Born into a poor family in 1929 in North Carolina, Link Wray developed an early interest in music, starting a country-based band with his brothers after his family moved to Virginia in 1943. Army service took him away in the early 50s, but following this he developed his relationship with electric guitars, playing in a primitive style that embraced distortion and effects. Cadence Records picked up on his ‘Rumble’ instrumental in 1958, giving him his first hit. He recorded for Epic between 1958 and 1961, then moved to the independent Swan Records where he was given free reign to develop his signature sound. He built a productive relationship with Ace Records from the late 70s into the 80s, during which time he produced some of his best work while based in Denmark. He died in 2005, leaving a rich catalogue of great recordings.
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