| Birth: | May 2, 1929
Dunn
Harnett County
North Carolina, USA | | Death: | Nov. 5, 2005, Denmark | 
Instrumental Guitar Pioneer. Born three-quarters Shawnee Indian, he was known in the musician circles as the “King of Grunge.” His life’s passion for the guitar and playing began at age 8. His first band was in the late 1940s with his brothers known as, “Lucky Ray & the Lazy Pine Wranglers.” In the mid-1950s, after serving in the U.S. Army he relocated to Washington DC, where he experimented with different guitar techniques and was performing with his band “The Wraymen.” In 1958, his tune "Rumble” was recorded by the Cadence label and reached number 16 on the national pop charts. He had the follow up hit "Raw-Hide" and with his brother formed Rumble records in 1959. Under their own label, he recorded “Branded” and “Jack the Riper” which was picked up by the Swan label in 1963. By the late 1960s he'd retired from music but his guitar swagger style continued to be an inspiration for some of the most potent guitarists of the classic rock era. Over the years his early instrumentals have become natural favorites of soundtrack producers, appearing in “Pink Flamingos” 1983, “Pulp Fiction” 1994, "Independence Day" 1996 and many other films. In 1998, his tune “Jack the Riper” was the feature song for the Taco Bell television commercials. With the entire soundtrack activity in the mid-1990’s, he was convinced to return once again to stage and tour. In 2002, Guitar World magazine elected him one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. He passed away after performing forty North American dates in 2005, to celebrate the release of his album “Wray's Three Track Shack.” (bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith)
Search Amazon for Link Wray | | | Burial:
Christians Church Cemetery
Copenhagen
Hovedstaden, Denmark |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: Diane ღ
Record added: Nov 22, 2005
Find A Grave Memorial# 12462348 |
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