50 years of fuzz guitar

If you're an afficionado of rock music, you'll want to read and listen to a couple of looks at fuzz, aka guitar distortion, whose birth came 50 years ago. 

The "Soundcheck" episode above was inspired by William Weir's Atlantic article "50 Years of Making Fuzz, the Sound That Defines Rock 'n' Roll" (worth a read and a listen for its embedded audio examples).  

I was stunned to learn that Weir credits country singer Marty Robbins with the first recorded use of fuzz, thanks to a faulty connection in a mixing board. I had thought Link Wray (whom Weir also mentions) would get the nod.

It's tough to top the Stones' "Satisfaction" in terms of fuzz brilliance, although more than a few comments on Weir's article rightly toss some love to My Bloody Valentine, a 90s-era band whose ear-shattering sound seemed to be all fuzz.