Memorial to American rock guitarist Fred Link Wray in the crypt of Christian’s Church, Christianshavn, Copenhagen, where he was buried in 2005.

The memorial to American rock and roll guitarist Link Wray (1929–2005) in the crypt of Christian's Church, Christianshavn, Copenhagen, Denmark. The photograph looks down onto the stone grave marker, engraved FRED LINCOLN WRAY and the dates of his life. A collection of brightly coloured guitar plectrums or picks, in yellow, orange, purple, blue, red, green, black and white, has been placed across the upper part of the memorial by visitors paying tribute to the musician. Three printed tribute sheets lie below the inscription, carrying small guitar illustrations and written messages. The personal tokens connect the Copenhagen burial place with the distinctive electric guitar sound that made Wray an influential figure in twentieth-century popular music. Born Fred Lincoln Wray Jr in Dunn, North Carolina, in 1929, Link Wray became famous for his 1958 instrumental Rumble, recorded with his group the Ray Men. Its heavy, reverberating electric-guitar chords, distortion and aggressive rhythm helped establish a sound later central to garage rock, hard rock, punk and heavy metal. His approach influenced prominent guitarists including Jimmy Page and Pete Townshend. Rumble was controversial enough to be excluded from some American radio playlists, despite containing no sung lyrics. Wray also recorded Raw-Hide and Jack the Ripper and worked with rockabilly singer Robert Gordon. He spent his later years in Denmark and died in Copenhagen on 5 November 2005. Christian's Church, known in Danish as Christians Kirke, stands on Strandgade in the historic Christianshavn district. Consecrated in 1759, it contains an accessible crypt with historic burial chapels. Wray's memorial remains a destination for music admirers who seek out an unusual connection between Danish church history and the development of American electric-guitar rock. The photograph documents the engraved memorial, visitors' coloured guitar picks and printed tributes together on the crypt floor.