Link Wray • Rumble

Link Wray’s Rumble changed everything. Released in 1958, it was raw, distorted, and dangerous enough that radio stations in New York and Boston banned it — even though it had no lyrics. Just guitar, attitude, and power chords that shaped rock’s future. From Hendrix to Townshend, countless players trace their sound back to this one track. Watching him tear it up live at Winterland in ’74, you can still feel why they thought it was too much for the airwaves. Some songs don’t need words to speak. #