.''' (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who became popular in the late 1950s. His 1958 [[Instrumental rock|instrumental]] single "[[Rumble (instrumental)|Rumble]]", reached the top 20 in the United States; and was one of the earliest songs in rock music to utilize [[Distortion (guitar)|distortion]] and [[tremolo]].

''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Wray at No. 45 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.<ref name="GreatGuitar">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-guitarists-153675/link-wray-149776/ |title=100 Greatest Guitarists - 45. Link Wray|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=2021-12-06}}</ref> He received two nominations for the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], prior to being inducted in the Musical Influence category in 2023.<ref name="rollingstone.com">[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nirvana-kiss-hall-and-oates-nominated-for-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-73378/ "Nirvana, Kiss, Hall and Oates Nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902070929/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/nirvana-kiss-hall-and-oates-nominated-for-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-20131016 |date=September 2, 2016 }}. ''Rolling Stone''. October 16, 2013; retrieved October 16, 2013.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, and Rage Against the Machine Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2023 |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/kate-bush-missy-elliott-rage-against-the-machine-inducted-into-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-class-of-2023/ |access-date=2023-05-03 |website=pitchfork.com|date=3 May 2023 }}</ref>

==Early life==
Wray was born on May 2, 1929, in [[Dunn, North Carolina]], to Fred Lincoln Wray Sr. and Lillian Mae (née Coats), whom her son identified as being of [[Shawnee]] descent.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Flowers |first1=Sonya |title=“Rumble”—Link Wray (1958) |url=https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/Rumble_Flowers.pdf |website=Library of Congress |access-date=22 November 2024 |location=Washington, DC |date=2008 |quote=Their mother, Lillian, was of Shawnee descent, and became affectionately known as Memaw.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bengal |first1=Rebecca |title=Link Wray & the Chord Heard ’Round the World |url=https://www.ourstate.com/link-wray-the-chord-heard-round-the-world/ |website=Our State |access-date=22 November 2024 |date=2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wargs.com/other/wrayl.html |title=Ancestry of Link Wray |publisher=Wargs.com |access-date=2012-08-24}}</ref> Wray recalled living in very harsh conditions during childhood, in mud huts, without electricity or heating, going to school barefoot, barely clothed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqyFdeGfBYA |title=Link Wray - MEGAMIX - 16 03 1994 |website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref> He recounted that his family experienced discrimination, including times when they had to hide from the [[Ku Klux Klan]].<ref name="indyweek">{{Cite web |url=https://indyweek.com/music/features/link-wray-kkk-rural-north-carolina/ |title=Link Wray Grew Up Hiding from the KKK in Rural North Carolina. Over the Course of His Career, He Refused to Be Erased. |first=Dana |last=Raidt |date=6 February 2019 |website=Indyweek.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924182951/https://indyweek.com/music/features/link-wray-kkk-rural-north-carolina/ |access-date=19 October 2021 |archive-date=2021-09-24 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Cartwright |first1=Garth |title=Link Wray |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/nov/22/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref> Wray later said: "The cops, the sheriff, the drugstore owner—they were all Ku Klux Klan. They put the masks on and, if you did something wrong, they'd tie you to a tree and whip you or kill you."<ref name="indyweek"/> His family listed themselves as White on census records. Three songs Wray performed during his career were named for Indigenous peoples: "Shawnee", "[[Apache (instrumental)|Apache]]", and "Comanche".

Wray lived with his family in [[Portsmouth, Virginia]] from 1942 until 1955. He and his brothers Ray and Doug (born July 4, 1933 – died April 29, 1984) drove cabs during the day while working at night clubs in the Portsmouth and [[Norfolk, Virginia]] area. Wray's first bands, The Lucky Wray Band and The Palomino Ranch Gang, formed in Portsmouth and included brothers Ray, Doug, and Vernon (born January 7, 1924 – died March 26, 1979) and two other musicians, Dixie Neal and Shorty Horton.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/2017/10/19/musician-with-virginia-roots-rumbles-for-an-induction-into-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/ |title=Musician with Virginia roots "Rumbles" for an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame |date=19 October 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://coastalvirginiamag.com/article/new-biography-covers-rock-n-roll-guitarist-link-wray/ |title=New Biography Covers Rock 'n' Roll Guitarist Link Wray &#124; Coastal Virginia Magazine |date=21 June 2019 }}</ref>

Wray served in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] during the [[Korean War]] (1950–53). He contracted [[tuberculosis]], which hospitalized him for a year. His stay concluded with the removal of a lung, which doctors predicted would mean he would never be able to sing again.<ref name="hisway">{{cite news |title=Link: Doing it his Way |first=Dick |last=Meadows |newspaper=[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]] |publisher=Spotlight Publications |date=August 28, 1971 |page=8}}</ref>

==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}}

==Personal life and death==
[[File:Grave of Link Wray.JPG|thumbnail|right|Link Wray's grave]]
Wray's first three marriages, to Elizabeth Canady Wray, Ethel Tidwell Wray, and Sharon Cole Wray, produced eight children. In the early 1980s, Wray relocated to Denmark and married Olive Poulsen, who became his manager.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Adam |title=Guitarist Link Wray Dies; Influenced Punk, Grunge |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/21/AR2005112101484.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=November 22, 2005 |access-date=December 8, 2013}}</ref>

Wray died of [[heart failure]] at his home in [[Copenhagen]], on November 5, 2005, at the age of 76.<ref name="nytobit">{{cite news |last=Sisario |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Sisario |title=Link Wray, 76, a Guitarist With Raw Rockabilly Sound, Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/arts/link-wray-76-a-guitarist-with-raw-rockabilly-sound-dies.html?_r=0 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 22, 2005}}</ref> He was survived by his nine children, 24 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.<ref name=":0"/> Wray was cremated, and his ashes were buried in the crypt of the [[Christian's Church, Copenhagen]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/guitarist-link-wray-dies-at-76-60597 |title=Guitarist Link Wray Dies At 76 |website=Billboard.com|date=21 November 2005 }}</ref>

== Musical style and influence ==

Link Wray's 1950s recordings "straddled [[country music|country]] and [[rockabilly]]".<ref name=Koda/> He later performed [[surf music|surf]] influenced [[garage rock]] in the 1960s, [[swamp rock]] and [[country rock]] in the early 1970s and [[hard rock]] in the late 1970s and onward.<ref name=Fablo>{{cite web |url=http://rocksalted.com/2016/10/link-wray-live-at-the-paradiso/ |title=Link Wray – Live at The Paradiso |last=Fablo |first=Syd |date=October 16, 2016 |publisher=Rock Salted |access-date=2022-12-10}}</ref>

Wray is credited with inventing the [[power chord]].<ref name=Koda/> According to [[AllMusic]]'s [[Cub Koda]], Wray's instrumental recordings starting with "Rumble" through his Swan singles in the early 1960s laid the blueprints for "[[heavy metal music|heavy metal]], thrash, you name it."<ref name=Koda>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/link-wray-mn0000240311 |title=Link Wray Biography |last=Koda |first=Cub |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2022-12-10}}</ref> "Rumble" facilitated the emergence of "[[Punk rock|punk]] and heavy rock", according to Jeremy Simmonds.<ref>{{cite book |last=Simmonds |first=Jeremy |year=2008 |title=The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PtpkCgAAQBAJ |page=559 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |isbn=978-1-55652-754-8}}</ref>

Wray has influenced a wide range of artists. [[Jimmy Page]] described Link Wray as having a "real rebel attitude" and credited Wray in the documentary ''[[It Might Get Loud]]'' as a major influence in his early career. According to ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', [[Pete Townshend]] of [[The Who]] once said, "If it hadn't been for Link Wray and 'Rumble,' I never would have picked up a guitar."<ref name="GreatGuitar"/> [[Mark E. Smith]] of [[The Fall (band)|The Fall]] wrote in his autobiography: "The only people I ever really looked up to were Link Wray and Iggy Pop{{nbsp}}... Guys like [Wray] are very special to me."<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5K-mAAAACAAJ |title=Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E. Smith |first=Mark E. |last=Smith |author-link=Mark E. Smith |publisher=[[Penguin UK]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0141028668}}</ref> [[Iggy Pop]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Iggy Pop – The Colbert Report| date=30 April 2013| url=https://www.cc.com/video/8ewxg4/the-colbert-report-iggy-pop| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206085116/https://www.cc.com/video/8ewxg4/the-colbert-report-iggy-pop| url-status=dead| archive-date=December 6, 2021|access-date=2021-12-06|publisher=Comedy CentraL}}</ref> and [[Neil Young]]<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/_tDsDnr18PM Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20131222000715/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tDsDnr18PM&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|title=BBC Documentary; Don't Be Denied|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tDsDnr18PM|access-date=2009-06-10|publisher=BBC}}{{cbignore}}</ref> have also cited Wray as an influence on their work.
 
[[Bob Dylan]] refers to Wray in his song "Sign Language", which he recorded as a duet with [[Eric Clapton]] in 1975: "Link Wray was playin' on a juke box I was payin'/ for the words I was saying, so misunderstood/he didn't do me no good."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dylanchords.info/00_misc/sign_language.htm |title=Sign Language |website=Dylanchords.info |access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref> Both Dylan and [[Bruce Springsteen]] performed Wray's tune "Rumble" in concert as a tribute to the influential musician upon his 2005 death.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bob-dylan.org.uk/archives/2534 |title=Sign Language: the meaning behind the music and lyrics in Dylan's song |website=Bob-dylan.org.uk |date=14 June 2016 |access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref>  In 2007, musician [[Steven Van Zandt]] inducted Link Wray into the Native American Music Hall of Fame with a tribute performance by his grandson Chris Webb and Native artist Gary Small.{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

==Discography==
===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
|-
!Release date
![[A-side and B-side|A-side]]
![[A-side and B-side|B-side]]
!Label
!Catalog number
! style="width:50px;"| <small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US]]</small>
|-
|March 1958
|"[[Rumble (instrumental)|Rumble]]"
|"The Swag"
|[[Cadence Records|Cadence]]
|1347
|style="text-align:center" |16
|-
|January 1959
|"Raw-Hide"
|"Dixie-Doodle"
|[[Epic Records|Epic]]
|5-9300
|style="text-align:center" |23
|-
|June 1959
|"Comanche"
|"Lillian"
|Epic
|5-9321
|
|-
|October 1959
|"Slinky"
|"Rendezvous"
|Epic
|5-9343
|
|-
|February 1960
|"Trail of the Lonesome Pine"
|"Golden Strings" (Based on a [[Chopin]] etude)
|Epic
|5-9361
|
|-
|1960
|"Roughshod" [released as by Ray Vernon & The Raymen]
|"Vendetta" [released as by Ray Vernon & The Raymen]
|Scottie
|1320
|-
|October 1960
|"[[Ain't That Lovin' You, Baby (Jimmy Reed song)|Ain't That Lovin' You Babe]]"
|"[[Mary Ann (Ray Charles song)|Mary Ann]]"
|Epic
|5-9419
|
|-
|July 1961
|"Jack The Ripper"
|"The Stranger"
|Rumble
|1000
|
|-
|August 1961
|"El Toro"
|"Tijuana"
|Epic
|5-9454
|
|-
|November 1961
|"Evil Angel" [A-side by Ray Vernon]
|"Danger One Way Love" [B-side by Ray Vernon with Link Wray & His Raymen]
|Rumble
|1349
|
|-
|April 1962
|"Poppin' Popeye"
|"Big City Stomp"
|Trans Atlas
|M-687
|
|-
|October 1962
|"Hold It" [released as by Ray Vernon & The Raymen]
|"Big City After Dark" [released as by Ray Vernon & The Raymen]
|Mala
|456
|
|-
|January 1963
|"Dancing Party"
|"There's a Hole in the Middle of the Moon"
|Mala
|458
|
|-
|February 1963
|"Hambone" [A-side by [[Red Saunders (musician)|Red Saunders]] & His Orchestra with Dolores Hawkins & The Hambone Kids]
|"Rumble Mambo" [B-side by Link Wray & The Wraymen]
|[[Okeh Records|OKeh]]
|4-7166
|
|-
|March 1963
|"Jack The Ripper" [reissue]
|"The Black Widow"
|[[Swan Records|Swan]]
|S-4137
|style="text-align:center" |64
|-
|September 1963
|"Week End"
|"Turnpike U.S.A."
|Swan
|S-4154
|
|-
|November 1963
|"The Sweeper"
|"Run Chicken Run"
|Swan
|S-4163
|
|-
|February 1964
|"The Shadow Knows"
|"My Alberta"
|Swan
|S-4171
|
|-
|July 1964
|"Deuces Wild"
|"Summer Dream"
|Swan
|S-4187
|
|-
|February 1965
|"[[Good Rockin' Tonight]]"
|"I'll Do Anything For You"
|Swan
|S-4201
|
|-
|April 1965
|"I'm Branded"
|"Hang On"
|Swan
|S-4211
|
|-
|never released/withdrawn from schedule (originally set for mid–1965)
|"[[Please Please Me (song)|Please Please Me]]"
|"Rumble '65"
|Swan
|S-4221
|
|-
|July 1965
|"[[Baby What You Want Me to Do|Baby, What'cha Want Me]]"
|"Walkin' Down the Street Called Love"
|Diamond
|D-186
|
|-
|October 1965
|"[[Girl from the North Country]]"
|"You Hurt Me So"
|Swan
|S-4232
|
|-
|December 1965
|"Ace of Spades"
|"The Fuzz"
|Swan
|S-4239
|
|-
|February 1966
|"[[Batman Theme]]" (with Bobby Howard)
|"Alone"
|Swan
|S-4244
|
|-
|July 1966
|"Hidden Charms"
|"Ace of Spades" [alternate version]
|Swan
|S-4261
|
|-
|October 1966
|"[[Let the Good Times Roll (Shirley and Lee song)|Let the Good Times Roll]]" (with Kathy Lynn)
|"Soul Train"
|Swan
|S-4273
|
|-
|1967
|"Jack The Ripper" [reissue]
|"I'll Do Anything For You" [reissue]
|Swan
|S-4282
|
|-
|1968
|"Rumble '68"
|"Blow Your Mind"
|Heavy
|H-101
|
|-
|February 1969
|"Rumble–69"
|"Mind Blower"
|Mr. G (an imprint of [[Audio Fidelity Records|Audio Fidelity]])
|G-820
|
|-
|July 1971
|"Fire and Brimstone"
|"Juke Box Mama"
|[[Polydor Records|Polydor]]
|PD-14084
|
|-
|October 1971
|"Fallin' Rain"
|"Juke Box Mama"
|Polydor
|PD-14096
|
|-
|1973
|"Shine the Light"
|"[[Lawdy Miss Clawdy]]"
|Polydor
|PD-14188
|
|-
|1973
|"I'm So Glad, I'm So Proud"
|"Shawnee Tribe"
|[[Virgin Records|Virgin]] [UK]
|VS-103
|
|-
|1974
|"I Got To Ramble" (Dedicated to the memory of [[Duane Allman]])
|"She's That Kind of Woman"
|Polydor 
|PD-14256
|
|-
|1974
|"It Was a Bad Scene"
|"Backwoods Preacher Man"
|Polydor [UK]
|2066 366
|
|-
|1975
|"I Know You're Leaving Me Now"
|"Quicksand"
|Virgin [UK]
|VS-142
|
|-
|June 1979
|"[[It's All Over Now, Baby Blue]]"
|"Just That Kind"
|[[Charisma Records|Charisma]] [UK]
|CB-333
|
|-
|April 2018
|"Son of Rumble"
|"Whole Lotta Talking"
|Easy Eye Records
|566577-7
|
|-
|April 2019
|"Vernon's Diamond"
|"My Brother, My Son"
|Easy Eye Sound
|EES-009
|
|}<ref name="The Great Rock Discography">{{cite book |last=Strong |first=Martin C. |title=The Great Rock Discography |publisher=Mojo Books |location=Edinburgh |edition=5th |year=2000 |pages=1084–1085 |isbn=1-84195-017-3}}</ref>

Wray was a featured collaborator on [[Robert Gordon (singer)|Robert Gordon]]'s 1977 single "[[Red Hot (song)|Red Hot]]" (Private Stock 45–156). The single peaked at No. 83 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Billboard |title=Hot 100 for the week ending October 15, 1977 |date=October 15, 1977 |volume=89 |number=41 |page=88}}  Note that, despite the correct credit on the record itself, the Billboard chart credited Wray as "Link Ray".</ref>

===Albums===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
|-
!Release date
!Title
!Label
!Catalog Number
|-
|1960 US
|''Link Wray & The Wraymen''
|[[Epic Records|Epic]]
|LN 3661
|-
|1962 US
|''Great Guitar Hits by Link Wray and His Raymen''
|Vermillion
|LP-1924
|-
|1963 US
|''[[Jack the Ripper (album)|Jack the Ripper]]''
|[[Swan Records|Swan]]
|S-LP 510
|-
|1964 US
|''Link Wray Sings and Plays Guitar''
|Vermillion
|LP-1925
|-
|1969 US
|''Yesterday – Today''
|Record Factory
|LP-1929
|-
|1971 US
|''[[Link Wray (album)|Link Wray]]''
|[[Polydor Records|Polydor]]
|PD-24-4064
|-
|1971 US
|''[[Mordicai Jones]]'' (with Bobby Howard)
|Polydor
|PD-5010
|-
|1973 US
|''[[Beans and Fatback]]'' (rec. 1971)
|[[Virgin Records|Virgin]]
|V-2006
|-
|1973 US
|''[[Be What You Want To]]''
|Polydor
|PD-5047
|-
|1974 US
|''The Link Wray Rumble''
|Polydor
|PD-6025
|-
|1974 US
|''Listen to the Voices That Want to Be Free'' (with Joey Welz; rec. 1969–70) [reissued in 2013 as ''Rumble & Roll'' on Rokarola/Music Avenue 250346]
|Music City 
|MCR-5003
|-
|1975 US
|''[[Stuck in Gear]]''
|Virgin
|V-2050
|-
|1979 US
|''Bullshot''
|Visa/[[Passport Records|Passport]]/Gem
|VISA 7009
|-
|1980 US
|''Live at the Paradiso'' [at the [[Paradiso (Amsterdam)|Paradiso, Amsterdam]]]
|Visa/Passport/Gem
|VISA 7010
|-
|1985 UK
|''[[Live in '85]]''
|Big Beat
|WIK 42; CDWIK 972
|-
|1989 DE
|''Born to Be Wild: Live in the U.S.A. 1987''
|Line
|LICD 9.00690
|-
|1989 UK
|''[[Rumble Man]]''
|[[Ace Records (UK)|Ace]]
|CH 266
|-
|1990 UK
|''[[Apache (Link Wray album)|Apache]]''
|Ace
|CH 286; CDCHD 931
|-
|1990 UK
|''Wild Side of the City Lights''
|Ace
|CH 296; CDCHD 931
|-
|1993 DK
|''[[Indian Child]]''
|Epic/Sony Music
|EPC 473100 2
|-
|1997 US
|''[[Shadowman (Link Wray album)|Shadowman]]''
|[[Hip-O Records|Hip-O]]/UMe
|HIPD-40069
|-
|1997 US
|''Walking Down a Street Called Love'' [live]
|Cult Music/[[Cleopatra Records|Cleopatra]]
|CLP-9989
|-
|2000 UK
|''[[Barbed Wire (album)|Barbed Wire]]''
|Ace
|CDCHD 770
|-
|2019 UK
|''[[Link Sings Elvis]]'' [10" LP] 
|Ace
|10CHD 1553
|}

===Compilations===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
|-
!Release date
!Title
!Label
!Catalog Number
|-
|1978 UK
|''Link Wray: Early Recordings''
|Chiswick/Ace
|CH 6; CDCHD 1460
|-
|1982 UK
|''Good Rockin' Tonight''
|Chiswick/Ace
|CH 69; CDCHD 1460
|-
|1987 UK
|''Growling Guitar''
|Big Beat
|WIK 65; CDWIK 972
|-
|1989 UK
|''The Original Rumble: Plus 22 Other Storming Guitar Instrumentals''
|[[Ace Records (UK)|Ace]]
|CDCH 924
|-
|1989 UK
|''The Swan Demos '64'' [reissued in 2005 as ''Law of the Jungle! The Swan Demos '64'' on Sundazed SC-6221]
|Hangman
|HANG-31 UP
|-
|1990 UK
|''Jack The Ripper'' [reissued in 1994 on Forevermore FVR-5002; and again in 2005 on Sundazed LP-5192]
|Hangman
|HANG-33 UP
|-
|1990 US
|''Hillbilly Wolf: Missing Links Vol. 1''
|[[Norton Records|Norton]]
|ED 210
|-
|1990 US
|''Big City After Dark: Missing Links Vol. 2''
|Norton
|ED 211
|-
|1990 US
|''Some Kinda Nut: Missing Links Vol. 3''
|Norton
|ED 212
|-
|1992 US
|''Walkin' With Link''
|[[Epic Records|Epic]]/Legacy
|EK 47904
|-
|1993 US
|''Rumble! The Best of Link Wray''
|[[Rhino Entertainment|Rhino]]
|R2 71222
|-
|1995 US
|''Guitar Preacher: The Polydor Years'' [2CD]
|Chronicles/[[Polydor Records|Polydor]]
|527 717
|-
|1995 US
|''Mr. Guitar: Original Swan Recordings'' [2CD]
|Norton
|CED 242
|-
|1997 US
|''Streets of Chicago: Missing Links Volume 4''
|Norton
|ED 253
|-
|1997 UK
|''Robert Gordon with Link Wray / Fresh Fish Special'' [2-LP-on-1-CD; with extra bonus track: "Endless Sleep"]
|Ace
|CDCHD 656
|-
|1997 UK
|''The Swan Singles Collection 1963–1967'' [reissued in 2004 on Sundazed LP-5178]
|Rollercoaster
|RCCD 3011
|-
|2002 US
|''Slinky! The Epic Sessions '58–'61'' [2CD]
|[[Sundazed Music|Sundazed]]
|SC-11098
|-
|2002 UK
|''Law of the Jungle''
|Ace
|CDCHD 837
|-
|2004 UK
|''"They're Outta Here", Says Archie'' [first issue of the unreleased 1958 Cadence album, rejected by label boss Archie Bleyer]
|Rollercoaster
|RCCD 3032
|-
|2006 US
|''White Lightning: Lost Cadence Sessions '58''
|Sundazed
|SC-11137
|-
|2007 UK
|''King of the Wild Guitar ''
|Ace
|CDCHD 1143
|-
|2007 UK
|''The Pathway Sessions'' (includes the albums: ''Apache'', ''Wild Side of the City Lights'')
|Ace
|CDCHD 1154
|-
|2015 UK
|''3-Track Shack'' [2CD] (includes the albums: ''Link Wray'', ''Mordicai Jones'', ''Beans and Fatback'')
|Ace
|CDCH2 1451
|}

===With [[Robert Gordon (singer)|Robert Gordon]]===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
|-
!Release date
!Title
!Label
!Number
|-
|1977 US
|''Robert Gordon with Link Wray''
|[[Private Stock Records|Private Stock]]; 1979 reissue: [[RCA Victor Records|RCA Victor]]; 1997 CD reissue: One Way; 2015 CD reissue: Culture Factory
|PS 2030; AFL1-3296; OW-34493; CFU-0388 (850703003880)
|-
|1978 US
|''Fresh Fish Special''
|Private Stock; 1979 reissue: RCA Victor; 1997 CD reissue: One Way; 2015 CD reissue: Culture Factory 
|PS 7008; AFL1-3299; OW-34491; CFU-0387 (850703003873)
|-
|2014 US
|''Robert Gordon / Link Wray: Cleveland '78'' [live]
|Rock-A-Billy/[[Cleopatra Records|Cleopatra]]
|CLP-CD-1952
|}<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/>

==See also==
*[[Surf music]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Link Wray}}
*{{Official website}}
*[https://www.rumblethemovie.com/home Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World]
*[http://www.rockabillyhall.com/LinkWray.html Link Wray's entry at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608203443/http://www.rockabillyhall.com/LinkWray.html |date=2007-06-08 }}
*[http://www.furious.com/perfect/linkwray.html Perfect Sound Forever: Be Wild, Not Evil: The Link Wray Story] at furious.com
*[http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/issues/2/linkw.html Mr. Guitar's City After Dark: Link Wray Obituary] at newyorknighttrain.com
*[http://www.vernonwray.com Vernon Wray – features some unreleased Link photos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313085443/http://www.vernonwray.com/ |date=2012-03-13 }}

{{Link Wray|state=expanded}}
{{2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wray, Link}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:American country rock musicians]]
[[Category:American emigrants to Denmark]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Denmark]]
[[Category:American hard rock musicians]]
[[Category:American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American people of Shawnee descent]]
[[Category:American rockabilly guitarists]]
[[Category:Apex Records artists]]
[[Category:Burials at Christian's Church, Copenhagen]]
[[Category:Cadence Records artists]]
[[Category:Garage rock musicians]]
[[Category:Guitarists from North Carolina]]
[[Category:Norton Records artists]]
[[Category:Okeh Records artists]]
[[Category:People from Dunn, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Rock and roll musicians]]
[[Category:Surf musicians]]
[[Category:Swamp rock musicians]]
[[Category:Swan Records artists]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of the Korean War]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]