Note: Vernon may or may not have had any of his ashes spread here, on the family plot in southern Md. Several sources have differing opinions on that matter but then again, others acknowledged it had been talked about being done in the years past.
The marker which says 'Vern' may or may not apply to Vernon Sr. alone, his son (Jr.) alone, or to both. Conflicting stories abound.
That said, Vernon was a brother of both Link and Douglas Wray, a.k.a. Link Wray and the Wraymen, from the 1950s and 60s mainly in the Washington, D.C. area. Later it was made known (mostly by the artists themselves) that many American and British guitar players owe a great deal of their own talent to Link Wray.
The metro Washington, D.C. area is famous for the many musicians who passed thru the area before they made their mark, some of whom were Mama Cass, Jim Morrison, and even Jimi Hendrix. Others would make their mark there, such as Roy Clark, Jimmy Dean, and Link Wray. But in later years, things would happen that never let the 50s leave us. Country music merged with rock & roll and was called rockabilly. Link was part of that. He also discovered that by poking holes in the tweeters of his amp would create a neat fuzzy sound which he perfected. He also introduced a new dance step to it called the stroll. In the late 60s, FM radio was breaking out and stealing the more informed listeners from the old 'top 40' format simply by playing more types of music by lesser known artists and didn't suffer from the tight confines of a playlist dictated by marketing types. The old WHFS broke Bruce Springsteen into the D.C. region many years before his singles were ever played by the top 40 stations of the day in the area. They also kept playing, at other times, music by Link Wray and his Wraymen. 'From Accokeek, Md...' I can still hear ole Weasel saying to this day. And as it turns out, many of the other musicians whose music was played on WHFS had listened to Wrays recordings as well. Several folks I ran into recall seeing both 'Ray Vernon' and Link appearing on the same bill separately and having their own sets but lately performing a few songs together in the early 60s after the Wraymen had split up.
Link Wray and Wraymen deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
---
Vernon Wray released several recordings labeled with his stage name of Ray Vernon.
Contributor: jeff green (48767716)
The marker which says 'Vern' may or may not apply to Vernon Sr. alone, his son (Jr.) alone, or to both. Conflicting stories abound.
That said, Vernon was a brother of both Link and Douglas Wray, a.k.a. Link Wray and the Wraymen, from the 1950s and 60s mainly in the Washington, D.C. area. Later it was made known (mostly by the artists themselves) that many American and British guitar players owe a great deal of their own talent to Link Wray.
The metro Washington, D.C. area is famous for the many musicians who passed thru the area before they made their mark, some of whom were Mama Cass, Jim Morrison, and even Jimi Hendrix. Others would make their mark there, such as Roy Clark, Jimmy Dean, and Link Wray. But in later years, things would happen that never let the 50s leave us. Country music merged with rock & roll and was called rockabilly. Link was part of that. He also discovered that by poking holes in the tweeters of his amp would create a neat fuzzy sound which he perfected. He also introduced a new dance step to it called the stroll. In the late 60s, FM radio was breaking out and stealing the more informed listeners from the old 'top 40' format simply by playing more types of music by lesser known artists and didn't suffer from the tight confines of a playlist dictated by marketing types. The old WHFS broke Bruce Springsteen into the D.C. region many years before his singles were ever played by the top 40 stations of the day in the area. They also kept playing, at other times, music by Link Wray and his Wraymen. 'From Accokeek, Md...' I can still hear ole Weasel saying to this day. And as it turns out, many of the other musicians whose music was played on WHFS had listened to Wrays recordings as well. Several folks I ran into recall seeing both 'Ray Vernon' and Link appearing on the same bill separately and having their own sets but lately performing a few songs together in the early 60s after the Wraymen had split up.
Link Wray and Wraymen deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
---
Vernon Wray released several recordings labeled with his stage name of Ray Vernon.
Contributor: jeff green (48767716)
Note: Vernon may or may not have had any of his ashes spread here, on the family plot in southern Md. Several sources have differing opinions on that matter but then again, others acknowledged it had been talked about being done in the years past.
The marker which says 'Vern' may or may not apply to Vernon Sr. alone, his son (Jr.) alone, or to both. Conflicting stories abound.
That said, Vernon was a brother of both Link and Douglas Wray, a.k.a. Link Wray and the Wraymen, from the 1950s and 60s mainly in the Washington, D.C. area. Later it was made known (mostly by the artists themselves) that many American and British guitar players owe a great deal of their own talent to Link Wray.
The metro Washington, D.C. area is famous for the many musicians who passed thru the area before they made their mark, some of whom were Mama Cass, Jim Morrison, and even Jimi Hendrix. Others would make their mark there, such as Roy Clark, Jimmy Dean, and Link Wray. But in later years, things would happen that never let the 50s leave us. Country music merged with rock & roll and was called rockabilly. Link was part of that. He also discovered that by poking holes in the tweeters of his amp would create a neat fuzzy sound which he perfected. He also introduced a new dance step to it called the stroll. In the late 60s, FM radio was breaking out and stealing the more informed listeners from the old 'top 40' format simply by playing more types of music by lesser known artists and didn't suffer from the tight confines of a playlist dictated by marketing types. The old WHFS broke Bruce Springsteen into the D.C. region many years before his singles were ever played by the top 40 stations of the day in the area. They also kept playing, at other times, music by Link Wray and his Wraymen. 'From Accokeek, Md...' I can still hear ole Weasel saying to this day. And as it turns out, many of the other musicians whose music was played on WHFS had listened to Wrays recordings as well. Several folks I ran into recall seeing both 'Ray Vernon' and Link appearing on the same bill separately and having their own sets but lately performing a few songs together in the early 60s after the Wraymen had split up.
Link Wray and Wraymen deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
---
Vernon Wray released several recordings labeled with his stage name of Ray Vernon.
Contributor: jeff green (48767716)
The marker which says 'Vern' may or may not apply to Vernon Sr. alone, his son (Jr.) alone, or to both. Conflicting stories abound.
That said, Vernon was a brother of both Link and Douglas Wray, a.k.a. Link Wray and the Wraymen, from the 1950s and 60s mainly in the Washington, D.C. area. Later it was made known (mostly by the artists themselves) that many American and British guitar players owe a great deal of their own talent to Link Wray.
The metro Washington, D.C. area is famous for the many musicians who passed thru the area before they made their mark, some of whom were Mama Cass, Jim Morrison, and even Jimi Hendrix. Others would make their mark there, such as Roy Clark, Jimmy Dean, and Link Wray. But in later years, things would happen that never let the 50s leave us. Country music merged with rock & roll and was called rockabilly. Link was part of that. He also discovered that by poking holes in the tweeters of his amp would create a neat fuzzy sound which he perfected. He also introduced a new dance step to it called the stroll. In the late 60s, FM radio was breaking out and stealing the more informed listeners from the old 'top 40' format simply by playing more types of music by lesser known artists and didn't suffer from the tight confines of a playlist dictated by marketing types. The old WHFS broke Bruce Springsteen into the D.C. region many years before his singles were ever played by the top 40 stations of the day in the area. They also kept playing, at other times, music by Link Wray and his Wraymen. 'From Accokeek, Md...' I can still hear ole Weasel saying to this day. And as it turns out, many of the other musicians whose music was played on WHFS had listened to Wrays recordings as well. Several folks I ran into recall seeing both 'Ray Vernon' and Link appearing on the same bill separately and having their own sets but lately performing a few songs together in the early 60s after the Wraymen had split up.
Link Wray and Wraymen deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
---
Vernon Wray released several recordings labeled with his stage name of Ray Vernon.
Contributor: jeff green (48767716)
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
