Rumble / The Swag

An instrumental milestone in the history of rock and roll, 'Rumble' introduced the power chord and heavy distortion to popular music. Link Wray achieved the gritty, menacing tone by intentionally poking holes in his amplifier speaker with a pencil. Despite lacking lyrics, several radio markets banned the song upon release, fearing its slow, swaggering groove would incite juvenile delinquency and gang violence.