Link Wray (album)

Link Wray (album)

Link Wray is the self-titled 1971 album by pioneer Rock & Roll guitarist, and Shawnee Indian Link Wray. It was recorded in 1971 by Link's brother Vernon "Ray Vernon" Wray at Wray's Shack Three Track studio in an old chicken shack on Wray's farm in Accokeek, Maryland, and mixed by Chuck Irwin. The music is an Americana blend of Blues, Country, Gospel, and Folk rock elements. This music is characterized by the purposeful use of simplified sounds to reflect the then-current vogue of blues and other roots music being used in many roots rock bands. The recording included the use of a shaken can of pebbles as part of the percussion on several tracks. Still, Wray's guitar-work, composing and vocals reflected modern rock influences. Despite publicity from radio stations and print media in the Washington area, the album did not do well in national sales.

Some tracks from the album later surfaced on the compilation Guitar Preacher: The Polydor Years, and it was included in its entirety on 2CDs compilation Wray's Three Track Shack (Acadia/Evangeline Recorded Works Ltd./Universal Music, 2005) alongside with other "shack" recordings of '71 Beans and Fatback and Mordicai Jones.

The Neville Brothers later covered "Fire and Brimstone" on their album Yellow Moon, while Americana/Tex-Mex band Calexico covered "Fallin' Rain" as bonus track on a Special Edition of their album Feast of Wire.