Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr. (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was a prominent American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who gained popularity during the late 1950s. His instrumental single from 1958, "Rumble," not only achieved a place in the top 20 on the U.S. charts but also stood out as one of the pioneering tracks in rock music to incorporate distortion and tremolo effects.
Wray's influential guitar skills earned him the 45th spot on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Furthermore, he received two nominations for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before ultimately being honored in the Musical Influence category in 2023.
Born on May 2, 1929, in Dunn, North Carolina, to parents Fred Lincoln Wray Sr. and Lillian Mae (née Coats), Wray identified his mother as being of Shawnee heritage. His early life was marked by harsh conditions, living in mud huts without access to electricity or heating, and attending school barefoot with minimal clothing. He recounted experiences of discrimination, including moments when his family had to hide from the Ku Klux Klan. Wray recalled that local figures like the police, sheriff, and drugstore owner were all members of the Klan, who would don masks and, in some cases, resort to violence as punishment. Curiously, his family listed themselves as white on census records. Wray's musical career paid tribute to Indigenous peoples, with three of his songs bearing their names: "Shawnee," "Apache," and "Comanche."