Song:Jack The Ripper
Album:Rumble! The Best Of Link Wray
Though Link Wray only had one top 20 pop hit in his career, his influence on rock guitar and recording techniques is much greater than any one song. He was born May 2, 1929 in Dunn, NC. He got interested in the guitar as a child. He served in the US Army during the Korean War and contracted tuberculosis. Doctors told him he shouldn't sing so Wray concentrated on his guitar. He was playing country music in 1956 and recorded for Starday Records. In 1958 Wray became the house band for the Washington, DC TV show Milt Grant's House Party. One day the crowd urged them to come up with an instrumental called Rumble. Though Cadence Records owner Archie Bleyer hated the song, his stepdaughter convinced him to release it and it became a top 20 pop hit. Jack The Ripper was on Swan Records in 1963 and like a lot of Wray's music, it was more influential than popular. Many guitarists including Pete Townsend, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix and others have cited Wray as an influence. He would continue to record occasionally including a stint in the 70s with rockabilly artist Robert Gordon and eventually moved to Europe. This Rhino comp covers Wray's music on Cadence and Swan. Link Wray died on Nov. 5, 2005 at age 76. Here's Link Wray performing Jack The Ripper in Ames, IA.
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