Rumble (instrumental)

"Rumble" is an instrumental by American group Link Wray & His Ray Men. Released in the United States on March 31, 1958, as a single (with "The Swag" as a B-side),[citation needed] "Rumble" utilized the techniques of distortion and feedback, then largely unexplored in rock and roll. The single is the only instrumental ever banned from radio in the United States. It is also one of the first tunes to use the power chord, the "major modus operandi of the modern rock guitarist".

In 2018, the song was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a new category for singles.

At a live gig in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in early 1958, attempting to work up a backing for The Diamonds' "The Stroll", Link Wray & His Ray Men came up with the instrumental "Rumble", which they originally called "Oddball". It was an instant hit with the live audience, which demanded four repeats that night.

Eventually the instrumental came to the attention of record producer Archie Bleyer of Cadence Records, who hated it, particularly after Wray poked holes in his amplifier's speakers to make the recording sound more like the live version. But Bleyer's stepdaughter loved it, so he released it despite his misgivings. Phil Everly heard it and suggested the title "Rumble", as it had a rough sound and said it sounded like a street fight.

It was banned in several US radio markets because the term 'rumble' was a slang term for a gang fight and it was feared that the piece's harsh sound glorified juvenile delinquency. It became a hit in the United States, where it climbed to number 16 on the charts in the summer of 1958. Bob Dylan once referred to it as "the best instrumental ever".[ The Dave Clark Five covered it in 1964 on their first album, A Session with The Dave Clark Five; it also appeared on their second American album, The Dave Clark Five Return!.

Mark Opsasnick, Author

Description:

Life-long Greenbelter Mark Opsasnick has authored eight books about culture, music and unexplained phenomena in the Washington, D.C. area. An avid fan and follower of the rock since in his early years, he's become best known for putting that passion into use researching and publishing his four books about the DC-area rock scene.

His most recent book, published in 2019, is Rock the Potomac, a comprehensive history of popular music in the Washington, D.C. area from Colonial times to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, with a strong emphasis on the emergence of rock and roll and its early development in the nation’s capital. Offering a mix of cultural history, extensive night club information and detailed band and musician profiles, Rock the Potomac stands as a literary monument that will forever serve fans of Washington, D.C. area popular music.

Watch an interview with Mark about Rock the Potomac by Greenbelt Access Television. (1)

Mark's first book, in 1996, was Capitol Rock, which chronicled DC-area rock music from 1951 to 1976 and attracted some nice reviews, with the Washington City Paper calling it “a feast of arcane, often fascinating detail, conjuring a long-lost world of innocent teen dances and rowdy honky-tonks.” The Washington Post called it “an excellent recent history of Washington’s rock ‘n’ roll scene.”

More music history books followed: Washington Rock and Roll: A Social History, and The Lizard King Was Here: The Life and Times of Jim Morrison in Alexandria, Virginia.

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