Fred Lincoln “Link” Wray, Jr. (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer. He helped pioneer a new sound for electric guitars, as exemplified in his 1958 instrumental hit “Rumble” by Link Wray and His Ray Men, which featured an overdriven, distorted electric guitar sound. He also “invented the power chord, the major modus operandi of modern rock guitarist,” “and in doing so fathering punk and heavy rock.” Rolling Stone placed Wray at number 67 of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
