Rumble (instrumental) - History

History

At a live gig in Fredericksburg, Virginia, attempting to work up a backing for The Diamonds' "The Stroll," Link Wray and his Ray Men came up with the stately, powerful blues instrumental "Rumble," which they originally called "Oddball." The instrumental 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; however, Bleyer's stepdaughter loved it and it was released despite his protest. 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 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." Nevertheless (or perhaps in part "therefore") it became a huge hit, not only in the United States, where it climbed to number 16 on the charts in the summer of 1958, but also in Britain, where it has been cited as an influence on The Kinks and The Who, among others, although it failed to reach the UK charts. The Beau Brummels hit song "Just A Little" borrows the riff from this tune as well. Bob Dylan once referred to it as "the best instrumental ever." Instrumentals were far more common on the Top 40 in the 1950s and early 1960s than in later years.