The Fuzz-Tone, however, failed to catch on until the pedal got into the hands of a Rolling Stone.ĭuring the Rolling Stones’ Spring 1965 U.S. They sold the design to the musical instrument company Gibson, who marketed it as the Maestro Fuzz-Tone guitar pedal. Inspired by the experience, Snoddy and fellow Nashville audio engineer Revis Hobbs developed and patented a prototype distortion effect box.

Snoddy noticed that session guitarist Grady Martin’s solo on the song “Don’t Worry” was distorted due to a damaged component in the mixing console. In 1960, Nashville recording engineer Glenn Snoddy was working with Country artist Marty Robbins when a strange sound filled the studio. As distortion became a sought-after guitar sound in Rock and Roll, the ability to reliably reproduce the effect without breaking equipment had to be achieved. “Rumble” helped define the sound of the electric guitar, and to many, Wray’s distorted chords instilled a menacing spirit in the emerging Rock and Roll persona. Although banned from airplay in certain markets out of concern that the track would inspire teenage delinquency, the song was a hit. Wray’s amplifier emitted a distorted growl, conjuring up the sonic spirit heard when the tune first lurched into existence. He grabbed his amp, punctured the speakers, plugged in, and let it rip. Later, on the recording session for the song, Wray couldn’t get that same sound.

The instrument crackled with distortion as it blasted through the venue’s public address system. Seeking to hear Wray’s guitar over the din of the excited crowd, a microphone was placed in front of his amplifier. Electrified by the song as it came to life onstage, the audience worked itself into a frenzy. Released on Cadence Records in 1958, Link Wray’s instrumental “Rumble” was created during an impromptu jam at a show in Fredericksburg, Virginia. First, another pioneering song would cause a far-reaching rumble. While the songs’ success primed listeners’ ears to the sound of distorted guitar, it would be several years before this byproduct of frazzled equipment would become a defining feature of Rock and Roll. Like “Rocket 88,” “How Many More Years” was a Chess Records release and became a major hit on the Rhythm & Blues chart. The guitarist was intentionally pushing the limits of his amplifier’s power toward the brink of destruction, creating a seriously fuzzy sound. This time Phillips recorded guitarist Willie Johnson’s snarling six-string on Howlin’ Wolf’s “How Many More Years.” But Johnson’s aggressive guitar tone wasn’t due to a mechanical mishap. Only months later in July 1951, another band from Mississippi made its way to Sam Phillips’ Memphis studio. Though credited to Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats, the group was actually the Mississippi-based Kings of Rhythm, led by future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ike Turner. Engineered by Sam Phillips at his Memphis Recording Service studio, the song was released via Chicago’s Chess Records label and quickly became a Number One hit. That session produced “Rocket 88,” considered by many the first Rock and Roll recording, and Kizart’s “distorted” guitar was an essential component. They recorded anyway, fuzzy guitar and all. Upon setting up at the recording studio, the band’s guitarist Willie Kizart discovered that, though the fallen amp still functioned, it made his guitar sound distorted and “fuzzy.” There were no other amplifiers to use, and the excited young men weren’t going to let a technical malfunction ruin their day.

Short on space inside the vehicle, the band had tied much of their equipment to the roof, including their guitar amplifier, which at one point came loose and tumbled to the ground. On a late winter day in March 1951, a carful of teenage musicians headed toward their first recording session in Memphis, Tennessee.

Songs that have the words rock and roll