Fred Lincoln (aka "Link") Wray was an American guitarist and songwriter known for his contributions to the surf and rockabilly genres. Listed at #67 on Rolling Stone''s list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time," he was born in North Carolina in 1929. He served in the army in the late-1950s but was eventually discharged, which resulted in the forming of Lucky Ray and the Lazy Pine Wranglers, his first musical project. Unlike that band's focus on country music, Wray would soon become known for his instrumental rock and roll songs. Tracks like "Rumble" and "Ain't That Lovin' You Babe" captured the era's fascination with rock and roll rebellion with their crunchy chords and tales of drag racing and street fights. Wray is commonly considered to be the inventor of the "power chord," an essential element in rock and punk music, and as such, greatly-inspired future guitar gods such as Pete Townshend of The Who. He toured and recorded up until around 2000 but his classic songs have been famously used in iconic films such as Pulp Fiction, Independence Day and The Warriors. Wray died from heart failure in 2005 at the age of 76.
