Link Wray, 1929 - 2005

This is sad news; he was one of those people I half expected to live forever.

He was one of those figures who are influential far beyond their own limited popularity, and it's not hyperbole to say that everyone playing guitar today owes him an enormous debt. Heavy metal wouldn't exist without the power chord, and punk--well, any punk would appreciate his DIY approach. Despite his influence, he still isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which makes me furious beyond words.

I don't play guitar, though; I just love his music. Tense, raw, and ragged, it was the perfect antidote to the antiseptic pablum that was (white) radio in the '50s. Naturally, that made him the target of the '50s equivalent of the AFA and Focus on the Family, and Rumble was banned from the airwaves in many areas.

He was never bigger than Jesus, but he had more careers in more places (settling down eventually in Copenhagen) than most musicians can even dream of. He was touring right up until his death, which at 76 isn't bad.