Jimmy Page at the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony
Photo: FilmMagic, Jeff Kravitz. All rights reserved.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony took place on November 3, 2023 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. There was a spectacular performance: Led Zeppelin guitar legend Jimmy Page honored guitarist Link Wray, who died in 2005, with a live performance.
That evening, Page played the piece “Rumble” by Link Wray & The Wray Men. The instrumental piece with the distinctive vibrato guitar was released in 1958 and is considered groundbreaking. In addition to the vibrato sound, Wray also made early use of the distortion effect. Back in 2018, the song was inducted into the then new singles category of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2023, Wray was posthumously honored with the “Musical Influence Award” – and a performance by Jimmy Page.
Page on “Rumble”: The epitome of cool
He previously explained in a video why the piece was so important for Page. “There were a lot of guitar instrumentals back then, but as a 14-year-old kid who could barely play guitar, it had a big impact on me. The power and the strength and the power in it. And you know something else, it was fearless. It was simply phenomenal. The epitome of cool.”
A short video excerpt of the piece can be seen here:
You can find all the new arrivals and inductees of the evening here:
Performer Category
Kate Bush
Sheryl Crow
Missy Elliott
George Michael
Willie Nelson
Rage Against the Machine
The Spinners
Musical Influence Award
DJ Kool Herc
Link Wray
Musical Excellence Award
Chaka Khan
Al Cooper
Bernie Taupin
Ahmet Ertegun Award
Don Cornelius