Rumble (instrumental)

"Rumble"
Single by Link Wray & His Ray Men
B-side	"The Swag"
Released	April 1958
Format	7"
Recorded	1954
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	2:25
Label	Cadence 1347
Writer(s)	Milt Grant Link Wray
Music sample "Rumble" 30 second sample of "Rumble" by Link Wray & His Ray Men, 1958

"Rumble" is an instrumental by Link Wray & His Ray Men. Originally released in April 1958 as a single with "The Swag" as a B-side and recorded in 1954, "Rumble" utilized the techniques of distortion and feedback, then largely unexplored in rock and roll. The piece is one of very few instrumental singles banned from the radio airwaves. It is also one of the first tunes to use the power chord, the "major modus operandi of the modern rock guitarist".

At a live gig in Fredericksburg, Virginia, attempting to work up a backing for The Diamonds' "The Stroll," Link Wray & His Ray Men came up with the instrumental "Rumble", which they originally called "Oddball". It 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. But Bleyer's stepdaughter loved it, so he released it despite his misgivings.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. It became a hit in the United States, where it climbed to number 16 on the charts in the summer of 1958. Bob Dylan once referred to it as "the best instrumental ever".The Dave Clark Five covered it in 1964 on their first album, A Session with The Dave Clark Five; it also appeared on their second American album, The Dave Clark Five Return!.