“The Stroll” was both a slow rock ’n’ roll dance and a song that was popular in the late 1950’s. Billboard first reported that “The Stroll” might herald a new dance craze similar to the “Big Apple” in December 1957. “The Stroll” was written by Clyde Otis and Nancy Lee and was recorded by the Canadian group the Diamonds. The Diamonds versions also featured a saxophone soloist. The original version of the song reached number four on the Billboard pop charts, number five on the R&B charts, and number one on the Cashbox charts. (More from Wikipedia)
Whether or not Link Wray heard the 1950’s blues records with the earliest power chords and got the idea has not been established as far as I know. He refined his technique over a period of time during gigs. While working up an instrumental backing for their version of a really fine early rock and roll song “The Stroll” (originally by the Diamonds), Link Wray and His Ray Men hit upon a slow-paced but incredibly powerful instrumental that they first called “Oddball”. The first time they played it, it was a huge hit with the audience, who demanded four encores of the performance.
Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers reportedly heard the song and suggested the name “Rumble” since it sounded like a street fight to him. Archie Bleyer, a record producer for Cadence Records also heard about it but hated the song. However, Bleyer’s step-daughter Jackie Ertel and some of her friends loved the song. Some sources even say that Jackie Ertel, not Phil Everly came up with the name – the two later married.
(February 2013)
