Rockabilly
Stylistic origins	Rock and roll, Boogie-woogie, Western Swing, Rhythm and blues, Country music
Cultural origins	Early-Mid 1950s United States
Typical instruments	Guitar - Upright Bass - Drums - Piano
Mainstream popularity	Popular in 1950s, revival in early 1980s. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Boogie-woogie is a style of Piano -based Blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s but originated much earlier and was extended from piano This article is about the Musical genre. For the popular western swing Steel guitar tuning see E9 tuning. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed String instrument used in the modern symphony orchestra. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers Rockabilly continues to have cult following at the present time.
Derivative forms	Surf rock - Garage rock - Punk rock
Fusion genres
Psychobilly - New Rockabilly
Other topics
Raggare, Teddy Boy (youth culture), Kustom Kulture

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early-1950's. Surf rock is a style of music that originated in the USA that mixes elements of Surf music and Rock music, and partially due to the number of Mexican Psychobilly is a genre of Rock music that mixes elements of Punk rock, Rockabilly, and other genres Raggare (a Swedish word roughly corresponding to the English term " pick-up artist " i The British Teddy Boy Subculture is typified by young men wearing clothes inspired by the styles of the Edwardian period, which Savile Row tailors "Kustom Kulture" is a American Neologism used to describe the Artwork the Vehicles the Hairstyles and the Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African

The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock, from rock and roll, and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music (often called hillbilly music in the 1940s and '50s) that contributed strongly to the style's development. Hillbilly is a term referring to people who dwell in remote Rural, Mountainous areas of the United States, primarily southern Appalachia and Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Other important influences on rockabilly include Western Swing, blues music, boogie woogie, and Jump blues. This article is about the Musical genre. For the popular western swing Steel guitar tuning see E9 tuning. The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Boogie-woogie is a style of Piano -based Blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s but originated much earlier and was extended from piano Jump blues is a type of Up-tempo Blues music influenced by Big band sound Although there are notable exceptions, its origins lie primarily in the Southern USA. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive

The influence and popularity of the style waned in the 1960s. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, rockabilly enjoyed a major revival of popularity that has endured to the present, often within a rockabilly enthusiast subculture. For the term in biology see Subculture (biology. For the song by New Order see Sub-culture (song.

Contents 1 Origins 2 Memphis, Tennessee 2.1 The Saturday Night Jamboree 2.2 Carl Perkins 2.3 The Burnettes and Burlison 2.4 Janis Martin on The Old Dominion Barn Dance Show 2.5 Use of the term Rockabilly 3 North of the Mason Dixon Line 3.1 Bill Haley 3.2 Bill Flagg 4 Elvis Presley 5 Cash, Perkins, and Presley 6 Recording Techniques 7 1956: Rockabilly Goes National 8 Additional Performers and Information 9 Cultural Implications 10 Influence on the Beatles and the British Invasion 11 Elvis’s Comeback and 1970s Nostalgia 12 Rockabilly Revival 13 Rockabilly in the 2000s 14 The Rockabilly Look 15 Music sample 16 See also 17 Footnotes 18 External links

Origins

There was a close relationship between the blues and country music from the very earliest country recordings in the 1920s. The first nationwide "country" hit was "Wreck of the Old '97",^[1][2] backed with "Lonesome Road Blues", which also became very popular. The "Old 97", a Southern Railway Train officially known as the Fast Mail, was en route from Monroe Virginia to Spencer North ^[3] Jimmie Rodgers, the "first true country star", was known as the “Blue Yodeler,” and most of his songs used blues-based chord progressions, although with very different instrumentation and sound than the recordings of his black contemporaries like Blind Lemon Jefferson and Bessie Smith. Jimmie Rodgers ( September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) an early purveyor of Delta blues, known as "The Singing Brakeman" A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence) is a series of chords played in order "Blind" Lemon Jefferson ( September 24, 1893 or October 26, 1894 or July 1897 &ndash December 1929 was an influential Bessie Smith (July 9 1892 or April 15 1894&ndash September 26 1937 was an American Blues singer ^[4]

During the 1930s and 1940s, two new sounds emerged that mixed country with current black musical styles. Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys were the leading proponents of Western Swing, which combined country singing and steel guitar with big band jazz influences and horn sections; Wills' music found massive popularity. James Robert (Bob Wills ( March 6, 1905 &ndash May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician Songwriter The Texas Playboys were a Western Swing band long led by Bob Wills, and considered by many to be the definitive progenitor of that musical genre This article is about the Musical genre. For the popular western swing Steel guitar tuning see E9 tuning. Steel guitar is A method of playing Slide guitar using a steel. A big band is a type of Musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States In a Symphony orchestra the horn section is the group of musicians who play the horn (sometimes referred to as the French horn a brass instrument descended After blues artists like Meade Lux Lewis and Pete Johnson launched a nationwide boogie craze starting in 1938, country artists like Moon Mullican, the Delmore Brothers, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and the Maddox Brothers and Rose began recording what was known as “Hillbilly Boogie,” which consisted of "hillbilly" vocals and instrumentation with a boogie bass line. The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Meade Anderson "Lux" Lewis ( September 3, 1905 – June 7, 1964) was a United States pianist and composer noted for his work Peter (Pete Johnson ( 24 March 1904 - 23 March 1967) was an American Jazz Pianist, best known as a leading Boogie-woogie is a style of Piano -based Blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s but originated much earlier and was extended from piano Aubrey Wilson Mullican ( March 29, 1909 - January 1, 1967) known as Moon Mullican, was an American Country and western Alton (1908-1964 and Rabon Delmore (1916-1952 billed as The Delmore Brothers, were Country music pioneers and stars of the Grand Ole Opry in the 1930s Ernest Jennings Ford ( February 13, 1919 – October 17, 1991) better known by the Stage name Tennessee Ernie Ford, was The Maddox Brothers and Rose are known as "America’s Most Colorful Hillbilly Band" and were based in California from the 1930s to the 1950s Boogie-woogie is a style of Piano -based Blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s but originated much earlier and was extended from piano ^[5]

The Maddox Brothers and Rose were at "the leading edge of rockabilly with the slapped bass that Fred Maddox had developed". [3] [4] Others believe that they were not only at the leading edge, but were one of the first, if not the first, “Rockabilly” group. [5]

Emmylou Harris believes that performers such as Rose Maddox have never received the recognition they deserve. Emmylou Harris (born April 2 1947) is an American country, folk, alternative rock, and Alternative country She says part of this is due to what she calls a reluctance in American society to celebrate the value of white country and roots music. [6]

Zeb Turner's February 1953 recording of "Jersey Rock" with its mix of musical styles, lyrics about music and dancing, and guitar solo, [7] is another example of the mixing of musical genres in the first half of the 1950s.

Bill Monroe is known as the originator of Bluegrass, a specific style of "country" music. William Smith Monroe ( September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American musician who developed the style of music known as Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of Country music. Many of his songs were in blues form, while others took the form of folk ballads, parlor songs, or waltzes. Bluegrass was a staple of "country" music in the early 1950s, and is often mentioned as an influence in the development of rockablly. ^[6]

The Honky Tonk sound, which "tended to focus on working-class life, with frequently tragic themes of lost love, adultery, loneliness, alcoholism, and self-pity", also included songs of energetic, uptempo Hillbilly Boogie. A honky tonk (also called a honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is a type of bar with musical entertainment that is common in the Southwestern Some of the better known musicians who recorded and performed these songs are: the Delmore Brothers, the Maddox Brothers and Rose, Merle Travis, Hank Williams, Hank Snow, and Tennessee Ernie Ford. ^[7]

Curtis Gordon's 1953 "Rompin' and Stompin' ", an uptempo hillbilly-boogie included the lyrics, "Way down south where I was born, They rocked all night 'til early morn', They start rockin', They start rockin' an rollin'. Curtis Gordon (Jul 27 1928 - May 2 2004 was an American Rockabilly singer "^[8]

Memphis, Tennessee

The Saturday Night Jamboree

The Saturday Night Jamboree was a local stage show held every Saturday night at the Goodwyn Institute Auditorium in downtown Memphis, Tennessee in 1953-54. But of more historical significance was something that was going on backstage in the dressing rooms. Every Saturday night in 1953, the dressing rooms backstage were a gathering place where musicians would come together and experiment with new sounds - mixing fast country, gospel, blues and boogie woogie. Guys were bringing in new "licks" that they had developed and were teaching them to other musicians and were learning new "licks" from yet other musicians backstage. Soon these new sounds began to make their way out onto the stage of the Jamboree where they found a very receptive audience.

Within a year these musicians were going into the recording studios around town and recording these sounds. A couple of years later these sounds were given a name: "rockabilly. " The Saturday Night Jamboree was probably where the first live rockabilly was performed. [8]

Carl Perkins

Sharecroppers' sons Carl Perkins and his brothers Jay Perkins and Clayton Perkins, along with drummer W. S. Holland, had been playing their music roughly ninety miles from Memphis. Carl Lee Perkins ( April 9, 1932 &ndash January 19, 1998) was an American pioneer of Rockabilly music a mix of Rhythm WS "Fluke" Holland is a Drummer who worked extensively with numerous Rock and roll musicians but became well-known as the drummer in Johnny Cash The Perkins Brothers Band, featuring both Carl and Jay on lead vocals, quickly established themselves as the hottest band on the cutthroat, "get-hot-or-go-home" Jackson, TN honky tonk circuit. Most of the requests for songs were for hillbilly songs that were delivered as jived up versions - classic Hank Williams standards infused with a faster rhythm. ^[9] It was here that Carl started composing his first songs with an eye toward the future. Watching the dance floor at all times for a reaction, working out a more rhythmically driving style of music that was neither country nor blues, but had elements of both, Perkins kept reshaping these loosely structured songs until he had a completed composition, which would then be finally put to paper. Carl was already sending demos to New York record companies, who kept rejecting him, sometimes explaining that this strange new hybrid of country with a black rhythm fit no current commercial trend. That would change in 1954. [9] [10]

The Burnettes and Burlison

Younger musicians around Memphis, Tennessee were beginning to play a mix of musical styles. Paul Burlison, for one, was playing in nondescript hillbilly bands in the very early 1950s. One of these early groups secured a fifteen minute show on radio station KWEM in West Memphis, Arkansas. The time slot was adjacent to Howlin' Wolf's and the music quickly became a curious blend of blues, country and what would become known as rockabilly music. In 1951 and 1952 the Burnettes (Johnny and Dorsey) and Burlison played around Memphis and established a reputation for wild music. They played with Doc McQueen's Swing Band at the Hideaway Club but hated the type of music played by "chart musicians. " Soon they broke away and began playing their energetic brand of rockabilly to small, but appreciative, local audiences. They wrote "Rock Billy Boogie," while working at the Hideaway. [11] Unfortunately for the Burnettes and Burlison, they didn't record the song until 1957. [12] [13]

Janis Martin on The Old Dominion Barn Dance Show

In 1953 at the tender age of 13 Janis Martin was developing her own proto-rockabilly style on WRVA's Old Dominion Barn Dance,[14][15][16] which broadcast out of Richmond, VA. Janis Martin ( March 27, 1940 &ndash September 3, 2007) was an American Rockabilly and Country music singer Although Martin performed mostly "country" songs for the show, she also did songs by Rhythm and blues singers Ruth Brown and LaVern Baker, as well as a few Dinah Washington songs. Ruth Brown ( January 12 1928 &ndash November 17 2006) was an American R&B Singer, and actress noted for LaVern Baker ( November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American Rhythm & Blues singer Dinah Washington ( August 29, 1924 &ndash December 14, 1963) was a Blues, R&B and Jazz singer "The audience didn't know what to make of it. They didn't hardly allow electric instruments, and I was doing some songs by black artists--stuff like Ruth Brown's 'Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean. ' [17] [18]

Use of the term Rockabilly

In an interview that can be viewed at the Experience Music Project, Barbara Pittman states that, "It was so new and it was so easy. Barbara Pittman ( April 25, 1943 - October 29, 2005) in Memphis Tn It was a three chord change. Rockabilly was actually an insult to the southern rockers at that time. Over the years it has picked up a little dignity. It was their way of calling us hillbillies. "

Although the term was in common use even before the Burnettes wrote "Rock Billy Boogie", one of the first written uses of the term "rockabilly" was in a June 23, 1956 Billboard review of Ruckus Tyler's "Rock Town Rock". [19]

North of the Mason Dixon Line

Bill Haley

In 1951, a western swing bandleader named Bill Haley recorded a version of "Rocket 88" with his group, the Saddlemen. This article is specifically about the singer For detailed information about his rock and roll group see Bill Haley & His Comets. This article is about the song For the band by this name see Rocket 88 (band. Considered one of the earliest recognized rockabilly recordings, it was followed by versions of "Rock the Joint" in 1952, and original works such as "Real Rock Drive" and "Crazy Man, Crazy", the latter of which reached #12 on the American Billboard chart in 1953. "Rock the Joint", also known as We're Gonna Rock This Joint Tonight, is a Boogie song recorded by various proto- Rock and roll singers notably " Crazy Man Crazy " was the title of an early Rock and roll song first recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets in April 1953 See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry [20]

On April 12, 1954, Haley with his band (now known as Bill Haley & His Comets) recorded "Rock Around the Clock" for Decca Records of New York City. This article is specifically about the rock and roll band See Bill Haley for biographical information regarding Haley himself For the movie named after the song see Rock Around the Clock (film. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. When first released in May of 1954, "Rock Around the Clock" made the charts for one week at number 23, and sold 75,000 copies. [21] A year later it was featured in the film Blackboard Jungle, and soon afterwards it was topping charts all over the world and opening up a new genre of entertainment. Blackboard Jungle is a 1955 Social commentary film about teachers in an inner-city school "Rock Around the Clock" hit No. 1, held that position for eight weeks, and was the #2 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 1955. [22] The recording was, until the late 1990s, recognized by Guinness World Records as having the highest sales claim for a pop vinyl recording, with an "unaudited" claim of 25 million copies sold. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U [23].

"Rock 'n' roll," an expansive term coined a couple years earlier by DJ Alan Freed, had now been to the pop mountaintop, a position it would never quite relinquish. [24][25]

Bill Flagg

Maine native, and Connecticut resident Bill Flagg began using the term rockbilly for his combination of rock 'n' roll and hillbilly music as early as 1953. [26] He cut several songs for Tetra Records in 1956 and 1957. [27] "Go Cat Go" went into the National Billboard charts in 1956, and his "Guitar Rock" is cited as classic rockabilly.

Elvis Presley

Sun Records was a small independent label run by Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee. Sun Records was a Record label based in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27 1952. Samuel Cornelius Phillips ( January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) better known as Sam Phillips, was an American For several years, Phillips had been recording and releasing performances by blues and country musicians in the area. He also ran a service allowing anyone to come in off the street and for $3. 98 (plus tax) record himself on a two-song vanity record. One young man who came to record himself as a surprise for his mother, he claimed, was Elvis Presley. ^[10]

According to Phillips, “Ninety-five percent of the people I had been working with were black, most of them of course no name people. Elvis fit right in. He was born and raised in poverty. He was around black folks an awful lot. He was around people that had very little in the way of worldly goods. ” ^[11]

Presley made enough of an impression that Phillips deputized guitarist Scotty Moore, who then enlisted bassist Bill Black, both from the Starlight Wranglers, a local western swing band, to work with the green young Elvis. Winfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III (born December 27, 1931 near Gadsden Tennessee) is a legendary American Guitarist and William Patton "Bill" Black Jr ( September 17, 1926 – October 21, 1965) was an American Musician. ^[12] The trio rehearsed dozens of songs, from traditional country, to "Harbor Lights", a hit for crooner Bing Crosby [28] to gospel. In Political geography and International politics, a country is a Political division of a geographical entity " Harbor Lights " is a popular Song with music by Hugh Williams (pseudonym for Will Grosz) and lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament During a break on July 5, 1954 Elvis "jumped up . . . and started frailin' guitar and singin' "That's Alright, Mama" (a 1946 blues song by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup). Scotty and Bill began playing along. Excited, Phillips told them to “back up and start from the beginning. ” Two or three takes later, Phillips had a satisfactory recording, and released “That’s All Right,” on July 19, 1954, along with an "Elvis Presley Scotty and Bill" version of Bill Monroe's waltz, Blue Moon of Kentucky, a country standard. " That's All Right (Mama " is the name of the first single released by Elvis Presley, written and originally performed by blues singer Arthur Crudup. " Blue Moon of Kentucky " is a Waltz written in 1947 by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and recorded by his band The Blue Grass Boys ^[13]

Presley's Sun recordings feature his vocals and rhythm guitar, Bill Black’s percussive slapped bass, and Scotty Moore on an amplified guitar. Slap bass had been a staple of both Western Swing and Hillbilly Boogie since the 1940s. In Music, the term slapping is often used to refer to two different playing techniques used on the Double bass and on the (electric Bass guitar. Commenting on his own guitar playing, Scotty Moore said, "All I can tell you is I just stole from every guitar player I heard over the years. Put it in my data bank. An when I played that's just what come out. " ^[14] But what really sets this recording apart is Elvis’s vocal, which soars across a wide range and expresses both a youthful humor and a boundless confidence. The overall feeling the song communicates is one of limitless freedom. ^[15]

Although some state that the sound of “That’s All Right” was entirely new, others are of the opinion that "It wasn't that they said 'I never heard anything like it before' It wasn't as if this started a revolution, it galvanized a revolution. Not because Elvis had expressed something new, but he expressed something they had all been trying to express. " ^[16]

When "That's Alright" was played on Memphis radio, listeners called to ask about the song. Nevertheless, from August 18 1954 through December 8, 1954 "Blue Moon of Kentucky" was consistently charted at a higher position. [29] Nobody was sure what to call this music, so Elvis was described as “The Hillbilly Cat” and “King of Western Bop. ” Over the next year, Elvis would record four more singles for Sun. Together, the upbeat numbers can be used as a touchstone for the rockabilly style: “nervously up tempo” (as Peter Guralnick describes it), with slap bass, fancy guitar picking, lots of echo, shouts of encouragement, and vocals full of histrionics such as hiccups, stutters, and swoops from falsetto to bass and back again. Peter Guralnick (born December 15, 1943, in Boston Massachusetts) is an American music critic, writer on music and historian of ^[17][18]

By the end of 1954 Elvis asked D.J. Fontana, who was the underutilized drummer for the Louisiana Hayride, "Would you go with us if we got any more dates?" Presley was now using drums,^[19] as did many other rockabilly performers; drums were then uncommon in country music. Dominic Joseph Fontana (born March 15 1931 in Shreveport Louisiana) is an American musician best known as the Drummer for Elvis Presley for The Louisiana Hayride was a radio (later television broadcast from the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport Louisiana, that during its heyday from Each of Presley's Sun singles combined a blues song on one side with a country song on the other, but both sung in the same vein. [30] In the 1955 sessions shortly after Presley’s move from Sun Records to RCA, Presley was backed by a band that included Moore, Black, Fontana, lap steel guitarist Jimmy Day, and pianist Floyd Cramer. Floyd Cramer ( October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American Hall of Fame Pianist who was one of the architects [31] In 1956 Elvis acquired vocal backup via the Jordanaires. [32] The 1957 recording of Jailhouse Rock for the film of the same name clearly features piano and saxophone. " Jailhouse Rock " is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit for Elvis Presley. Jailhouse Rock is an American Motion picture directed by Richard Thorpe, released by MGM on November 8, 1957

Cash, Perkins, and Presley

In 1954, both Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins auditioned for Sam Phillips. Cash hoped to record gospel music, but Phillips immediately nixed that idea. Cash did not return until 1955. In October of 1955 Carl Perkins and “The Perkins Brothers Band” showed up at the Sun Studios. Phillips recorded Perkins’ original song “Movie Magg”, which was released early March of 1955 on Phillip's Flip label, which was all Country. [33]

Presley’s second and third records were not as successful as the first. ^[20] The fourth release in May 1955 “Baby, Let’s Play House” peaked at #5 on the national Billboard Country Chart. [34] The Sun label lists “Gunter” (Arthur) as the song writer, [35], a song which he recorded it in 1954. However, in 1951 Eddy Arnold recorded a song titled “I Want to Play House with You” [36] by Cy Coben. [37] Lyrics for the two songs are nearly identical.

Cash returned to Sun in 1955 with his song “Hey Porter”, and his group the Tennessee Three, who became the Tennessee Two before the session was over. This song and another Cash original, “Cry! Cry! Cry!” were released in July. [38] "Cry, Cry, Cry" managed to crack Billboard's Top 20, peaking at No. 14. [39]

In August Sun released Elvis’ versions of “I Forgot To Remember To Forget” and "Mystery Train". " Mystery Train " is a song written by Junior Parker and Sam Phillips. “Forgot. . . ”, written by Sun country artists Stan Kesler and Charlie Feathers, spent a total of 39 weeks on the Billboard Country Chart, with five of the those weeks at the #1 spot. “Mystery Train”, with writing credits for both Herman 'Little Junior' Parker and Sam Phillips, peaked at #11.

Through most of 1955, Cash, Perkins, Presley, and other Louisiana Hayride performers toured through Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Sun released two more Perkins songs in October: “Gone, Gone, Gone” and “Let the Jukebox Keep on Playing”. [40]

1955 was also the year in which Chuck Berry’s hillbilly influenced Maybellene reached high in the charts as a crossover hit, and Bill Haley and His Comets’ Rock Around the Clock was not only #1 for 8 weeks, but was the #2 record for the year. Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18 1926 in St " Maybellene " is a song by Chuck Berry that tells the story of a Hot rod race and a broken romance This article is specifically about the rock and roll band See Bill Haley for biographical information regarding Haley himself For the movie named after the song see Rock Around the Clock (film. [41] Rock ‘n’ roll in general, and rockabilly in particular, was at critical mass and the next year, Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel would also top the Billboard Charts as well[42]. Critical mass is a Sociodynamic term to describe the existence of sufficient Momentum in a social system such that the momentum becomes self-sustaining and fuels further

Recording Techniques

Slapback, slapback echo, flutter echo, tape delay echo, echo, and reverb are some of the terms used to describe one particular aspect of rockabilly recordings.

The distinctive reverberation on the early hit records such as "Rock Around The Clock. " (April 12, 1954 released May 15) by Bill Haley & His Comets was created by recording the band under the domed ceiling of Decca's studio in New York, located in a former ballroom called The Pythian Temple. It was a big, barn-like building with great echo. This same facility would also be used to record other rockabilly musicians such as Buddy Holly and The Rock and Roll Trio. Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holley (September 7 1936 – February 3 1959 was an American Singer-songwriter and a pioneer of Rock and roll. The Rock and Roll Trio was the name of a Rockabilly group which was formed in Memphis Tennessee during the 1950s [43] [44]

In Memphis Sam Phillips used various techniques to create similar acoustics at his Memphis Recording Services Studio. Samuel Cornelius Phillips ( January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) better known as Sam Phillips, was an American The shape of the ceiling, corrugated tiles, and the setup of the studio were augmented by an ingenious and entirely original system of “slap-back” tape echo which involved feeding the original signal from one tape machine through a second machine with an infinitesimal (capable of having values approaching zero as a limit) delay. Infinitesimals (from a 17th century Modern Latin coinage infinitesimus, originally referring to the " Infinite[[ th]]" member of a series have The recordings were thus an idealized representation of the customary live sound . ^[21]

When Elvis Presley left Phillips’ Sun Records and recorded Heartbreak Hotel for RCA, the RCA producers placed microphones at the end of a hallway to achieve a similar effect. " Heartbreak Hotel " is a Rock and roll song performed by Elvis Presley, with Bill Black ( bass) Scotty Moore ( RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986

1956: Rockabilly Goes National

In January 1956 three new classic songs by Cash, Perkins, and Presley were released: Folsom Prison Blues by Cash, and Blue Suede Shoes by Perkins, both on Sun, and Heartbreak Hotel by Presley on RCA. " Folsom Prison Blues " is an American Country music song written by Johnny Cash in the early 1950s and originally recorded with his trio in 1955 " Blue Suede Shoes " is a Rock and roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955. " Heartbreak Hotel " is a Rock and roll song performed by Elvis Presley, with Bill Black ( bass) Scotty Moore ( Other rockabilly tunes released this month included See You Later Alligator by Roy Hall and Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On by the Commodores. " See You Later Alligator " (though more commonly spelled without the comma in the title is the title of an iconic Rock and roll song of the 1950s Roy Hall (born December 8, 1983 in South Euclid Ohio) is a Wide receiver for the American football team the Indianapolis Colts " Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On " (also rendered "Whole Lotta Shaking Going On" is a Song best known in the 1957 Rock and roll hit version [45][46][47]

Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" sold 20,000 records a day at one point, and it was the first million-selling country song to cross over to both rhythm and blues and pop charts. ^[22]

On February 11 Presley appeared on the Dorsey Brothers’ Stage Show for the third time singing both “Heartbreak Hotel” and Carl Pekins’ “Blue Suede Shoes”. Elvis would perform “Blue Suede Shoes” two more times on national television, and “Heartbreak Hotel” three times throughout 1956. Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel both topped the Billboard Charts. [48].

Sun and RCA weren’t the only record companies releasing rockabilly music. In March Columbia released "Honky Tonk Man" by Johnny Horton, [49], King put out "Seven Nights to Rock" by Moon Mullican, Mercury issued "Rockin’ Daddy" by Eddie Bond, [50] and Starday released Bill Mack's “Fat Woman”. [51] Carl Perkins, meanwhile, was involved in a major automobile accident on his way to appear on national television.

Two young men from Texas made their record debuts in April of 1956: Buddy Holly on the Decca label, and, as a member of the Teen Kings, Roy Orbison with “Ooby Dooby’ on the New Mexico/Texas based Je-wel label. Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holley (September 7 1936 – February 3 1959 was an American Singer-songwriter and a pioneer of Rock and roll. Roy Kelton Orbison ( April 23 1936 &ndash December 6 1988) nicknamed "The Big O" was an influential Grammy Award -winning [52] Holly's big hits would not be released until 1957. Janis Martin was all of fifteen years old when RCA issued a record with “Will You, Willyum” and the Martin composed “Drugstore Rock 'n' Roll”, which sold over 750,000 copies. Janis Martin ( March 27, 1940 &ndash September 3, 2007) was an American Rockabilly and Country music singer [53] King records issued a new disk by forty-seven year old Moon Mullican: “Seven Nights to Rock” and “Rock 'N' Roll Mr. Bullfrog”. Twenty more sides were issued by various labels including 4 Star, Blue Hen, Dot, Cold Bond, Mercury, Reject, Republic, Rodeo, and Starday. [54]

In April and May, 1956, The Rock and Roll Trio brought down the house with three electrifying rockabilly performances on the Ted Mack’s TV talent show in New York City, winning all three times and guaranteeing them a finalist position in the September supershow. The Rock and Roll Trio was the name of a Rockabilly group which was formed in Memphis Tennessee during the 1950s Ted Mack ( February 12, 1904, Greeley Colorado - July 12, 1976, North Tarrytown New York) born William Edward Maguiness The Original Amateur Hour was an American Radio and Television program [55]

Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps’ recording of Be-Bop-A-Lula was released on June 2, 1956, backed by Woman Love. Gene Vincent, real name Vincent Eugene Craddock, ( February 11, 1935 - October 12, 1971) was an American Rock'n'roll pioneer Within twenty-one days it sold over two hundred thousand records, stayed at the top of national pop and country charts for twenty weeks, and sold more than a million copies. ^[23][24] These same musicians would have two more releases in 1956, followed by another in January of 1957.

"Queen of Rockabilly" Wanda Jackson's first record came out in July, "I Gotta Know" on the Capitol label, followed by "Hot Dog That Made Him Made" in November. Wanda Lavonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is a Rockabilly and Country music singer who had success in the mid-50s and the 60s Capitol would release nine more records by Jackson, some with songs she had written herself, before the 1950s were over. [56][57]

The first record by Jerry Lee Lewis came out on December 22, 1956, and it featured the song “Crazy Arms” which had been a #1 hit for Ray Price for twenty weeks earlier in the year, ^[25] along with “End of the Road”. Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) is an American Rock and roll and Country music Singer, Songwriter ^[26] Lewis would have big hits in 1957 with his version of Whole Lot Of Shakin' Going On, issued in May, and “Great Balls Of Fire” on Sun. " Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On " (also rendered "Whole Lotta Shaking Going On" is a Song best known in the 1957 Rock and roll hit version " Great Balls of Fire " is a 1957 Song written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer ^[27]

Although Ricky Nelson records were released beginning in April of 1957, his first hit record (#8) was "Believe What You Say", released in March 1958. Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson, later known as Rick Nelson ( May 8, 1940 &ndash December 31, 1985) was an [58] [59]

Additional Performers and Information

There were thousands of musicians who recorded songs in the rockabilly style. An online database lists 262 musicians with names beginning with "A". [60] And many record companies released rockabilly records. [61] Some enjoyed major chart success and were important influences on future rock musicians.

Sun also hosted performers, such as Billy Lee Riley, Sonny Burgess, Charlie Feathers, and Warren Smith. Billy Lee Riley (born October 5, 1933) is a Rockabilly Musician, Singer, Record producer and Songwriter. Albert Austin "Sonny" Burgess (born May 28 1931, on a farm near Newport, Arkansas to Albert and Esta Burgess is a Guitarist Charles Feathers, ( June 12, 1932 - August 29, 1998) was an influential Rockabilly and Country music performer Warren Smith (b February 7 1932, Humphreys County Mississippi - d There were also several female performers like Wanda Jackson, Janis Martin, Jo Ann Campbell, and Alys Lesley, who also sang in the rockabilly style. Wanda Lavonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is a Rockabilly and Country music singer who had success in the mid-50s and the 60s Jo Ann Campbell (born 20 July 1938, Jacksonville, Florida) is an American pop Tommy (Sleepy) LaBeef (LaBeff) recorded rockabilly tunes on a number of labels from 1957 through 1963. [62] Rockabilly pioneers the Maddox Brothers and Rose, both as a group, and with Rose as a solo act, added onto their two decades of performing by making records that were even more rocking. The Maddox Brothers and Rose are known as "America’s Most Colorful Hillbilly Band" and were based in California from the 1930s to the 1950s [63][64] However, none of these artists had any major hits and their influence would not be felt until decades later, when artists like Becky Hobbs, Rosie Flores, and Kim Lenz would join the Rockabilly Revival. Rosie Flores (born September 10 1950 in San Antonio Texas) is a Rockabilly and Country music artist of Mexican American ^[28]

Rockabilly music enjoyed great popularity in the United States during 1956 and 1957, but radio play declined after 1960. Factors contributing to this decline are usually cited as: The 1959 death of Buddy Holly {along with Richie Valens and the Big Bopper}, the induction of Elvis Presley into the army in 1958 and, a general change in American musical tastes. The style remained popular longer in England, where it attracted a fanatical following right up through the mid 1960s.

Cultural Implications

Stylistically, the development of rock ‘n’ roll music was inevitable. However, the huge cultural impact of the music was anything but inevitable. This impact was due to rockabilly’s first and most important performer, Elvis Presley, who combined the musical excitement and rebellion of Hank Williams with the adolescent charisma of James Dean. James Byron Dean ( February 8 1931 &ndash September 30 1955) was a two-time Oscar -nominated American Film Presley’s good looks, scandalously sexy concerts, and innovative music would make him the hero of an emerging demographic group: teenagers. As a result, his music and that of his successors would become the central unifying feature of youth culture during the second half of the 20th century.

Rockabilly music cultivated an attitude that assured its enduring appeal to teenagers. This was a combination of rebellion, sexuality, and freedom—a sneering expression of disdain for the workaday world of parents and authority figures. It was the first rock ‘n’ roll style to be performed primarily by white musicians, thus setting off a cultural revolution that is still reverberating today. ^[29][30]

Influence on the Beatles and the British Invasion

The first wave of rockabilly fans in Britain were called Teddy Boys because they wore long, Edwardian-style frock coats, along with tight black drainpipe trousers and brothel creeper shoes. The British Teddy Boy Subculture is typified by young men wearing clothes inspired by the styles of the Edwardian period, which Savile Row tailors Class and society Socially the Edwardian era was a period during which the British Class system was very rigid A frock coat is a man's coat characterised by knee-length skirts all around the base popular during the Victorian and Edwardian period Trousers are an item of Clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth stretching across Creepers or Brothel creepers are a type of shoe that gained popularity in the 1950s with the rise of Rockabilly and the Teddy Boy Youth By the early 1960s, they had metamorphosed into the rockers, and had adopted the classic greaser look of T-shirts, jeans, and leather jackets to go with their heavily slicked pompadour haircuts. Greasers are a Working class Youth subculture that originated in the 1950s among young eastern and Southern United States Street A T-shirt (or tee shirt) is a Shirt which is pulled on over the head to cover most of a person's Torso. A rocker jacket is a leather motorcycle jacket first popularized by the greasers and Rockers of the late 1950s and early 1960s Pompadour is a style of Haircut which takes its name from Madame de Pompadour. The rockers loved 1950s rock and roll artists such as Gene Vincent, and some British rockabilly fans formed bands and played their own version of the music. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Gene Vincent, real name Vincent Eugene Craddock, ( February 11, 1935 - October 12, 1971) was an American Rock'n'roll pioneer

The most notable of these bands was the Beatles. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 When John Lennon first met Paul McCartney, he was impressed that McCartney knew all the chords and the words to Eddie Cochran’s "Twenty Flight Rock. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, Raymond Edward "Eddie" Cochran ( October 3, 1938 He took music lessons in school but quit the band to play drums "Twenty Flight Rock" is the name of a song originally performed and released in 1957 by Eddie Cochran. " As the band became more professional and began playing in Hamburg, they took on the Beatle name (inspired by Buddy Holly’s Crickets) and they adopted the black leather look of Gene Vincent. Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holley (September 7 1936 – February 3 1959 was an American Singer-songwriter and a pioneer of Rock and roll. The Crickets were a rock band from Lubbock Texas, formed by Singer / Songwriter Buddy Holly in the 1950s Gene Vincent, real name Vincent Eugene Craddock, ( February 11, 1935 - October 12, 1971) was an American Rock'n'roll pioneer Musically, they combined Holly’s melodic pop sensibility with the rough and rocking sounds of Vincent and Carl Perkins. Carl Lee Perkins ( April 9, 1932 &ndash January 19, 1998) was an American pioneer of Rockabilly music a mix of Rhythm When the Beatles became worldwide stars, they released versions of three different Carl Perkins songs; more than any other songwriter outside the band.

Long after the band broke up, the members continued to show their interest in rockabilly. In 1975, Lennon recorded an album called "Rock 'n' Roll", featuring versions of rockabilly hits and a cover photo showing him in full Gene Vincent leather. Rock 'n' Roll is a 1975 Album of late 1950s and early 1960s-era rock songs covered by John Lennon. About the same time, Ringo Starr had a hit with a version of Johnny Burnette’s "You’re Sixteen. Ringo Starr, MBE (born Richard Starkey on 7 July 1940 is an English Musician, Singer, Songwriter and Actor Johnny Burnett redirects here for the baseball infielder see Johnny Burnett (baseball player. " In the 1980s, McCartney recorded a duet with Carl Perkins, and George Harrison played with Roy Orbison in the Traveling Wilburys. George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001 was an English rock Guitarist Singer - Songwriter, Author Roy Kelton Orbison ( April 23 1936 &ndash December 6 1988) nicknamed "The Big O" was an influential Grammy Award -winning Traveling Wilburys was a supergroup consisting of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan. In 1999, McCartney released Run Devil Run; his own record of rockabilly covers. Run Devil Run is a 1999 Paul McCartney album that features covers of both familiar and obscure 1950's Rock and roll songs along with three new McCartney ^[31]

The Beatles were not the only British Invasion artists influenced by rockabilly. The British Invasion was the term applied by the news media — and subsequently by consumers — to the influx of Rock and roll, beat and pop performers The Rolling Stones recorded Buddy Holly’s "Not Fade Away" on an early single. " Not Fade Away " is a song written by Buddy Holly and Norman Petty and performed by Holly the song's rhythm pattern is one of the classic examples of The Who, despite being mod favourites, covered Eddie Cochran’s "Summertime Blues" on their Live at Leeds album. The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Mod (originally modernist, sometimes capitalised is a Subculture that originated in London in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s Raymond Edward "Eddie" Cochran ( October 3, 1938 He took music lessons in school but quit the band to play drums " Summertime Blues " ( 1958) is a 12-bar Blues standard song by Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart about the trials and tribulations Live at Leeds (1970 is The Who 's first Live album, and is their only live album that was released while the band was still recording and performing Even heavy guitar heroes such as Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were influenced by rockabilly musicians. Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer Beck recorded his own tribute album to Gene Vincent, Crazy Legs, and Page’s band, Led Zeppelin, offered to work as Elvis Presley’s backing band in the 1970s. Led Zeppelin were However, Presley never took them up on that offer. ^[32] Years later, Led Zeppelin's Page and Robert Plant recorded a tribute to the music of the 1950s called The Honeydrippers: Volume One. Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948 West Bromwich, England) is an English rock singer and songwriter famous for his membership in the The Honeydrippers Volume One is an EP (or mini-LP) released by a semi-all-star band led by rock singer Robert Plant on November 12,

Elvis’s Comeback and 1970s Nostalgia

By 1968, the British Invasion had largely chased the older American rock artists off the charts. Most of the 1950s rockabilly performers who were still alive, such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, had taken refuge in country music. And Elvis Presley was mired in an endless series of lousy movies, seemingly a has-been in his 30s.

In December 1968, Elvis appeared on an NBC-TV special. Clad in black leather, he sang his heart out, proving not only that he could rock, but that he had far more emotional depth to share than he had 10 years earlier. The so-called “comeback special” created tremendous excitement among the record-buying public, and Elvis’s newer, harder-hitting songs soon began enjoying major chart success. Songs like “Suspicious Minds,” “Promised Land,” and “Burning Love” were all cut from Presley’s classic mold and they enjoyed huge international sales. The King returned to live performances, setting attendance records across the USA. ^[33]

In the wake of Elvis’s return, a renewed interest developed in 1950s music. A young band from San Francisco, Creedence Clearwater Revival, became one of the best-selling rock groups of the era playing old rockabilly songs and new songs written in the same style. Creedence Clearwater Revival (often abbreviated CCR) was an American Rock and roll band who gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with Don McLean had a giant hit with “American Pie,” a song about the death of Buddy Holly. Donald McLean (born October 2 1945 in New Rochelle New York) is an American Singer-songwriter. Then, in 1973, George Lucas released his film American Graffiti. George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter American Graffiti is a period Coming of age film directed by George Lucas, and written by Lucas Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck This movie, and its chart-topping oldies soundtrack, launched a major 1970s industry of '50s nostalgia. Soon TV had its own version of Graffiti in Happy Days. Happy Days is an American Television sitcom that originally aired from 1974 to 1984 on ABC. Artists like Sha Na Na gained fame playing 1950s rock as a cartoon joke and many original artists began playing “oldies” shows. Sha Na Na is a well-known Rock and roll revival act Announcing themselves as "from the streets of New York" and outfitted in gold lame leather jackets and Elvis Linda Ronstadt enjoyed a major string of hit singles with soft-rock covers of songs by Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers. Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15 1946 in Tucson Arizona) is an American popular vocalist and Entertainer whose vocal styles in a variety The Everly Brothers ( Don Everly, born Isaac Donald Everly February 1 1937 Brownie Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Although none of these captured the fire and excitement of 1950s rockabilly, they did create curiosity about the real music of that era. ^[34]

Elvis’s death in 1977 inspired an unprecedented outpouring of news coverage, radio tributes, books, and documentaries. Presley’s records were all over the radio for months, and efforts to document the early history of rock ’n’ roll began to reach a mass audience. Although there was an unfortunate explosion in the number of cheesy Elvis impersonator stage acts, over time all of the hoopla drew attention to the original music, too.

Two films released in the late 1970s really did capture the excitement of the music, even though they confused several facts. The Buddy Holly Story was a biopic starring the magnetic Gary Busey, who seemed possessed by Holly’s spirit, even though nearly all of Holly’s friends and relatives denounced the screenplay’s cavalier way with the truth. For the Buddy Holly album see The Buddy Holly Story (album For the musical about Holly see Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story William Gareth Jacob "Gary" Busey (born June 29, 1944) is an Academy Award - and Golden Globe Award -nominated American American Hot Wax, a film bio of DJ Alan Freed, was even more creative with the details of history, but concluded with a barn-burning concert sequence featuring Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, proving they still had all the moxie and charisma that made them rock gods in the '50s. American Hot Wax is a 1978 Biopic film telling the story of Cleveland, Ohio Disc jockey Alan Freed, who was instrumental in introducing Alan Freed (December 15 1921 &ndash January 20 1965 also known as Moondog, was an American Disc-jockey who became Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18 1926 in St This was exciting, but was just the prelude to even bigger things.

Rockabilly Revival

In the early 1970s, some young listeners began perceiving the chart-dominating “light rock” and disco to be excessively commercialized, and there was a sense among some listeners that the “art rock” and progressive rock bands had become pretentious and bloated. Soft rock, also referred to as light rock or easy rock, is a style of Music which uses the techniques of Rock and roll to compose a softer Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define Art rock is a term describing a subgenre of Rock music that tends to have "experimental or avant-garde influences" and emphasizes "novel sonic texture Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved These listeners wanted to return to the simple, loud, fast, emotionally-direct music of early rock and roll. Some musicians stripped their sound down to three chords, loud guitars, and shouted lyrics, creating early punk rock. A three-chord song is a Song whose Music is built around three chords that are played in a certain sequence. Other musicians turned back to the original rock and roll music of the 1950s for inspiration, and in the late 1970s, an underground rockabilly revival began to emerge. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive By the early 1980s, a few bands such as the Stray Cats had mainstream chart success. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989.

In England, in the early 1970s,There was a Teddy boy & rocker scene. Teddy Boys listened to bands such as Crazy Cavan, "Rockers" listened to "1950's rock n roll". in the early 1970's Levi Dexter was a Teddy boy in London England. He was on the Teddy Boy circuit for years & learning to sing while jamming with Teddy boy bands at clubs like the Black Raven. Levi Dexter was soon discovered in England by David Bowie's former manager Lee Childers while singing a song with Shakin' Stevens. Win thin months Levi Dexter & the Rockats were formed. They played on live tv shows such as the Merve Griffin Show & Wolfman Jacks. Levi Dexter has been called "the James Brown of rockabilly" Levi dexter brought energy to rockabilly & the early LA punk scene no one had ever seen before. Best describe as desperate,sweaty & urgent "Neo" rockabilly! after appearing on the tv shows in 1977 they appeared on the Louisiana Hayride & toured America. They recorded Note From the South,Room To Rock & many other great songs played on KROQ radio in Los Angeles. Levi went on to record more records & still recording to this day.

Rock and roll singer Robert Gordon, who was formerly the vocalist for New York punk band the Tuff Darts, went solo and began performing old rockabilly songs in 1977. Robert Gordon (born March 29, 1947) is an American Rockabilly singer Tuff Darts is an American Punk Rock Band The band reached their greatest fame in the 1970s with such songs as Your Love Is Like A Nuclear Waste, and appeared at popular New Unlike Sha Na Na or the Elvis impersonators, Gordon was not presenting the music as a joke, but trying to recapture the wild energy and excitement of the 1950s performers. Sha Na Na is a well-known Rock and roll revival act Announcing themselves as "from the streets of New York" and outfitted in gold lame leather jackets and Elvis An Elvis impersonator is someone who impersonates or copies famed American musician Elvis Presley, either as a Hobby, a Career in Entertainment He teamed with guitarist Link Wray and recorded an album that year, spawning a minor hit single with a cover of Billy Lee Riley’s “Red Hot. Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr ( May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American Rock and roll Guitarist Billy Lee Riley (born October 5, 1933) is a Rockabilly Musician, Singer, Record producer and Songwriter. ” Four more albums followed by 1981 (first on independent Private Stock, then on major label RCA), with another minor pop hit and two low-level country chart hits. Private Stock was a Record label which was started in 1974 by Larry Uttal after he was ousted from Bell Records. RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986 Gordon toured around the country and his dedication and energy inspired many listeners and musicians to begin to explore rockabilly music. ^[35]

The Diversions were a Washington D. The Diversions were a Washington DC based band that enjoyed regional success from 1980 to 1985 C. band in the early 1980's influenced by early Rock and Roll and Rockabilly and had regional success as did Tex Rubinowitz and the Bad Boys who were also from Washington, D. C. The scene in Washington had many Rockabilly Bands during the early 1980's. Danny Gatton had much success playing Rockabilly and Rock and Roll. Johnny Seaton from DC was an Elvis impersonator and later a Rockabilly. Link Wray had spent a lot of time in Washington, D. C. and Robert Gordon had come from DC before moving to NYC. By the late 80's the rockabilly scene in Washington had faded into obscurity.

Dave Edmunds joined up with songwriter Nick Lowe to form a band called Rockpile in 1975. Dave Edmunds (born 15 April, 1944 in Cardiff, Wales) is a Welsh Singer, Guitarist and Record producer Nick Lowe (born Nicholas Drain Lowe, March 24 1949, Walton-on-Thames) is an English Singer-songwriter, Musician Rockpile were a British Rock and roll group of the late 1970s and early 1980s noted for their strong Rockabilly and Power pop influences and They had a string of minor rockabilly-style hits like “I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock ‘n’ Roll). ” The group became a popular touring act in Britain and the US, leading to respectable album sales. Edmunds also nurtured and produced many younger artists who shared his love of rockabilly, most notably the Stray Cats^[36]

Shakin' Stevens was a Welsh singer who gained fame in the UK portraying Elvis in a stage play. Shakin' Stevens also known as ' Shaky' (born Michael Barrett, 4 March 1948 in Ely Cardiff, Wales) is a Platinum selling Welsh Rock In 1980, he took a cover of The Blasters’ “Marie Marie” into the UK Top 20. For others with this name see Blasters. The Blasters are a Rock and roll music group formed in 1979 in Downey California His hopped-up versions of songs like “This Ole House” and “Green Door” were giant sellers across Europe. " This Ole House " (or sometimes written "This Old House" is a Popular song by Stuart Hamblen published in 1954. " (The Green Door " is a 1956 popular Song with music by Bob Davie and Lyrics by Marvin Moore. Shakin’ Stevens was the number two bestselling singles artist of the 1980s in Europe, outstripping Michael Jackson, Prince, and Bruce Springsteen. Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American musician Despite his popularity in Europe, he never became popular in the US. In 2005, his greatest hits album topped the charts in England. ^[37]

The Cramps rose out of the punk scene at the New York club CBGB, combining primitive and wild rockabilly sounds with lyrics inspired by old drive-in horror movies in songs like “Human Fly” and “I Was a Teenage Werewolf. The Cramps are an American Punk rock band formed in 1976. Their line-up has rotated much over the years with lead singer Lux Interior and lead guitarist CBGB ( Country, Blue Grass, and Blues) was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan ” Lead singer Lux Interior's energetic and unpredictable live shows attracted a fervent cult audience. Erick Lee Purkhiser (born October 21, 1946) better known as Lux Interior, is an American Punk rock musician and a founding member of the band Their “psychobilly” music influenced The Meteors and Reverend Horton Heat. Psychobilly is a genre of Rock music that mixes elements of Punk rock, Rockabilly, and other genres The Meteors are a Psychobilly band Originally from the United Kingdom, they are often credited with giving the genre its distinctive sound Reverend Horton Heat is both a three-piece Psychobilly / Rockabilly band from Dallas Texas and the Stage name of its Singer / ^[38]

Queen paid homage to the style with Crazy Little Thing Called Love in 1979, the last rockabilly song to hit 1st in the Billboard Hot 100. Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist " Crazy Little Thing Called Love " is a song performed by the English rock band Queen, written by singer Freddie Mercury.

The Stray Cats were the most commercially successful of the new rockabilly artists. The Stray Cats are a Rockabilly band formed in 1979 by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer (Bloodless Pharaohs/ Brian Setzer Orchestra) with The Stray Cats are a Rockabilly band formed in 1979 by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer (Bloodless Pharaohs/ Brian Setzer Orchestra) with The band formed on Long Island in 1979 when Brian Setzer teamed up with two school chums calling themselves Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom. Brian Setzer (born April 10 1959, Massapequa, New York) is an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter Lee Rocker (born August 3, 1961 in Long Island New York) is a Rockabilly Double bass player Slim Jim Phantom (b James McDonnell 20 March 1961 is the drummer for the Stray Cats. The trio fully adopted the Gene Vincent look, complete with flashy pompadour haircuts, leather jackets, and tattoos aplenty. Gene Vincent, real name Vincent Eugene Craddock, ( February 11, 1935 - October 12, 1971) was an American Rock'n'roll pioneer Attracting little attention in New York, they flew to London in 1980, where they had heard that there was an active rockabilly scene. Early shows were attended by the Rolling Stones and Dave Edmunds, who quickly ushered the boys into a recording studio.

In short order, the Stray Cats had three UK Top Ten singles to their credit and two bestselling albums. They returned to the USA, performing on the TV show “Fridays” with a message flashing across the screen that they had no record deal in the States. Soon EMI picked them up, their first videos appeared on MTV, and they stormed up the charts stateside. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Their third LP, Rant ‘N’ Rave with the Stray Cats, topped charts across the USA and Europe as they sold out shows everywhere during 1983. However, personal conflicts led the band to break up at the height of their popularity. Brian Setzer went on to solo success working in both rockabilly and swing styles, while Rocker and Phantom continued to record in bands both together and singly. The group has reconvened several times to make new records or tours and continue to attract large audiences live, although record sales have never again approached their early Eighties success. ^[39]

The Blasters were centered around brothers Phil (who sang and played harmonica and guitar) and Dave Alvin (who played lead guitar and wrote songs). For others with this name see Blasters. The Blasters are a Rock and roll music group formed in 1979 in Downey California Dave Alvin (born November 11, 1955, in Downey California) is a Guitarist, singer and Songwriter. The brothers and their musical friends had grown up in a country town called Downey, outside Los Angeles, and had spent their teens playing with such legendary R&B musicians as Big Joe Turner, Willie Dixon, Jimmy Reed’s former bandleader Marcus Johnson, and Lee Allen, the sax player on the hits of Fats Domino and Little Richard. Downey is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County California, United States, 21 km (13 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. For the Ice hockey player see Joe Turner Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr William James "Willie" Dixon ( July 1, 1915 &ndash January 29, 1992) was a well-known American Blues Bassist Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed ( September 6 1925 - August 29 1976) was an American Blues Singer notable Lee Allen (born 1926 in Pittsburg Kansas; died 1994 was an American Tenor saxophone player Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino (born February 26, 1928 in New Orleans Louisiana) is a classic R&B and Rock and roll Rev Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5 1932 better known by the Stage name Little Richard, is an American Singer, Songwriter Having learned American roots music from the masters, the band began playing around LA in the late 1970s, attracting a following for their combination of classic styles, punk energy, and Dave Alvin’s powerful songs. See also Americana or Americana (music American folk music, also known as Roots music, is a broad category of music including

Several albums on the Warner Brothers-distributed label Slash and appearances in movies failed to land a chart hit, although sales were respectable and the band captured a strong cult following among fans and critics, even inspiring fan John Cougar Mellencamp to write and produce a single for the band. John Mellencamp, previously known as John Cougar and then John Cougar Mellencamp, (born October 7, 1951, in Seymour Indiana) is a In the late 1980s, Dave Alvin left the band to begin a successful solo career and Phil went back to UCLA to get his doctorate in Mathematics. Today Phil tours with a new Blasters lineup and the original members occasionally gather for performances. ^[40]

Jason & The Scorchers combined heavy metal, Chuck Berry, and Hank Williams into a punk-powered blender, creating a truly modern style of rockabilly. Jason & The Scorchers, originally Jason and the Nashville Scorchers were a Rock / Country rock band formed in 1981 and led by singer/songwriter Jason Ringenberg Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18 1926 in St Hank Williams ( September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American Singer-songwriter and Musician who has Although many would slap them with another label, such as alt-country or cowpunk, Jason and the Scorchers did what Elvis and the others had done in the 1950s: they combined the rockingest current urban sounds with the most backwoods country to create a new sound that had more edge than either of its sources. Alternative country is a term used to describe a number of Country music subgenres that tend to differ from mainstream or pop country music Cowpunk or Country punk is a subgenre of Punk rock that began in Southern California in the 1980s especially Los Angeles. Although they were critics' darlings and drew a rabid fan base from coast to coast, the Scorchers never managed to have the big hit record their label demanded. Today their works are nearly all out of print, although they periodically reappear for new tours. ^[41]

Many other bands were associated with the rockabilly bandwagon in the early 1980s, including the Rockats, Danny Dean and the Homewreckers, The Shakin' Pyramids, The Polecats, Zantees, The Kingbees, Leroi Brothers, The Nervous Fellas, Lone Justice, and Chris Isaak. The Polecats were a new wave and Rockabilly revival band in the late 1970s and early 1980s The Kingbees, also known as The King Bees, was a short-lived New York City -based Rhythm and blues musical group of the 1960s One of Canada 's premier Rockabilly bands The Nervous Fellas began in Vancouver around the winter of 1986 Lone Justice was an American Country rock band formed in 1982 by guitarist Ryan Hedgecock and singer Maria McKee. Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American rock Musician and occasional Actor.

Closely related was the “Roots Rock” movement which continued through the 1980s, led by artists like James Intveld, who later toured as lead guitar for The Blasters, the Beat Farmers, Del-Lords, Long Ryders, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Los Lobos, The Fleshtones, Del Fuegos, and Barrence Whitfield and the Savages. Roots rock is a term recently used to describe "a style of rock music that draws material from various American musical traditions including country, Blues, and James Intveld is a Los Angeles Rockabilly pioneer actor composer director For others with this name see Blasters. The Blasters are a Rock and roll music group formed in 1979 in Downey California The Beat Farmers were a Cowpunk band who formed in San Diego CA in August of 1983 and enjoyed a cult following throughout the 1980s and early 1990s before the premature The Fabulous Thunderbirds are a Blues-rock band, formed in 1974. Los Lobos ("The Wolves" are an American Rock band. They are 3-time Grammy Award winners The Del Fuegos were a garage-style pop band in the 1980s with lead singer Dan Zanes, guitarist Warren Zanes (his brother bassist Tom Lloyd and drummer Brent "Woody" These bands, like the Blasters, were inspired by a full range of historic American styles: blues, country, rockabilly, R&B, and New Orleans jazz. They held a strong appeal for listeners who were tired of the commercially-oriented MTV-style technopop and glam metal bands that dominated radio play during this time period, but none of these musicians became major stars. Glam metal (also known as pop metal) is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States. ^[42]

Also related, but much more successful, were the artists who rose to fame in the wake of Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen first achieved pop chart success with “Born to Run” in 1975 and had always been strongly influenced by earlier styles, notably rockabilly, Sixties girl groups and garage bands, and soul music. Born to Run is the third album by the American rock Singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. (In fact, Springsteen originally wrote his song "Fire"" for Robert Gordon, although the Pointer Sisters version sold more copies than Gordon's. The Pointer Sisters are an American Grammy Award -winning Pop / R&B recording act from Oakland, California that achieved ) Although he was a hugely popular performer throughout the 1970s, his 1984 LP Born in the USA brought him overwhelming success. Not only did the supporting tour set attendance records, but Springsteen’s songs became ubiquitous on radio and MTV.

The album spawned a slew of hit singles and several other veteran performers with similar roots-oriented sounds and socially-conscious lyrics enjoyed renewed popularity during the mid 1980s: Bob Seger, John Cougar Mellencamp, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s former leader John Fogerty, who scored a chart-topping triumph with his solo album Centerfield in 1985. Robert Clark "Bob" Seger (born May 6, 1945) is an American Rock and roll Singer-songwriter and Musician. John Mellencamp, previously known as John Cougar and then John Cougar Mellencamp, (born October 7, 1951, in Seymour Indiana) is a John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band is the name of an American rock band of the 1970s and 1980s from Narragansett Rhode Island. Creedence Clearwater Revival (often abbreviated CCR) was an American Rock and roll band who gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American rock singer Songwriter, and Guitarist, best known for his Centerfield is an Album by musician John Fogerty, released in 1985 ^[43]

In 1983, country rock singer Neil Young recorded a rockabilly album titled "Everybody's Rockin'". For the geological term see Country rock (geology. Country rock is a Musical Genre formed from the fusion of rock Neil Percival Young OM (born November 12, 1945, Toronto Ontario) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter, Musician Everybody's Rockin is a 1983 Album by Neil Young. The album was recorded with the Shocking Pinks (a band made up just for the occasion and features a selection of The album was not a commercial success and Young was involved in a widely publicized legal fight with Geffen Records who sued him for making a record that didn't sound "like a Neil Young record. Geffen Records is an American Record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label " Young made no further albums in the rockabilly style. ^[44]

Finally, during the 1980s, a number of country music stars scored hits recording in a rockabilly style. Hank Williams Jr, (born Randall Hank Williams, May 26, 1949) is an American country Singer-songwriter and Musician Marty Stuart’s “Hillbilly Rock” and Hank Williams, Jr.’s “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” were the most noteworthy examples of this trend, but they and other artists like Steve Earle and the Kentucky Headhunters charted many records with this approach. John Marty Stuart (b September 30 1958, Philadelphia Mississippi) is an American country music singer known for both his traditional Hank Williams Jr, (born Randall Hank Williams, May 26, 1949) is an American country Singer-songwriter and Musician Stephen 'Steve' Fain Earle (ɝl is an American Singer-songwriter, well known for his rock and Country music, as well as his political views The Kentucky Headhunters are an American Country rock group whose early albums were embraced by both country and rock fans Another artist, Dwight Yoakam, rose to success in Nashville after attracting a large following among punk and rockabilly fans in his native Los Angeles. Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American Country music Singer, Songwriter, and Actor His first album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. became a surprise hit, despite being considered “too country” by Nashville insiders. Guitars Cadillacs Etc Etc is Country music artist Dwight Yoakam 's début album In 1989, Yoakum would record a hit version of the Blasters’ “Long White Cadillac. ”^[45]

Although these styles of music were overshadowed after 1990 by the rise of grunge and rap, they left behind a sizable cult audience that continued to support rockabilly and roots-influenced performers through the 1990s and into the present. Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with

Rockabilly in the 2000s

Rockabilly has joined the ranks of established musical subcultures in the United States. As with other established music genres such as jazz, blues, bluegrass, and punk rock, a small core of rockabilly musicians are able to earn a steady but limited income, primarily by touring and playing at festivals specialist venues and recording for independent record labels. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of Country music. Like the other subcultures, the rockabilly "scene" supports musicians and their performances using fanzines, websites, and chat pages.

Although no other rockabilly performers have risen to the level of mass popularity enjoyed by the Stray Cats in the 1980s, the scene has grown in the 2000s. The Stray Cats are a Rockabilly band formed in 1979 by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer (Bloodless Pharaohs/ Brian Setzer Orchestra) with There has been a significant overlap with, and interaction between, the rockabilly scene and swing revival. The Swing Revival was a late 1990s and early 2000s period of renewed popular interest in swing and Jump blues music and dance from the 1930s and 1940s as Brian Setzer (of the Stray Cats and The Brian Setzer Orchestra) helped to join these two subcultures, in that he was both a rockabilly band leader and a swing band leader. Brian Setzer (born April 10 1959, Massapequa, New York) is an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter The Brian Setzer Orchestra (sometimes going by the acronym BSO is a swing and Jump blues band formed in 1990 by Stray Cats frontman Other artists, such as Trick Pony, Danny Dean and the Homewreckers, (a country music trio influenced by both rockabilly and honky-tonk styles), The Reverend Horton Heat, Rattled Roosters, and Royal Crown Revue were also popular among both camps. Trick Pony was an American Country music group formed in 1996 by Keith Burns ( Lead guitar, Vocals) Ira Dean ( Bass guitar, Upright Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Reverend Horton Heat is both a three-piece Psychobilly / Rockabilly band from Dallas Texas and the Stage name of its Singer / Rattled Roosters are a Rockabilly band from Vancouver, Canada moved to Los Angeles, California. The Royal Crown Revue (RCR is a band formed in 1989 in Los Angeles, California. ^[46]

There are active rockabilly scenes in many major US cities, particularly on the west coast; as well as major festivals such as Viva Las Vegas and Hootenanny and the Heavy Rebel Weekend festival on the east coast. The " West Coast " " Western Seaboard " or " Pacific Seaboard " are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the Western United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard" refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern Rockabilly fans have made common cause with hot rod vintage car enthusiasts, and many festivals feature both music and vintage cars with a 1950s flavor. Hot rods are typically American cars with large engines modified for linear speed With the growth of satellite and internet radio, there are regular broadcast outlets for rockabilly music. The not-for-profit Rockabilly Hall of Fame was created March 21,1997 to remember the early rockabilly music and to promote those who want to continue rockabilly music popularity and accessibility into the future. The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on March 21, 1997 to present early Rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities

In Europe, rockabilly remains a vibrant and active subculture, with strong interest not only in current revivalist musicians, but also in performances and recordings by surviving artists from the 1950s. For the term in biology see Subculture (biology. For the song by New Order see Sub-culture (song. Along with the revival of 1950s-style rockabilly music, several rockabilly disc jockeys have arisen around the world. A disc jockey (also known as DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience A significant reason for the continuing phenomenon of new generations discovering and embracing rockabilly is their dissatisfaction with mainstream culture, music, and stylistic icons. Rockabilly often becomes a way of life or lifestyle to those involved, who consider the larger group to be a brotherhood. The rockabilly lifestyle is not confined to just the music but also the home furnishings, cars, and even small things like the cigarettes smoked. The rockabilly culture is an antithesis to current trends as it embraces its roots in "old school" societal fringes (50's movies "The Wild One", James Dean's "Rebel Without A Cause", etc. The Wild One is a 1953 Outlaw biker film directed by László Benedek. James Byron Dean ( February 8 1931 &ndash September 30 1955) was a two-time Oscar -nominated American Film Rebel Without a Cause is a 1955 film directed by Nicholas Ray that tells the story of a rebellious teenager played by James Dean, ) concentrated in countries like USA, Australia, New Zealand, UK, and also in the rest of Europe.

The Rockabilly Look

In the UK revival of Teddy Boy fashions and in the United States, rockabilly fans have favored the greaser look, in which men have flamboyant pompadour hairstyles, with lots of hair pomade and long sideburns, also they comb their hair straight back but the pompadour is the most favorite look. The British Teddy Boy Subculture is typified by young men wearing clothes inspired by the styles of the Edwardian period, which Savile Row tailors Greasers are a Working class Youth subculture that originated in the 1950s among young eastern and Southern United States Street Pompadour is a style of Haircut which takes its name from Madame de Pompadour. Pomade (also called pomatum) is a greasy or waxy substance that is used to style Hair. For clothing, men wear tight jeans or black slacks, brothel creeper shoes, thin “bolo” neckties, and leopard-skin accents. Creepers or Brothel creepers are a type of shoe that gained popularity in the 1950s with the rise of Rockabilly and the Teddy Boy Youth A bolo tie (sometimes bola tie) is a type of Necktie consisting of a piece of cord or Braided Leather with decorative metal tips or aglets American fans have also adopted other 1950s-style clothing, such as bowling shirts, gas station "work" shirts, cowboy shirts, and Hawaiian “aloha” shirts, as well as the leather motorcycle jacket. The Aloha shirt is a style of dress shirt originating in Hawaii. The motorcycle jacket stems from the rockers, who needed them as much for function as for fashion. A rocker jacket is a leather motorcycle jacket first popularized by the greasers and Rockers of the late 1950s and early 1960s

Women’s fashions in the rockabilly community have never really revived the true 1950s look of poodle skirts worn with letter sweaters. A poodle skirt is one of the most memorable symbols of the 1950s. However, glamorous 1950s dresses, often with crinolines, have found some favor. Many of today’s female rockabilly fans are inspired by bad girl pinup models of the 1950s, such as Bettie Page. Bettie Mae Page (born Betty Mae Page April 22 1923 in Nashville Tennessee) is a former American model who became famous in the 1950s for They often wear animal prints, horn-rimmed sunglasses, fishnet stockings, tight jeans, capris, or short shorts. Horn-rimmed glasses are a type of Eyeglasses with frames made of horn, Tortoise shell, or plastic that simulates either material In the field of Textiles, fishnet is a material with an open diamond shaped Knit. Capri Pants ( "capris") are a style of Pants usually worn in warm weather Tattoos are popular among both sexes. ^[47]

Music sample

See also

• The Ace Cafe
• Alternative country
• Country music
• Cowpunk
• Facial Hair
• Greasers
• Honky tonk
• Heavy Rebel Weekend
• List of Rockabilly musicians
• Roots rock
• Pomade
• Psychobilly
• Rockers
• Teddy Boy
• Western swing
• Stray Cats

Footnotes

External links

• The Rockabilly Homepage
• Rockabilly Hall Of Fame
• Rockabilly Magazine
• Texas Rockabilly Revival
• The Rockabilly Guitar Page

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