Rock HOF passes on Dunn's Wray

In the end, it was probably a long shot. Still, we hoped that Link Wray would find a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the 2014 class. We promoted it, and others did as well.

Wray, a Dunn native and the father of the power chord, had an uphill battle going against the likes of Kiss, Nirvana and Cat Stevens (among others).

From Rolling Stone:

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has officially announced next year's inductees: Nirvana, Kiss, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt will all join the class of 2014. The E Street Band will be given the Award for Musical Excellence and Beatles manager Brian Epstein and original Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham will both receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers. 

Artists are eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single. Nirvana, whose first single "Love Buzz" came out in 1988, are entering the institution their first year of eligibility. "That's really no surprise to me," says Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Joel Peresman. "People see the relevancy of that band. We're just getting into the creative of the show, so I don't know what's going to happen with that performance. They have to figure it out."

Let's get Link into the Rock Hall of Fame

Honestly, it's probably a long-shot -- particularly with artists such as Nirvana, Deep Purple, Yes, KISS and Hall & Oates on the ballot -- but Dunn native Link Wray is a finalist for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. This is Wray's first year on the ballot.

Many credit Wray as the father of the power chord. His guitar-heavy song, "Rumble," is considered one of the best guitar songs of all time. (For what it's worth, back 2007, Wray's contemporaries, The Ventures, were inducted.)

Of course, you can help sway the inductees by voting here.

[F]or the second consecutive year, the public gets to vote alongside the artists, historians and music industry insiders of the Rock Hall voting body. From now until December 10th, fans can vote on RollingStone.com for the nominees they'd like to see inducted. The top five acts will comprise a "fan's ballot" that will count as one of the more than 600 ballots that determine the Class of 2014.


Let's get Link in the Rock HOF! I am admittedly biased, being a Dunn native myself. But, for whatever reason, that city has cranked out some creative folks, including the late Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore.

Dunn-born DMB member Moore dies unexpectedly

In sad news, Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore, a founding member of the band, died unexpectedly on Tuesday from complications stemming from injuries he sustained in an ATV accident, the band's publicist told the media.

"Moore was taken to Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, and had been rehabilitating at his L.A. home after the June 30 accident at his farm outside Charlottesville, Virginia."

I remember hearing/reading years ago that Moore was originally from North Carolina. I had no idea that he was actually born in my hometown of Dunn, N.C. Which means he can be added to the wonderfully eclectic mix of "I had no idea _____ was from Dunn!" list which includes "Father of the Airborne" William C. Lee and guitar great Link Wray, the Father of the Power Chord. (Also of note, I'll add, is that Jack Kerouak wrote about his brief hot dog-filled visit to Dunn in On The Road.)

Our international readers seem interested in Link Wray, 'One Tree Hill' and Kristen Davis

Not sure if one can scientifically gleam much from the Dare Society's Feedjit traffic map; however, it sure seems like our international visitors have a keen interest in the following posts:

-'Sex' star Davis to launch fashion line at Belk (Peru, Canada, Bucharest)

-Wray's 'Rumble' among best guitar songs of all time (England)

-'One Tree Hill' picked up for sixth season (Bucharest, Bangkok)

-A visitor from Chile seems to be interested in musician Ryan Adams, while a Swedish visitor appears intrigued by the N.C. State-East Carolina rivalry.

These posts have been hit pretty often from our oversees (and across the border) friends. Why is that? Well, I can assume that anytime the word "sex" is in a title, it will probably fly up the search engines. Link Wray appears to have had quite the European following, so that one's understandable. Perhaps our Bucharest and Thai friends think the post about "One Tree Hill" is in regards to the U2 song and not the CW teen drama?

So, our international visitors: Welcome! And what was it that brought you here? Inquiring minds want to know.

Wray's 'Rumble' among best guitar songs of all time

Dunn native Link Wray's influential song "Rumble" has been named one of the top 100 "Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time" by Rolling Stone magazine.

"In 1958, guitar distortion and power chords were virtually unheard of, but Wray stabbed a pencil through his amplifier to make it sound nastier, dragged his pick like a switchblade, and got this blues riff banned by radio stations as an incitement to violence," writes RS. "Not bad for an instrumental."

As I noted previously, Wray's "Rumble" also made the magazine's list of the top songs to shape rock-n-roll.