Even at 79, he’s still the coolest guy in the room.
Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page played Link Wray’s instrumental “Rumble” to honor Wray’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Love that Gibson double-neck.
The ceremony took place in Brooklyn this past Friday. If I’d known Page was going to play, I’d have been there. To see and hear Page play a two-minute song. Absolutely.
Wray, who passed away in 2005 at the age 0f 76, was a big influence on Page. “Rumble” has often been cited as a precursor to heavy rock. Wray’s guitar playing pioneered the use of distortion and tremolo.
“Rumble” is everywhere. You’ve heard it.
It’s been used on dozens of movie soundtracks, including “Pulp Fiction” and “Independence Day.” It was on the pilot episode of “The Sopranos.”
Page is the greatest, most inventive guitarist ever. Whoever he listens to, I listen to. Link Wray = AWESOME.
Page on Wray and “Rumble”: “The vigor and the strength and the power in it. And you know something else, it was fearless. It was just phenomenal. The essence of cool. It’s just a masterpiece and he melted his way into the fibers of my body and my consciousness as far as the drama that you can set up with six strings. It’s the sort of stuff that can’t be taught. It’s the sort of stuff that you feel.”