Link Wray & The Wraymen - The Definitive Edition

The definitive edition with 16 bonus tracks, packaging includes 16-page booklet with rare photos and detailed liner notes.

Link Wray was the first important instrumental rock musician to feature the power chord prominently - the major modus operandi of modern rock guitarists. His impact has been felt throughout almost every genre of music for the last five decades, from rock & roll to garage, country, blues, punk, grunge and surf music.

His instrumental rock gem, Rumble, crackles with manic energy. Everything that was handed down to today's current crop of headbangers, from the likes of Led Zeppelin and The Who, can be traced back to this hero from North Carolina. Link Wray's sound, style and career stood at an intersection of rock & roll, the rise of the guitar instrumental, the cult of the juvenile delinquent, and modernity in general.

This quintessential collector's edition contains Wray's magnificent and essential debut album, Link Wray & The Wraymen (1960). In addition, we have included 16 bonus tracks consisting of alternate takes, demos and hard to find sides from his early and best years on the Epic and Cadence labels. Here is the material upon which Wray's unique reputation was built.

Link Wray is the King; if it hadn't been for Rumble, I would have never picked up a guitar. - Pete Townsend