Link Wray, credited with inventing fuzz guitar, died in 2005
The guitarist's death marks the passing of a musician whose instrument innovation began with a punched speaker cone.
By Nadia Khalil ·
Guitarist Link Wray died in 2005 at the age of 76. He is credited with inventing the fuzz guitar sound. Wray achieved this distorted effect by punching a hole in his speaker cone. His 1958 single, Rumble, reached number 16 on the US charts.
Several radio stations banned Rumble. They argued the instrumental track glorified juvenile delinquency. The song contained no lyrics. This ban occurred nearly five decades before Wray's death.
Today marks a day with varied musical history. In 1956, The Nat King Cole Show debuted on NBC-TV. It was the first television program of its kind hosted by an African American. The show did not last long. The network struggled to find a sponsor for the series.
In 1977, a manager at a Virgin record store in Nottingham, England, was arrested. He displayed a large poster for the Sex Pistols album Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols. Police warned high street stores they could be fined under the 1898 indecent advertising act. Stores subsequently banned the album.
Channel 4's The Tube aired its first episode in 1982. Paula Yates and Jools Holland presented the show. It featured a performance by The Jam and an interview with Mick Jagger. In 1983, Topper Headon of The Clash was arrested on London's Fulham Road. Police found him drunk while walking his dog.
The funeral for Jack Bruce took place in London in 2014. Former Cream bandmates Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker attended. November 5 is also the birthday of Art Garfunkel, Gram Parsons, Bryan Adams, and Ryan Adams.
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