R.I.P. Link Wray
 

Found him dead in Copenhagen. The father of the power chord. Gone to join the big band in the sky.

I'll play some AC/DC is in his honor when I get home today.

Mike

I remember when "Rumble" was released...late '50's. Primal goose bumps 'a plenty.
'Would drop my cherished nickels into local hamburger joint's jukebox, sneakily reach around back 'n rotate volume knob.
We guys liked it, girls didn't - "Can't dance to it."
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http://www.linkwraylegend.com/
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"Link is known for his instrumental hit single Rumble. And to quote Uncut magazine, who voted Link #33 of the 100 best guitarist list in the World as the composer of the worlds most threatening instrumental: “The violent intimations of Rumble so struck sensitive late 50s sensibilities that it was banned by many radio stations. Not bad for an instrumental. Rumble will outlive us all”.
Link Wray is known for being the first musician to experiment with the sounds that pioneered rock and roll and punk styles. Link virtually invented fuzz tone by deliberately punching holes in his amplifier speakers. He was also a true pioneer of the use of distortion on instrumental rock recordings."
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Some samples here:
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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000009L2/qid=1132592564/sr=8-3/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-3483959-6447226?v=glance&s=music&n=507846
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I looked up Power chord, but don't understand the tech aspects:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_chord
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"The first power chord hit was "Rumble" by Link Wray and his Ray Men (1957).
Another early hit song built around power chords was The Kinks's "You Really Got Me" released in 1964 (Walser 1993, p.9):"
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Closest I get to any power chord is playing my Martin in the bathroom w/my ear planted on the body. Love it. :)

I've always thought of power chords as sort of a lazy man's bar chord. Just play the top three strings (lowest) and you've got yourself a power chord....root-fifth-and the root note one ocatve up...

Mike