It happened in 1957 at a sock hop in the old Fredericksburg Arena – a native-American musician named Link Wray first played what would become a huge hit – the instrumental known as Rumble:
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Wray is now remembered for his innovative use of distortion or fuzz and the so-called power chord that caught the ears of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Iggy Pop, Neil Young, Pete Townsend and many more. At the University of Mary Washington’s multi-cultural center, Chris Williams was convinced Wray deserved a monument.
"It started here in Fredericksburg, and that's what propelled Link Wray to super stardom," he explains. “It was actually banned on radio stations across the country because there was a fear of promoting juvenile delinquency at that time.”
He joined forces with two of Wray’s nine kids in submitting paperwork and documentation to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
“It was quite a process," he recalls.
And he found people who were there when the song debuted.
“The now late Chief John Lightner of the Potomac tribe and former city councilman for the city of Fredericksburg, Billy Whithers, and Billy Whithers actually won the dance competition that night (laughs) so it was great interview those two folks.”
The heads of Mary Washington’s departments of music and historic preservation also joined in the process and are now planning to unveil a highway marker at James Monroe High School on Saturday, November 21st at one.
“I don’t want to give away too much, but we have some surprise performances, and it’s free and open to the public, so I think people should come out and celebrate with us that day.”
In 2023, Link Wray was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of fame by fellow guitar legend, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.
